What is a Nurse Practitioner?

Nurse practitioners (NPs) provide high-quality primary, acute and specialty health care services across the lifespan and in diverse settings, including patients’ homes, community-based clinics, schools, colleges, prisons, hospitals and long-term care facilities. All NPs have advanced clinical training and competency to provide health care beyond their initial registered nurse preparation. NPs have graduate education, with master’s or doctoral degrees, and they bring a unique perspective to health services in that they emphasize both care and cure. NPs diagnose, treat and manage acute and chronic illness.