Nurse practitioners are nurses who have advanced academic and clinical training and experience. Their special training allows them to do many of the tasks traditionally reserved for medical doctors, including diagnosing, treating, and managing common illnesses.
Nurse practitioners usually work in collaboration with doctors, providing health care for people both when they are sick—“episodic” care—and when they are healthy—well-person care, or “check-ups.” They relieve doctors of many time-consuming tasks, and often work with people in need, such as the homeless or mentally ill.
Some of their work with patients may include doing physical exams; diagnosing and treating minor illnesses such as colds, flu, and infections; treating minor injuries; and providing immunization against disease. They also interview patients and take their medical histories.
In addition to administering direct patient care, nurse practitioners provide health-related information to patients and the community at large. For example, they may promote health education in the community and discuss nutrition and lifestyle with clients.
Other duties can include prescribing certain medications, ordering lab tests and imaging work, and interpreting medical reports. When necessary, they refer patients to doctors or other health care providers for consultation or specialized treatment.
Many nurse practitioners specialize in areas like pediatrics, school health, family and adult health, women’s health, mental health, home care, geriatrics, nurse-midwifery, and acute care.
NOC Code: 3152