Description
Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. May focus on health promotion and disease prevention. May order, perform, or interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and x rays. May prescribe medication. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.
- • Educate patients about self-management of acute or chronic illnesses, tailoring instructions to patients' individual circumstances.
- • Schedule follow-up visits to monitor patients or evaluate health or illness care.
- • Counsel patients about drug regimens and possible side effects or interactions with other substances, such as food supplements, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, or herbal remedies.
- • Order, perform, or interpret the results of diagnostic tests, such as complete blood counts (CBCs), electrocardiograms (EKGs), and radiographs (x-rays).
- • Analyze and interpret patients' histories, symptoms, physical findings, or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses.
- • Diagnose or treat acute health care problems, such as illnesses, infections, or injuries.
- • Diagnose or treat chronic health care problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
- • Diagnose or treat complex, unstable, comorbid, episodic, or emergency conditions in collaboration with other health care providers as necessary.
- • Treat or refer patients for primary care conditions, such as headaches, hypertension, urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infections, and dermatological conditions.
- • Consult with, or refer patients to, appropriate specialists when conditions exceed the scope of practice or expertise.
- • Detect and respond to adverse drug reactions, with special attention to vulnerable populations such as infants, children, pregnant and lactating women, or older adults.
- • Develop treatment plans, based on scientific rationale, standards of care, and professional practice guidelines.
- • Perform primary care procedures such as suturing, splinting, administering immunizations, taking cultures, and debriding wounds.
- • Perform routine or annual physical examinations.
- • Prescribe medications based on efficacy, safety, and cost as legally authorized.
- • Provide patients with information needed to promote health, reduce risk factors, or prevent disease or disability.
- • Recommend diagnostic or therapeutic interventions with attention to safety, cost, invasiveness, simplicity, acceptability, adherence, and efficacy.
- • Recommend interventions to modify behavior associated with health risks.
- • Prescribe medication dosages, routes, and frequencies, based on such patient characteristics as age and gender.
- • Advocate for accessible health care that minimizes environmental health risks.
- • Provide patients or caregivers with assistance in locating health care resources.
- • Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses.
- • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in nursing.
- • Keep abreast of regulatory processes and payer systems, such as Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, and private sources.
- • Maintain current knowledge of state legal regulations for nurse practitioner practice, including reimbursement of services.
- • Maintain departmental policies and procedures in areas such as safety and infection control.
- • Supervise or coordinate patient care or support staff activities.
Related specializations
Interview options
Interview options
Interviewee gender
Interviewee accent
Interview time
Related Pathways
Healthcare & Human Services
View
Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
Learn more
Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
