Description
Provide advanced patient care as a Nurse Practitioner (NP), independently or in collaboration, by diagnosing and treating acute, episodic, and chronic conditions; promoting health and preventing disease; ordering, performing, and interpreting diagnostic tests; and prescribing medications within state scope. Requires RN licensure, graduate NP education, national certification, and state NP licensure.
- • Educate patients on self-management of acute and chronic conditions, tailored to individual needs.
- • Schedule and conduct follow-up visits to monitor status and adjust care.
- • Counsel on medication regimens, side effects, and interactions with OTC drugs, supplements, and herbal products.
- • Order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests (e.g., CBCs, EKGs, x-rays, point-of-care tests).
- • Analyze histories, symptoms, exams, and diagnostics to form differential diagnoses.
- • Diagnose and treat acute illnesses, infections, and injuries.
- • Manage chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and COPD.
- • Stabilize and co-manage complex, comorbid, or emergency conditions with other providers as needed.
- • Treat or refer common primary care conditions (e.g., headaches, UTIs, URIs, dermatologic issues).
- • Consult with or refer to specialists when conditions exceed scope or expertise.
- • Detect, manage, and report adverse drug reactions, with attention to vulnerable populations.
- • Develop evidence-based treatment plans aligned with standards of care and guidelines.
- • Perform office procedures (e.g., suturing, splinting, immunizations, cultures, wound debridement).
- • Perform routine, sports, school, and annual physical examinations.
- • Prescribe medications based on efficacy, safety, and cost as authorized by law.
- • Provide counseling on health promotion, risk reduction, and disease prevention.
- • Recommend diagnostic or therapeutic interventions considering safety, cost, invasiveness, simplicity, and adherence.
- • Recommend behavioral interventions to address modifiable risk factors.
- • Determine and prescribe appropriate medication doses, routes, and frequencies based on patient characteristics.
- • Advocate for equitable, accessible care and reduced environmental health risks.
- • Connect patients and caregivers with community and healthcare resources.
- • Document assessments, plans, orders, and outcomes in the electronic health record.
- • Maintain currency with clinical evidence through literature review, peer consultation, and professional activities.
- • Stay informed about payer policies and reimbursement systems (Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, private payers).
- • Maintain knowledge of state NP regulations, prescriptive authority, and collaborative practice requirements.
- • Uphold departmental policies and procedures, including safety and infection control.
- • Supervise, mentor, or coordinate activities of patient care and support staff.
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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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
