All nurses serve important roles within the health care community, but nurse practitioners have a more in depth role in serving the needs of patients. Most nurse practitioners have earned their Master’s degree and are able to assist doctors in diagnosing illnesses as well as administering treatment. Nurse practitioners are able to administer the very same treatment that a regular doctor would, and they can help to work with patients who have chronic or acute health problems. In some states, nurse practitioners can work on their own without having to be under the constant supervision of a doctor, and may even open and run their own clinics, giving the job a much more prestigious reputation. In all 50 states, nurse practitioners are able to administer prescriptions to patients, which is why obtaining a degree in the field is so important. They must also be completely board certified before they can actually do many of these things.

The job duties of nurse practitioners are different depending on their specialized field or work environment. Some of these duties include things like prenatal (newborn) care, screening and immunization administration, conducting physical exams, and helping to interpret some basic test results. Other duties include working closely with the physician to help administer treatment, make diagnoses, and prescribe certain medications and physical therapy as needed. Nurse practitioners are not allowed to serve as surgical assistants, however. You can find them in a variety of work environments such as hospitals, private clinics, nursing homes, schools, walk-in clinics, veterans treatment centers, and ER wards, just to name a few. The duties of a nurse practitioner are many, and their background and experience is broad, making them a desirable addition to any health care facility. The demand is high for nurse practitioners who have a desire to help others in a clinical setting.