Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered professional nurses who are prepared through advanced graduate education and clinical training to provide a range of health services, including the diagnosis and management of common as well as complex medical conditions to individuals of all ages.
According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, nurse practitioners have provided primary, acute and specialty healthcare to patients of all ages for the past 50 years. As of June, 2016 there are more than 222,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the United States. NPs assess patients, order and interpret diagnostic tests, make diagnoses, initiate and manage treatment plans – including prescribing medications. As clinicians, nurse practitioners blend clinical experience in diagnosing and treating health conditions with an added emphasis on disease prevention and health management. As a profession, nurse practitioners are committed to bringing a comprehensive perspective to health care.
The information on this site focuses on three areas of scope of practice for Nurse Practitioners: Practice Authority, Prescriptive Authority and Nurse Practitioners Identified as Primary Care Providers.
Practice authority in states can be defined as NPs practicing independently without physician oversight, having a collaborative practice agreement with a physician, which outlines procedures the NP is allowed to do and procedures for consulting with the physician, or if an NP must complete a certain number of practice hours under the supervision of a physician before practicing independently.
Prescriptive authority in states can be defined as NPs prescribing medications independently without physician oversight, requiring a collaborative agreement with a physician that outlines the NPs prescribing abilities, or if NPs must complete certain educational requirements before being able to prescribe independently.
Some states explicitly identify an NP as a primary care provider in policy. This could include primary care being defined as a population focus for an NP. Other states do not explicitly identify NPs are primary care providers.
The map on the right shows a comparison of all states and territories for these three areas. Choose a tab at the top of the map for different options. For more detailed information, please click on a state.
For information on physician assistants and midlevel oral health providers, please use the practitioner links below the map.
