Nurse Practitioners
On the Job
Nurse Practitioners diagnose and treat a wide variety of illnesses. They may work on their own or with a team of health care specialists. They operate at the highest level of nursing care and must have specialized nursing education. For example, they may order and interpret diagnostic tests or prescribe medication.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Apply bandages, dressings, or splints.
- Immunize patients.
- Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
- Treat acute illnesses, infections, or injuries.
- Treat chronic diseases or disorders.
- Treat medical emergencies.
- Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
- Record patient medical histories.
- Diagnose medical conditions.
- Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
Typical Working Conditions
- Having telephone conversations.
- The importance of being accurate or exact.
- Serious consequences if mistakes are made.
- Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
- Working with a group or team.
- Exposure to disease or infections.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
- Responsibility for others' health and safety.
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.
