1Pay
$132,300
Very high national median pay
2025 national median. Top 10% for pay among careers on ChooseField.
Healthcare · Career brief
Nurse Practitioner
Is it a good career to pursue?
The 30-second read
Nurse Practitioner at a glance
Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.
2Demand
41%
Very fast projected growth
Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Top 10% for growth among careers on ChooseField.
3Openings
29,400
Lots of annual openings
Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Top quarter for openings among careers on ChooseField.
4Route in
Master's degree
Long formal preparation is part of the path
Master's degree. Prior related work is not typically required.
5The work
Analytical
Problem-solving and analysis dominate the profile
Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses.
6The catch
Know this first
What could make this a poor fit
Patient care can involve standing, walking, and moving patients. Physical demands vary across specialties and settings.
ChooseField take
The strongest national signals are pay, growth, and opening volume; each ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if analytical work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a master's-degree path. Main tradeoff: Patient care can involve standing, walking, and moving patients. Physical demands vary across specialties and settings.
National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.
Compare Nurse Practitioner with another field
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Market and path
Pay, outlook, and the route in
National median pay (2025)
$132,300
A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.
2025–2035 outlook
41%employment growth29,400openings per year
Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.
Typical entry route
Registered-nurse licensure, at least a master's degree in the specialty role, national certification, and state APRN licensure are required. Check each program's prerequisites and clinical placements.
BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.
BLS qualification guidance · Reviewed September 6, 2026.
2025 employment
336,300
Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.
Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Nurse practitioners (29-1171).
Actual responsibilities
What you would be trusted to own
Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.
- Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses.
- Develop treatment plans, based on scientific rationale, standards of care, and professional practice guidelines.
- Provide patients with information needed to promote health, reduce risk factors, or prevent disease or disability.
- Diagnose or treat complex, unstable, comorbid, episodic, or emergency conditions in collaboration with other health care providers as necessary.
Decision-changing realities
What could make this a poor fit
- Patient care can involve standing, walking, and moving patients. Physical demands vary across specialties and settings.
- Office roles often follow business hours; hospital roles may include nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call work.
Work profile
What the work emphasizes
O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.
- Documenting/Recording Information4.7
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.6
- Getting Information4.6
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.5
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.5
Interest profile
Career interests
O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.
Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.
- Investigative5.5
- Social5.5
- Conventional4.1
- Realistic3.6
- Enterprising2.1
- Artistic1.4
Preparation
What the training must make you competent at
Subject matter
Medicine and Dentistry
Biology
Psychology
Therapy and Counseling
Before choosing the major or training
Run a cheaper test first
- Try an approved first-aid, CPR, patient-care, or health-science workshop. Use supervised training or simulation only.
- Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.
Field-specific evidence
What changes the picture
Large national workforce
461,000+
AANP estimate of nurse practitioners in the United States.
AANP · 2025 ↗The fuller career guide
How the evidence fits together
The tradeoff that matters most
The growth numbers are unusually strong and the workforce is already large. The main entry cost is that NP is not a direct-from-college occupation: it requires nursing preparation followed by graduate education.
Working conditions and hours
Patient care can involve standing, walking, and moving patients. Physical demands vary across specialties and settings.
Office roles often follow business hours; hospital roles may include nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call work.
BLS: entry routes, workplace, and schedules · Reviewed September 16, 2026. BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections.
Common questions
Questions people ask about this career
Is nurse practitioner a good career?
Consider this field if its core work interests you: diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. Try an introductory project, class, or permitted observation before committing to training. Compare the actual cost and required experience with entry-level work available where you plan to live.
NP vs PA
Consider Nurse Practitioner if you want to diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. Consider Physician Assistant if you would rather provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Compare a sample task and the qualification requirements for each before choosing between them.
NP vs RN
Consider Nurse Practitioner if you want to diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. Consider Registered Nurse if you would rather assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Compare a sample task and the qualification requirements for each before choosing between them.
Nurse practitioner salary
The national median annual wage in May 2025 was $132,300. This is a benchmark rather than an expected starting salary; actual compensation varies by experience, location, employer, specialty, credentials, and hours.
Adjacent options
Compare before committing
The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Pharmacist, Veterinarian, Registered Nurse, Physician Assistant.
Pharmacist
- Median pay
- $140,910
- Growth
- 5.2%
Doctoral or professional degree
Compare side by side →Veterinarian
- Median pay
- $130,100
- Growth
- 9.4%
Doctoral or professional degree
Compare side by side →Registered Nurse
- Median pay
- $97,550
- Growth
- 5.6%
Multiple nursing pathways + licensure
Compare side by side →Physician Assistant
- Median pay
- $135,880
- Growth
- 21.1%
Master's degree
Compare side by side →Sources
- BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections and worker characteristics: pay, employment, openings, education, experience, and training for occupation 29-1171.
- O*NET 29-1171.00 occupation summary: tasks, knowledge, work context, and technologies.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: 2025–35.
- AANP: 2025.