What Is the Difference Between a Nurse and a Nurse Practitioner?

What Is the Difference Between a Nurse and a Nurse Practitioner(NP)?

Nursing is in high demand today. But within the industry, there are many different specialties. Knowing who does what is important. This is especially important when looking for a professional to provide health care services.

Not everyone is familiar with the different roles nurses can have. If you hear someone say, “nurse practitioner” or “NP,” you might wonder if that's different from nurses in general. But it's a distinct role that's unlike other nursing professions. It's worth knowing what makes a nurse practitioner a nurse practitioner. Understanding this will help you have more control over your health care and your path to better health.

What is a registered nurse?

Registered nurses (RNs) work with health care professionals like doctors and nurse practitioners to treat patients. A registered nurse can specialize in a variety of fields. Public health, substance abuse and critical care are just some of the specialties they can focus on.

What are the differences between a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner?

You may find these two types of health care providers working in the same environments. Hospitals, clinics and outpatient care centers are some of the places that use both registered nurses and nurse practitioners. However, the scope of each role is one of the key differences between registered nurses and nurse practitioners. Both can provide and coordinate patient care. But nurse practitioners can do more because they have extra years of schooling that includes extensive clinical experience. This is especially the case when it comes to treating many illnesses.

Nurse practitioners may also have a master's or doctoral level of education. Some states even allow nurse practitioners to practice without a physician. Below are two major differences between registered nurses and nurse practitioners:

Prescribing medicine

Nurse practitioners: Can prescribe certain medicines.

Registered nurses: Cannot prescribe medicine.

Regulations for nurse practitioners

All nurse practitioners are subject to the laws of the state where they practice their profession. How a nurse practitioner performs their role can differ greatly from state to state, and the regulations that apply to them are complex. In general, there are 3 types of states that determine how a nurse practitioner can work: full practice states, reduced practice states, and restricted states.

What should I know about nurse practitioners?

In some states, nurse practitioners don't need anyone to supervise them, and they generally can do many of the same things that physicians can do. Like physicians, they can also order medical care and write prescriptions. Knowing these differences lets you make more informed choices about your health care.

At MinuteClinic®, our fully trained staff includes nurse practitioners. This lets us provide you with convenient, high-quality health care when you may need it.

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