NP Fast Facts

Nurse Practitioners have been providing primary, acute and specialty health care to patients of all ages and walks of life for nearly half a century. NPs assess patients, order and interpret diagnostic tests, make diagnoses and initiate and manage treatment plans—including prescribing medications. Let’s take a look at a few NP fast facts.

1. There are more than 325,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) licensed in the U.S.
2. More than 30,000 new NPs completed their academic programs in 2018–2019.
3. 88.9% of NPs are certified in an area of primary care, and 70.2% of all NPs deliver primary care.
4. 96.2% of NPs prescribe medications, and those in full-time practice write an average of 21 prescriptions per day.
5. NPs hold prescriptive privileges, including controlled substances, in all 50 states and D.C.
6. The majority of full-time NPs (59.4%) see three or more patients per hour.

Source: AANP