What does a certified nurse practitioner do?
Certified nurse practitioner responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real certified nurse practitioner resumes:
- Manage patients with multiple complex medical conditions while collaborating with multiple specialties and other members of the multidisciplinary team.
- Provide total care of patients recovering from amputations, cerebral vascular accidents, spinal cord injury/surgery and joint replacements.
- Position require assessment, diagnosis, work-up and interpretation of diagnostics, in addition to effectively communicating with all physicians.
- Perform history and physical exam upon admission including dictation of findingsfollow by discharge summaries.
Certified nurse practitioner skills and personality traits
We calculated that 40% of Certified Nurse Practitioners are proficient in Patients, Primary Care, and Vital Signs. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Certified Nurse Practitioners that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 40%
Provide Primary Care to ambulatory patients through comprehensive history taking, physical assessment and medications management.
- Primary Care, 8%
Provided comprehensive health care for obstetrical and gynecological clients in a Primary Care Provider role.
- Vital Signs, 5%
Bathe, observed, evaluated and recorded changes in skin color, vital signs and mood.
- Diagnostic Tests, 4%
Completed diagnostic tests and collaborated with preceptor to prescribe medications.
- Rehabilitation, 4%
Managed acute rehabilitation and skilled care inpatient population following orthopedic surgery until discharge.
- Direct Patient Care, 4%
Performed direct patient care,Assisting with activities of daily living.
Common skills that a certified nurse practitioner uses to do their job include "patients," "primary care," and "vital signs." You can find details on the most important certified nurse practitioner responsibilities below.
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a certified nurse practitioner to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "advanced practice registered nurses have to be able to communicate with patients and other healthcare professionals to ensure the appropriate course of action." Additionally, a certified nurse practitioner resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "direct communication with patients and families. "
Compassion. Many certified nurse practitioner duties rely on compassion. "aprns should be caring and sympathetic when treating patients.," so a certified nurse practitioner will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways certified nurse practitioner responsibilities rely on compassion: "team family practice skills used critical thinking, compassion, long term knowledge, excellent bedside manner, team player. "
Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of certified nurse practitioners is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday certified nurse practitioner duties, as "aprns need to be thorough in providing treatments and medications that affect their patients’ health." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "perform a detailed head to toe assessment and report to pcp's offices abnormal findings. "
Interpersonal skills. certified nurse practitioner responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "aprns must work with patients and families as well as with other healthcare providers and staff." This resume example shows what certified nurse practitioners do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "utilized strong interpersonal skills to interact well with physicians, staff and patients. "
Leadership skills. Another common skill required for certified nurse practitioner responsibilities is "leadership skills." This skill comes up in the duties of certified nurse practitioners all the time, as "aprns often work in positions of seniority." An excerpt from a real certified nurse practitioner resume shows how this skill is central to what a certified nurse practitioner does: "implement leadership through unit management for patients' care in a complex behavioral health environment"
The three companies that hire the most certified nurse practitioners are:
- DCH Health System3 certified nurse practitioners jobs
- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare3 certified nurse practitioners jobs
- BWX Technologies2 certified nurse practitioners jobs
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Compare different certified nurse practitioners
Certified nurse practitioner vs. Certified registered nurse anesthetist
A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist administers anesthesia to patients. They work in various healthcare settings, such as operating rooms, dentists and podiatrists offices, birthing centers, and plastic surgery centers.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a certified nurse practitioner are more likely to require skills like "primary care," "diagnostic tests," "rehabilitation," and "direct patient care." On the other hand, a job as a certified registered nurse anesthetist requires skills like "patient care," "acls," "anesthesia care," and "ob." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Certified registered nurse anesthetists tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $188,323. In contrast, certified nurse practitioners make the biggest average salary, $103,116, in the health care industry.On average, certified registered nurse anesthetists reach higher levels of education than certified nurse practitioners. Certified registered nurse anesthetists are 13.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Certified nurse practitioner vs. Practitioner
The duties of a practitioner depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In the medical field, a practitioner is a doctor who provides medical services to patients according to their health issues or concerns, primarily by diagnosing and treating illnesses and injuries. Their responsibilities include performing examinations and assessments, providing consultations and advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also maintain an active communication line with nurses and technicians for a smooth and efficient workflow.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that certified nurse practitioner responsibilities requires skills like "primary care," "diagnostic tests," "rehabilitation," and "direct patient care." But a practitioner might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patient care," "social work," "individual therapy," and "continuous improvement."
On average, practitioners earn a lower salary than certified nurse practitioners. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, practitioners earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $104,329. Whereas certified nurse practitioners have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $103,116.In general, practitioners achieve similar levels of education than certified nurse practitioners. They're 0.1% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Certified nurse practitioner vs. Gastroenterology nurse practitioner
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from certified nurse practitioner resumes include skills like "primary care," "rehabilitation," "crnp," and "physical exams," whereas a gastroenterology nurse practitioner is more likely to list skills in "np," "bls," "gi," and "acute care. "
Gastroenterology nurse practitioners typically earn similar educational levels compared to certified nurse practitioners. Specifically, they're 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Certified nurse practitioner vs. Person's health care nurse practitioner
Types of certified nurse practitioner
Updated January 8, 2025
