Nurse practitioner (CNP): duties, requirements, and pay

What is a CNP nurse?

CNP stands for certified nurse practitioner. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) lists it as 1 of 4 APRN roles in the Consensus Model for APRN regulation. The other 3 are certified nurse midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist, and clinical nurse specialist.[7]

Some state laws use the term too. Ohio's nursing law defines a certified nurse practitioner as an APRN with a current, valid license. The nurse must also be designated as a certified nurse practitioner under state law and the board of nursing's rules.[8]

BLS data use the title nurse practitioner (NP): BLS publishes pay for occupation 29-1171, nurse practitioners.[1]

What nurse practitioners do

BLS describes nurse practitioners as primary and specialty care providers. They assess patients, work out how to improve or manage a patient's health, and discuss ways to build health promotion into the patient's life. Although the scope of their duties varies by state, many work independently, prescribe medications, and order laboratory tests.[5]

Under the APRN Consensus Model, as NCSBN describes it, each nurse practitioner is educated and certified in a role and 1 population focus. A population focus is the group of patients they are trained for. NCSBN lists 6: family or individual across the life span, adult-gerontology, women's health or gender-related, pediatrics, neonatal, and psychiatric or mental health. Adult-gerontology and pediatrics may be split further into primary or acute care.[7]

In 2025, US offices of physicians employed 46% of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners combined, and hospitals employed 25%. Most APRNs work full time, BLS says. In hospitals they may work shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays.[5]

Requirements to become a nurse practitioner

BLS says states' requirements for APRNs vary. In general, you need the 4 things in the table below, and each state's board of nursing publishes the details.[5]

Most APRN programs prefer applicants with a bachelor's degree in nursing, BLS says. Some schools offer bridge programs for RNs with an associate's degree or a diploma. Some graduate programs also admit people whose bachelor's degree is in a related health science field, and prepare them for the RN exam.[5]

How to become a nurse practitioner, step by step

The order below follows BLS's and NCSBN's descriptions of the path. Your state board of nursing's rules decide the details at each step.[5][7]

The result is an APRN license as a nurse practitioner in 1 state. The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and licensed practical or vocational nurse licenses only. To practice as an APRN in another state, you need that state's own APRN license. Read how the Nurse Licensure Compact works for your RN license.[10]

How long it takes to become a nurse practitioner

The time depends on where you start and on the programs you choose. BLS says a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) typically takes 4 years. A diploma program, usually offered by a hospital or medical center, typically takes 2 to 3 years. BLS gives no typical length for the graduate program, so ask each program how long it takes full time and part time.[6][5]

After licensure, a state can require a period of collaborative practice. Minnesota requires a nurse practitioner who qualifies for APRN licensure to complete at least 2,080 hours of postgraduate practice within a collaborative agreement.[9]

In Minnesota, the collaborators may be 1 or more physicians licensed in Minnesota, another state, or a US territory. They may also be 1 or more APRNs licensed in Minnesota with at least 3 years of practice. The nurse practitioner and 1 collaborator must have experience caring for patients with the same or similar medical problems.[9]

How much nurse practitioners make

Half of US nurse practitioners earned less than $132,300 a year in May 2025, and half earned more. These figures come from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey by BLS. The median is the boundary between the highest paid 50% and the lowest paid 50% of workers in an occupation.[1][4]

For US nurse practitioners in May 2025, the mean, or average, annual wage was $137,300, and the median hourly wage was $63.61.[1]

In May 2025, the middle half of US nurse practitioners, between the 25th and 75th percentiles, earned within an annual band $38,710 wide. US registered nurses had a median annual wage of $97,550 in the same survey. The nurse practitioner median was $34,750 a year higher.[1]

OEWS publishes wage percentiles only up to the 90th. At that point, 10% of US nurse practitioners earned more than $174,420 a year in May 2025. BLS gives no figure for the very top.[1]

The US median annual wage of $134,920 for May 2025 in BLS's Occupational Outlook Handbook covers nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners together. The nurse practitioner and nurse midwife median annual wages ($132,300 and $134,040) are both below $134,920. So nurse anesthetists, with a median of $236,590 a year, raise the combined figure.[5]

When an offer arrives, compare its base salary plus any production or incentive pay with these figures by percentile. Then read how to negotiate a salary offer before you answer.

Job outlook for nurse practitioners, 2025 to 2035

BLS projects nurse practitioner employment to grow 41% in the US from 2025 to 2035, from 336,300 jobs to 474,100. For the 3 occupations as a group in the US, BLS projects 36% growth from 2025 to 2035. It also projects about 32,200 openings a year for the group on average.[5]

OEWS counted 323,040 nurse practitioner jobs in the US in May 2025, fewer than the handbook's 336,300. The 336,300 comes from BLS's projections program. It spreads industry employment, mainly from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, across occupations using OEWS staffing patterns. It also adds agriculture and private households, which OEWS does not cover, and self-employed workers.[1][5][3]

A national projection says nothing certain about openings in your area.

What a nurse practitioner may do depends on the state

The Consensus Model, as NCSBN describes it, calls for APRNs to practice and prescribe independently, without physician oversight such as a collaborative or supervisory agreement. NCSBN also says some states have not adopted all of the model's elements, so the rules differ from state to state.[7]

Minnesota shows how a state can differ. Changes effective August 1, 2026 kept the 2,080 hours. They removed the general rule that the hours be completed in a hospital or integrated clinical setting.[9]

Minnesota's law also adds a setting rule for the first 2,080 hours of some nurse practitioners. It covers those who provide services other than primary care or mental health. Their collaborative practice must be completed in a setting where APRNs and physicians work together to provide patient care.[9]

Before you choose a program or a job, read your state board of nursing's APRN rules. If you will care for patients in more than 1 state, check each one. NCSBN says APRNs must meet the requirements of the state where the patient is located. More on licensure is in the healthcare career guides.[7]