A nurse practitioner can provide many of the services of a physician.

In rural areas, a nurse practitioner often practices independently, performing many of the health care duties usually provided by a physician. These duties include examining patients, taking x-rays, performing lab tests, diagnosing conditions, prescribing medications and treatments, and providing health counseling and prevention services. In other settings, the nurse practitioner may set up a practice with a wide variety of activities, including caring for individuals with chronic illnesses, providing health counseling and treatments, and making home visits.

A nurse practitioner sees patients of all ages. The core philosophy of the field is individualized care. A nurse practitioner will focus on patients' conditions as well as the effects of illness on the lives of the patients and their families. A nurse practitioner also makes prevention, wellness, and patient education priorities. This can mean fewer prescriptions and less expensive treatments. Informing patients about their health care and encouraging them to participate in decisions are central to the care provided by nurse practitioners.

A nurse practitioner may specialize in family practice, maternal-child health, women's health, pediatrics, geriatrics, or psychiatry. Increasingly, they work in specialty clinics, with allergists, gynecologists, cardiologists, and others. Career options for a nurse practitioner are virtually unlimited, and include employment as instructors in clinical and university settings, research, administration, and further education at the doctorate level.