There are over 155,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) practicing in the US
- An estimated 11,000 new NPs completed their academic programs in 2010-2011
- 93% of NPs have graduate degrees
- 97% of NPs maintain national certification
- 18% of NPs practice in rural or frontier settings
- 88% of NPs are prepared in primary care; 68% of NPs practice in at least one primary care site
- 87% of NPs see patient covered by Medicare and 84% by Medicaid
- 43% of NPs hold hospital privileges; 15% have long term care privileges
- 96.5% of NPs prescribe medications, averaging 20 prescriptions per day
- NPs hold prescriptive privilege in all 50 states, with controlled substances in 48
- The early-2011 mean, full-time NP base salary was $91,310, with average full-time NP total income $98,760
- 60% of NPs see three to four patients per hour; 7% see over five patients per hour
- Malpractice rates remain low; only 2% have been named as primary defendant in a malpractice case
- Average NP is female (96%) and 48 years old; she has been in practice for 12.8 years as a family NP (49%)
Distribution, Mean Years of Practice, Mean Age by Population Focus
Population | Percent of NPs | Years of Practice | Age |
| Acute Care | 5.6 | 7.0 | 45 | | Adult+ | 19.3 | 10.9 | 50 |
| Family+ | 48.3 | 9.5 | 48 |
| Gerontological+ | 3.2 | 11.6 | 52 |
| Neonatal | 2.0 | 12.3 | 47 |
| Oncology | 1.0 | 8.3 | 47 |
| Pediatric+ | 8.5 | 13.3 | 49 |
| Psych/Mental Health | 3.0 | 8.5 | 52 |
| Women's Health+ | 9.0 | 14.7 | 49 |
+Primary care focus |
Sources:
AANP National NP Database, 2010-2011
2011 AANP national NP Compensation Survey
2010 AANP National Practice Site Survey
2009 AANP Membership Survey
2009-2010 AANP NP Sample Survey
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Austin, TX 78711 |
