Austin, TX The nurse practitioner role continues to attract attention and gain recognition with its fourth consecutive appearance on the U.S. News and World Report list of The 100 Best Jobs. NPs were ranked second only to dentists on the 2017 list.
In recent years, the roles of advanced practice registered nurses have gained increased visibility and recognition. An indication of the positive impact NPs make on the health care system came as NPs debuted on The 100 Best Jobs list at number four in 2014. In prior years, nurses had ranked near the top, but a distinction had not yet been made on the list between the increasingly varied nursing roles. The 2014 debut was followed by NP appearances at number two in 2015 and number six in 2016.
On this year's list, NPs were accompanied by many of their health care colleagues, with physician assistants, nurse anesthetists, pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists, nurse midwifes, physical therapists, anesthesiologists, physicians and psychiatrists also listed in the top 20. Registered nurses were also acknowledged and appeared at number 22.
AANP President Cindy Cooke, DNP, FNP-C, FAANP, said, "We are proud of the high-quality, patient-centered care that nurse practitioners provide their patients, and with more than 870 million visits made to NPs in the U.S. annually, the demand for these exceptional health care providers has never been greater. I commend my NP colleagues across the nation for the compassionate care they provide and congratulate them for, once again, being named to the U.S. News & World Report list of The 100 Best Jobs."