What’s the Difference Between a Nurse Practitioner and a Doctor?

Download our guide to discover which nursing degree is right for you. Below is an overview of the roles of both nurse practitioners and doctors, as well as a discussion about the fundamental differences between them so you can decide which career is best for you.What do Nurse Practitioners do?A nurse practitioner works directly with patients, and is typically responsible for providing urgent, primary, and specialty care to a specific population of people. In this role, NPs can drastically change a patient’s experience (and life!).Depending on the U.S. state in which a nurse practitioner works, their role can be just as important as a physician’s. This is because NPs can provide care without a physician’s oversight.Most common NP duties include recording and tracking patient medical histories, collecting patient samples and data, ordering lab tests, observing patients, creating treatment plans, performing small medical procedures, managing RNs and other staff members, and working within...