According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses. | 98% |
| Develop treatment plans, based on scientific rationale, standards of care, and professional practice guidelines. | 97% |
| Provide patients with information needed to promote health, reduce risk factors, or prevent disease or disability. | 96% |
| Analyze and interpret patients' histories, symptoms, physical findings, or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses. | 96% |
| Prescribe medication dosages, routes, and frequencies, based on such patient characteristics as age and gender. | 95% |
| Diagnose or treat complex, unstable, comorbid, episodic, or emergency conditions in collaboration with other health care providers as necessary. | 95% |
| Prescribe medications based on efficacy, safety, and cost as legally authorized. | 94% |
| Diagnose or treat chronic health care problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. | 94% |
| Recommend diagnostic or therapeutic interventions with attention to safety, cost, invasiveness, simplicity, acceptability, adherence, and efficacy. | 94% |
| Detect and respond to adverse drug reactions, with special attention to vulnerable populations such as infants, children, pregnant and lactating women, or older adults. | 94% |
| Diagnose or treat acute health care problems, such as illnesses, infections, or injuries. | 94% |
| Counsel patients about drug regimens and possible side effects or interactions with other substances, such as food supplements, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, or herbal remedies. | 92% |
| Order, perform, or interpret the results of diagnostic tests, such as complete blood counts (CBCs), electrocardiograms (EKGs), and radiographs (x-rays). | 92% |
| Educate patients about self-management of acute or chronic illnesses, tailoring instructions to patients' individual circumstances. | 91% |
| Maintain current knowledge of state legal regulations for nurse practitioner practice, including reimbursement of services. | 91% |
| Recommend interventions to modify behavior associated with health risks. | 90% |
| Consult with, or refer patients to, appropriate specialists when conditions exceed the scope of practice or expertise. | 90% |
| Treat or refer patients for primary care conditions, such as headaches, hypertension, urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infections, and dermatological conditions. | 90% |
| Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in nursing. | 90% |
| Perform routine or annual physical examinations. | 89% |
| Schedule follow-up visits to monitor patients or evaluate health or illness care. | 89% |
| Maintain departmental policies and procedures in areas such as safety and infection control. | 88% |
| Advocate for accessible health care that minimizes environmental health risks. | 84% |
| Perform primary care procedures such as suturing, splinting, administering immunizations, taking cultures, and debriding wounds. | 83% |
| Provide patients or caregivers with assistance in locating health care resources. | 78% |
| Keep abreast of regulatory processes and payer systems, such as Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, and private sources. | 76% |
| Supervise or coordinate patient care or support staff activities. | 76% |
