How To Become A Nurse Practitioner [Infographic]

By Claire Kaufman

Want to do good and be rewarded for it? Nurse practitioners bring together compassionate nursing and expert primary care. And nurse practitioners benefit from a booming job market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts 26 percent job growth in the coming decade, 2010-2020.

Nurse practitioners, one of four advanced nursing specialties, work side by side with doctors to diagnose illness, prescribe medicine and treat patients. But whereas M.D.s may invest 7 to 11 years in their education and residency, N.P.s are ready to work after two years of graduate school.