Practice Patterns and Characteristics of Nurse Practitioners in the United States: Results From the 2012 National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners

• Descriptive statistics on nurse practitioner (NP) workforce are presented.
• Practice patterns show the critical roles NPs play in the delivery of health care.
• An increasing number of recent NPs specialize in primary care.
• There is a high level of job satisfaction among NPs.
• NP workforce size and characteristics are conducive to improving access to care.

A National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners was conducted in 2012 to provide a national estimate of the nurse practitioner (NP) workforce and new information on services provided by NPs, their specialty areas, and job satisfaction. Data from almost 13,000 respondents show that 76% of NPs in the workforce are trained in primary care and 48% of NPs in patient care provide primary care. There is also evidence of increased proclivity to specialize in primary care among the most recent graduates, indicating that NPs will continue to play a critical role in improving access to primary care.