Findings From Nurse.org's 2024 Nurse Practitioner Survey
7 Min Read
Published November 12, 2024
This report presents the findings of Nurse.org's 2024 Nurse Practitioner Study, conducted between April and July 2024.
The study surveyed 317 nurse practitioners (NPs) across various specialties to gather insights into their experiences, challenges, and perspectives on the evolving healthcare landscape and the nurse practitioner profession.
The survey aimed to capture the current state of the profession, explore key trends, and identify areas for improvement in practice and policy.
Summary of Findings
- How Are NPs Financing Their Education?
40% of NPs surveyed incurred between $25,001 and $75,000 in debt for their education, and 60% used multiple sources of funds to pay for nursing school. - How Much Do NPs Make?
56% of NPs make between $100-150K per year, and 23% earn more than $150K. Of those earning more than $150K, 61% have just a master's degree. 36% of NPs have a second source of income. The most popular forms were per diem or overtime shifts (51%) and side hustles (36%). - How Satisfied Are NPs?
Overall, Nurse Practitioners are very satisfied with their roles. 63% of NPs are satisfied with their current jobs, 45% are very likely to recommend the profession, and 72% reported that becoming an NP was "worth it." - How Many NPs Plan on Opening a Private Practice?
34% of NPs have founded or plan to found an NP private practice. The specialties believed to have the highest private practice potential are aesthetics, weight loss, direct primary care, medical wellness, and psychiatry. - How Long Does it Take NPs to Find a Job?
When it comes to finding a job, 39% of NPs already had a job lined up before they graduated, and just 11% took more than 9 months to find a job. 41% feel that the job market is not generally saturated, but potentially is in certain regions. - How Do NPs Feel About AI?
The majority of NPs surveyed (58%) believe that AI will change the NP profession, but that the eventual impact is unclear. - Do NPs Believe Nurses With Doctorate Degrees Should Be Called Doctors?
45% of NPs believe that NPs with doctorate degrees should be able to call themselves doctors. - How Do NPs Feel About Direct-Entry NP Programs?
66% of NPs have great concerns about direct-entry nurse practitioner programs.
Demographics
| Age | % Total |
| 18-24 | 3% |
| 25-29 | 10% |
| 30-34 | 21% |
| 35-39 | 24% |
| 40-44 | 16% |
| 45-49 | 7% |
| 50-54 | 9% |
| 55-64 | 7% |
| 65 or older |
2% |
| Prefer not to answer | 0% |
| Gender | % Total |
| Female | 85% |
| Male | 13% |
| Non-binary/non-conforming | 0% |
| Prefer not to answer | 1% |
| Race/Ethnicity (multi-select allowed) | % Total |
| White/Caucasian | 67% |
| Black or African American | 15% |
| Asian | 11% |
| Hispanic | 6% |
| Prefer not to answer | 3% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 3% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1% |
| Other | 1% |
Educational Background
| What is your highest level of education? | % Total |
| Nursing Masters | 69% |
| Nursing Doctorate | 20% |
| Post-Masters Nursing Certificate | 8% |
| Non-Nursing Masters | 2% |
| Non-Nursing Doctorate | 1% |
| DNP | 0% |
| Area(s) of NP certification (multi-select allowed) | % Total |
| Family (FNP) | 59% |
| Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (AGACNP) | 12% |
| Adult-Gerontology Primary Care (AGPCNP) | 8% |
| Women's Health (WHNP) | 6% |
| Adult (ANP) | 6% |
| Pediatric Primary Care (CPNP-PC) | 5% |
| Acute Care (ACNP) | 4% |
| Psychiatric Mental Health (PMHNP) | 4% |
| Aesthetic NP | 2% |
| Cardiac NP | 2% |
| Neonatal (NNP) | 2% |
| Dermatology NP | 1% |
| N/A or none of the above | 1% |
| Advanced Diabetes Management (ADM) | 1% |
| Gerontology (GNP) | 1% |
| Oncology (AOCNP) | 1% |
| Pediatric Acute Care (CPNP-AC) | 1% |
| Emergency (ENP) | 0% |
| Orthopedic (ONP) | 0% |
| School (SNP) | 0% |
| Total years of nursing experience | % Total |
| 0-5 years | 8% |
| 6-10 years | 29% |
| 11-15 years | 26% |
| 16-20 years | 17% |
| More than 20 years | 20% |
| Years of NP experience | % Total |
| 0-2 years | 42% |
| 3-4 years | 16% |
| 5-7 years | 17% |
| 8-10 years | 11% |
| 11-15 years | 4% |
| 16-20 years | 4% |
| More than 20 years | 5% |
Education Financing
| How NPs funded their education (multi-select allowed ) | % Total |
| I received Federal student loans | 61% |
| I self-funded my education | 48% |
| My employer paid for some/all | 25% |
| I received scholarships | 22% |
| I received private student loans | 21% |
| I received financial aid from my school | 16% |
| I received Federal grants | 10% |
| I received non-Federal grants | 3% |
| Other | 2% |
| Prefer not to answer | 0% |
| Amount of debt incurred for NP education | % Total |
| Less than $10,000 | 5% |
| $10,001-$25,000 | 10% |
| $25,001-$50,000 | 21% |
| $50,001-$75,000 | 19% |
| $75,001-$100,000 | 11% |
| $100,001-$150,000 | 9% |
| More than $150,000 | 5% |
| I never carried educational debt | 16% |
| Prefer not to answer | 2% |
Current Career
| Type of employee (multi-select allowed) | % Total |
| Full time | 82% |
| Part time | 11% |
| Contractor | 7% |
| Per diem | 6% |
| Practice Owner | 4% |
| N/A or None of the above | 3% |
| Agency | 1% |
| Locum Tenen | 0% |
| Traveler | 0% |
| Top 10 practice locations | % Total |
| California | 11% |
| Florida | 8% |
| New York | 7% |
| Texas | 6% |
| North Carolina | 5% |
| New Jersey | 4% |
| Ohio | 4% |
| Pennsylvania | 3% |
| Connecticut | 3% |
| Wisconsin | 3% |
| Primary practice setting | % Total |
| Hospital Inpatient Unit | 18% |
| Hospital Outpatient Clinic | 13% |
| Private Group Practice | 13% |
| Private Physician Practice | 10% |
| Private NP Practice | 6% |
| Federally Qualified Health Center | 5% |
| Employer/Corporate Clinic | 5% |
| Community Health Center | 5% |
| Urgent Care | 3% |
| Government Faculty | 3% |
| Educational Institution | 3% |
| Rural Health Clinic | 2% |
| Other | 10% |
| N/A or none of the above | 3% |
| How time allocation has changed since becoming an NP | Decreased | Stayed the same | Increased | Not applicable |
| Administrative duties | 11% | 24% | 55% | 10% |
| Direct patient care (education + coordination) | 8% | 34% | 53% | 4% |
| Educating students/colleagues | 18% | 34% | 37% | 10% |
| Research | 16% | 29% | 27% | 28% |
| Coordinating with a physician | 18% | 28% | 49% | 6% |
Drug/Treatment Information Sources
| NPs primary source of information about new drugs/treatments (multi-select allowed) | % Total |
| Continuing education | 81% |
| Medical journals | 63% |
| Colleagues | 49% |
| Pharma representatives | 35% |
| Media publications | 12% |
| Advertisements | 10% |
| Other | 6% |
| Consumers | 4% |
NP Salary
| Current annual compensation | % Total |
| Less than $50,000/ year | 3% |
| $50,000 - $75,000/ year | 2% |
| $75,001 - $100,000/ year | 12% |
| $100,001 - $125,000/ year | 31% |
| $125,001 - $150,000/ year | 25% |
| $150,001 - $175,000/ year | 15% |
| $175,001 - $200,000/ year | 3% |
| $200,001 - $225,000/ year | 1% |
| $225,001 - $250,000/ year | 2% |
| More than $250,000/ year | 2% |
| Prefer not to answer |
4% |
| How pay has changed over the past year | % Total |
| My compensation has decreased | 6% |
| My compensation has stayed the same | 28% |
| My compensation has increased 1-5% | 37% |
| My compensation has increased 6-10% | 9% |
| My compensation has increased 11-20% | 7% |
| My compensation has increased 21-30% | 6% |
| My compensation has increased more than 30% | 7% |
| % of NPs with a secondary source of income | % Total |
| No | 64% |
| Yes | 36% |
| Secondary sources of income for nurses who have them | % Total |
| I work per diem shifts | 41% |
| I work overtime shifts | 10% |
| I am a nurse writer | 7% |
| I am a content creator | 7% |
| I am a nurse legal expert | 1% |
| I have a nursing "side hustle" | 24% |
| I have a non-nursing “side hustle” or secondary job | 13% |
| Other | 13% |
Retirement Plans
| Age NPs plan on retiring | % Total |
| 40-49 | 4% |
| 50-54 | 4% |
| 55-59 | 14% |
| 60-64 | 22% |
| 65-69 | 28% |
| 70+ | 8% |
| I don't know! | 19% |
NP Job Satisfaction
| Job satisfaction with current job | % Total |
| Dissatisfied | 15% |
| Neither satisfied or dissatisfied | 22% |
| Satisfied | 63% |
| NPs thoughts about career plans (multi-select allowed) | % Total |
| I am happy where I am | 50% |
| I would like to stay at my current job, but changes are needed in order for me to do so | 33% |
| I have changed jobs in the last year | 21% |
| I am thinking about changing jobs within the nursing profession | 25% |
| I am thinking about staying in healthcare but getting away from the bedside | 12% |
| I am thinking about leaving the nursing profession | 15% |
| I've left the nursing profession | 0% |
| Compared to before an NP, are you more or less satisfied with the following? | Less satisfied | No change | More satisfied |
| Admin tasks/support | 28% | 31% | 36% |
| Autonomy | 5% | 7% | 84% |
| Career opportunities | 16% | 19% | 62% |
| Input into practice's policies | 16% | 30% | 48% |
| Patient load/mix | 24% | 22% | 50% |
| Quality of life | 21% | 17% | 59% |
| Respect from colleagues | 13% | 20% | 64% |
| Schedule/flexibility | 22% | 14% | 60% |
| Time devoted to patients | 16% | 25% | 55% |
| Utilizing full skills | 13% | 15% | 67% |
| How likely NPs are to recommend the profession on a scale of 1-5 | % Total |
| 1 (Not likely to recommend) | 6% |
| 2 | 6% |
| 3 | 22% |
| 4 | 21% |
| 5 (Very likely to recommend) | 45% |
| NPs thoughts on whether becoming an NP is worth it | % Total |
| Yes | 72% |
| Maybe | 19% |
| No | 6% |
| Other | 2% |
NP Entrepreneurship
| % of NPs that have founded/own an NP private practice | % Total |
| No, and I have no plans to start an NP practice | 66% |
| Not today, but I plan to start one in 1-3 years | 13% |
| Not today, but I plan to start one in 4+ years | 14% |
| Yes | 7% |
| NP specialties with the highest private practice potential (multi-select allowed) | % Total |
| Aesthetics | 66% |
| Weight Loss | 38% |
| Direct Primary Care | 30% |
| Medical Wellness | 29% |
| Psychiatry | 28% |
| IV Hydration | 27% |
| Functional Medicine | 19% |
| Home Health | 8% |
| Training/Consulting | 8% |
| Coaching | 7% |
| Pediatrics | 3% |
| N/A or none of the above | 3% |
| Other | 2% |
NP Job Market
| Length of time to find a job once graduated & licensed | % Total |
| I already had a job lined up | 39% |
| Less than one month | 12% |
| 2-3 months | 19% |
| 4-5 months | 10% |
| 6-8 months | 7% |
| More than 9 months | 11% |
| Prefer not to answer | 1% |
| NPs on whether the NP market is oversaturated | % Total |
| Yes - definitely | 22% |
| No - I don't think so | 32% |
| No, generally, but in certain regions, potentially | 41% |
| I don't know | 2% |
| Other | 2% |
NPs Feelings on AI
| How NPs feel AI (artificial intelligence) will impact the NP profession | % Total |
| I believe it will CHANGE the NP profession, but the eventual impact is UNCLEAR | 58% |
| I believe it will HELP the NP profession | 28% |
| I believe it will HURT the NP profession | 11% |
| Other | 3% |
Should NPs Be Able to Identify as Doctors?
| Should NPs with doctorate degrees be able to call themselves “Doctor”? | % Total |
| Maybe | 14% |
| No | 29% |
| Yes | 45% |
| Other | 12% |
Direct-Entry NP Programs
| What do you think of "direct entry" NP programs? | % Total |
| I have GREAT CONCERNS about "direct entry" NP programs | 66% |
| I have SOME CONCERNS, but see value in it too | 24% |
| I DON'T HAVE CONCERNS if people complete the program | 4% |
| I think it is a GREAT IDEA! | 3% |
| Other | 3% |
