What Is a Family Nurse Practitioner? Everything You Need to Know
August 13, 2021
Blog Updated on November 11, 2025.
The role of nurse practitioner (NP) is one of today’s fastest-growing professions, and family nurse practitioners (FNPs) are the category’s most popular specialization. FNPs are increasingly recognized for their critical contributions to modern healthcare, and the rise of the FNP specialization is helping to shape the future of patient care. Students interested in primary care nursing should know what a family nurse practitioner is and how to become one. An advanced degree, such as a Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner program, equips nurses for the tremendous opportunities in the field.
A Big-Picture Look at the FNP Role
Family nurse practitioners serve as primary care providers for patients across the lifespan, and they often develop long-term relationships with families. Offering holistic care, FNPs focus on health promotion, treat illnesses and injuries and educate patients and families.
According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), approximately 70% of NPs are certified as family nurse practitioners. The demand for FNPs is quickly expanding due to demographic shifts and changes in the healthcare field.
FNPs are trained to provide the same level of care as primary care physicians, including diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses and injuries. Family nurse practitioners typically serve in outpatient settings to provide high quality primary care.
The high quality of service provided by nurse practitioners has been carefully documented over many years. The AANP tracks the research and periodically produces literature based on its findings. According to the AANP, “In general, systematic reviews have found NP-led care improves patient health and is comparable in quality to physician care.”
What Does a Family Nurse Practitioner Do?
FNPs provide primary care for patients of all ages, either autonomously or under the supervision of a physician, depending on state regulations. A day-in-the-life of a family nurse practitioner includes responsibilities such as:
- Conducting patient histories and physicals
- Ordering diagnostic tests and interpreting the results
- Diagnosing conditions and illnesses
- Developing treatment plans
- Prescribing medication (in full practice authority states)
- Counseling patients about health concerns
- Providing preventive health services
- Promoting health through social and environmental interventions
- Offering patient education about the health problem and plan
Family nurse practitioners streamline medical services by serving as the central point of care for their patients. FNPs are qualified to:
- Care for minor injuries
- Provide infants and children with health and wellness care
- Manage health and wellness for women, which includes initial prenatal and preconception care
- Coordinate care with other specialists
- Treat chronic conditions and illnesses
While FNPs can treat physical well-being, they do not treat mental or behavioral issues. This is the primary differentiator between an FNP and a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).
FNP Scope of Practice
Across the United States, each state sets its own regulations for nurse practitioner scope of practice. These regulations determine the degree of autonomy for family nurse practitioners and the extent of services an FNP may provide to patients.
Currently, 27 states and Washington, DC, allow full practice. In a full practice environment, nurse practitioners operate exclusively under the licensure authority of the state board of nursing to provide these services:
- Evaluating and diagnosing patients
- Ordering and interpreting tests
- Managing treatments and prescribing medications
Currently, 12 states operate with reduced practice for nurse practitioners. In this model, nurse practitioners have limited authority in one or more aspects of nurse practitioner practice. They are required to have regulated plans of collaboration with another health provider (most commonly a physician), or one or more aspects of practice are limited.
In the remaining 11 states, nurse practitioners have a restricted scope of practice. In these scenarios, they are restricted in at least one aspect of NP practice. Supervision, delegation or team management by another health provider is mandatory.
Over time, more states have expanded the scope of practice for nurse practitioners. The National Academy of Medicine and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing recommends a full practice environment. Leading organizations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation advocate for removing restrictions for nurse practitioners in an effort to expand access to quality care for more people.
What Are the Essential Traits of an FNP?
Beyond high levels of competence in nursing science, family nurse practitioners are known for providing attentive care and developing trust with patients. Let’s look at some of the most essential qualities of a successful FNP.
Compassion
In providing primary care, FNPs encounter a broad range of difficult situations, calling for multi-faceted responses. Each patient will face different issues—whether illness, infertility or debilitating injury—that will affect how nurse practitioners deliver care. The wide-ranging complexities of primary care require consistent compassion.
Effective Communication
FNPs are gifted communicators, both in listening and in conveying information and insight. The FNP-patient relationship is built on trust, and a successful practitioner proactively engages the patient in wellness and care planning.
Family nurse practitioners are trained to ask questions in assessing patients’ health. Beyond rote questionnaires, FNPs glean insights from active listening and tailor discussions to patients’ individualized needs.
Team Leadership
Moving from the role of registered nurse to an FNP position is a step into leadership. Family nurse practitioners coordinate patient care and serve as leaders within teams, in both informal contexts and in structured frameworks.
How to Become an FNP
To become family nurse practitioners, nurses are required to hold a valid registered nurse (RN) license and complete advanced graduate-level education and certification requirements. FNPs must be nationally certified and hold state licenses to practice as nurse practitioners.
Education Requirements for a Family Nurse Practitioner
To become a family nurse practitioner, BSN- or MSN-prepared RNs are required to attain a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) through an accredited program. FNP education includes rigorous academic coursework and clinical practice.
Because FNPs care for patients of all life stages, clinical experiences typically include time in the following clinical areas:
- Primary Care/Internal Medicine
- Women’s Health
- Pediatrics
- Families in Primary Care
- Becoming Certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner
All nurse practitioners are required to attain certification from either the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Certification for family nurse practitioners is awarded based on a competency exam for clinical aptitude in health care for families and individuals of all ages. Test questions cover major areas of nurse practitioner care including assessment and diagnosis.
FNP certification calls for extensive knowledge across the spectrum of primary care. Some examples of testing areas include:
- Anatomy and physiology
- Diagnostics
- Pharmacology
- Epidemiology
Current Outlook for FNP Jobs
The national number of positions for nurse practitioners is expected to increase by 40% from 2024 to 2034, with 12,840 job openings annually.
This compares to a growth rate of 5% for registered nurses who are not in advanced practice.
For FNPs, the settings where highest growth rates are expected are outpatient care centers and offices of other health practitioners.
The role of the FNP varies somewhat nationally, depending on state regulations and trends. According to the most recent available BLS data, the states with the highest total numbers of nurse practitioners in 2023 were:
- Florida
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Tennessee
States with the highest concentration of NPs in an area were:
- Tennessee
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- West Virginia
- Arkansas
Salary Expectations for FNP Jobs
According to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the national median annual salary for nurse practitioners was $129,210 in 2024.
This compares to a median annual salary of $93,600 for RNs without advanced education.
According to Payscale, the median annual salary for FNPs was approximately $108,600 as of October 2025.
Nurse practitioner salaries vary by state, with averages reaching as high as $158,130, according to the most recent BLS state data. The highest-paying states, on average, for nurse practitioners in 2022 were:
- California
- New Jersey
- Massachusetts
- Oregon
- Nevada
The Rising Prominence of the Family Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care
A number of factors are converging to create the exceptional demand for nurse practitioners in today’s healthcare landscape. The need for FNPs is particularly crucial due to an aging population accompanied by a shortage of primary care physicians and inadequate health care resources in underserved areas.
An Aging Population
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, adults aged 65 and older outnumbered children in almost half the counties in the country in 2024. The Bureau’s most recent projections also predict the number of Americans 65 and older will grow by 42% from 2022 to 2050, from 58 million to 82 million. This will make the demographic 23% of the country’s total population.
Qualified to treat common illnesses and chronic medical conditions, family nurse practitioners will often be the primary source of care as physiological challenges of aging surface. Additionally, because family nurse practitioners care for people of all ages, patients may rely on the primary care of the same providers for many years.
Physician Shortages
A recent report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects a deficit of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. The needs are especially high in primary care, accounting for approximately 20 to 25% of the shortfall. Trained to provide many of the same services as medical doctors, family nurse practitioners are positioned to help fill the gap in primary care.
Underserved Areas
Another factor signaling a greater need for primary care is the lack of adequate medical resources for underserved communities, particularly rural areas and locations with high numbers of minority residents.
Rural Challenges
According to data from the Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub), there is a noticeably disproportionate access to medical care in remote locales compared to metropolitan areas. Rural residents often drive long distances for specialized medical care and hospital services. The Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA) notes that rural areas comprised nearly two-thirds of the country’s Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in 2024.
Family nurse practitioners fill a tremendous gap in these areas by providing preventive services, routine care and treatment of illness and injury.
Urban Challenges
According to a report published in 2024 by KFF Health News, Black, Hispanic and American Indian or Alaskan Native (AIAN) individuals fared worse in overall healthcare than white individuals in 2022. This includes metrics such as coverage, access and use of care.
Family nurse practitioners will be a vital part of the solutions in establishing greater health care access and equitable care. FNPs who work in urban clinics can serve as health care promoters and caregivers for underserved populations, meeting crucial needs to improve communities’ well-being.
Walsh University’s Online MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner Program
After identifying what a family nurse practitioner is and how to become one, it’s important to find the right educational partner.
The Walsh University Online MSN-FNP program is accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the university is also accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Completing your family nurse practitioner degree online is a flexible, convenient way to advance your career. Keep in mind that work schedule flexibility is needed to accommodate clinical hour requirements because most outpatient clinics tend to operate under traditional business hours. The Walsh MSN-FNP program is now available in these states.
Coursework in the online MSN-FNP program thoroughly prepares students with the knowledge and skills for career success as a family nurse practitioner.
Designed for working nurses, the Walsh MSN-FNP program equips you to achieve your career goals. Get more information about Walsh’s Online MSN-FNP program and take the next step in your career path.