nurse practitioner

noun

: a registered nurse who is qualified through advanced training to assume some of the duties and responsibilities formerly assumed only by a physician

—abbreviation NP

Examples of nurse practitioner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Acute primary care shortages California’s lack of primary care providers, including doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, is most acute in rural parts of the state, particularly in the north and the Central Valley. —Bernard J. Wolfson and Vanessa G. Sánchez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025

The rise of advanced practice providers (APPs), like nurse practitioners and physician assistants, are also easing the pressure in some specialties. —Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Apr. 2025

There is no standard for what kind of care these clinics provide: Some are multidisciplinary teams, but many are one specialist or one nurse practitioner. —Rebecca Nagle, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025

The lawsuit names the paramedics and that nurse practitioner as defendants. —Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nurse practitioner

• commissioner
• conditioner
• parishioner
• petitioner
• positioner
• missioner

Medical Definition

nurse practitioner

noun

: a registered nurse who through advanced training is qualified to assume some of the duties and responsibilities formerly assumed only by a physician

—abbreviation NP

called also nurse clinician