What is a nurse practioner and how does it differ from a registerd nurse?

hello! i'm wondering what does a nurse practitioner do? heard that some of the doctors job are reserved for them. thanks

Tthe answer to your question is in education...... BUT also the approach to your medical problem. NP's are trained to treat the WHOLE patient as a Primary Care Provider.... We will do a thorough ..hands on ...history and physical to define the problem. Then YOU and your NP can make an informed judgement on your diagnosis & treatment options. We spend more TIME... M.D's are trained look for a 'medical problem' in the quickest possible time, give you a prescription, and toss you out the door. Registered nurses cannot ..diagnose, treat or prescribe meds. Several studies have shown NP care to be equal to or significantly better than an M.D.
My program was 4 yrs college for a BSN, then 3 yrs in a Masters degree program for NP's. No 'medical school' involved. In my state in NewEngland we spend 24 months after graduation working with supervision. After that we can practice completely autonomously and prescribe any meds necessary and refer you to appropriate help when you need additional expertise. You can even open your own clinic.
Last ....but not least....there is the salary...we get 1/2 what an M.D. makes...between $30 and $45 bucks an hour. We also pay a lot less for malpractice insurance and are NOT $150,000 in debt upon graduation. See your NP today !

Depends on the jurisdiction that you are registered in, but generally a qualified nurse with aditional certification to undertake some tasks normally reserved to Doctors.

And example would be a Nurse trained for emergency care in remote areas authorised to diagnose some conditions and prescribe appropriate medication or under take simple surgical proceedures without recourse to a Doctor.