Career Explorer Healthcare (clinical)
Grows with AI
Nurse practitioners
Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. May focus on health promotion and disease prevention. May order, perform, or interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and x rays. May prescribe medication. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 88% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +41.0% by 2035, much faster than average. The work leans on ethical judgement and emotional intelligence.
AI can help with many of the tasks, and demand is still growing. Being fluent with AI is the edge here.
- Median pay (2025)
- $132,300
- Job growth to 2035
- +41.0%
- Openings a year
- 29,400
- People doing it (2025)
- 336,000
- Usual route in
- Master's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Advise patients or clients on medical issues
- Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- Assist others to access additional services or resources
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases
- Prescribe medical treatments or devices
- Diagnose health conditions or disorders
What the work looks like
- Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses.
- Develop treatment plans, based on scientific rationale, standards of care, and professional practice guidelines.
- Provide patients with information needed to promote health, reduce risk factors, or prevent disease or disability.
- Analyze and interpret patients' histories, symptoms, physical findings, or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses.
- Diagnose or treat complex, unstable, comorbid, episodic, or emergency conditions in collaboration with other health care providers as necessary.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as nurse practitioners are increasingly employed in team-based models of care, taking on tasks previously performed by physicians. Expanding practice authority is expected to support employment demand further.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- OptometristsHuman edge, growing, Index 89, +9.5%
- Nurse anesthetistsHuman edge, growing, Index 95, +9.7%
- Physician assistantsHuman edge, growing, Index 97, +21.1%
- Occupational health and safety specialistsHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +18.5%
Also known as: ACNP (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Gastroenterology Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Practitioner (NP), Adult Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), ARNP Specialist (Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Specialist), Family Practice Certified Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.