QUIZ: What Nurse Practitioner Specialization is Right for Me?

One of the most common career advancement opportunities for registered nurses (RNs) is to become a nurse practitioner, a role the U.S. News & World Report ranked the No. 1 Best Job, Best Health Care Job, and Best STEM Job for 2026.

Here is a look at what a nurse practitioner (NP) does, the different types of NPs, the skills that are important for this career, and how to become an NP. Start with the quiz to see which NP specialty tracks line up with your goals. If you're also weighing MSN options outside of NP roles, such as nursing education or leadership, take our MSN specialty quiz.

NP specialties at a glance: How do they compare?

Herzing offers six nurse practitioner specialty tracks in its online MSN programs. Each one prepares you for a different patient population and a different national board certification exam. Here's how they compare.

Program lengths reflect full-time study. Each specialty is also available as a Post Master's Certificate and as a DNP pathway. All tracks combine 100% online coursework with hands-on clinical experiences. Explore every option on our NP programs page.

What is a nurse practitioner?

An NP is an advanced practice nurse. They often work in tandem with physicians and other NPs in physicians' offices, clinics and hospitals, providing preventive and hands-on primary care. They are prepared to assess, diagnose, and manage health conditions within their population focus and area of preparation. Millions of patients see NPs every year for a variety of healthcare needs. About 87% of licensed NPs in the United States are educated in programs that focus on primary care, according to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).

Services provided by NPs vary by state, with some states expanding their roles, so NPs can provide care where physicians are scarce, such as in rural areas. NPs can assess, diagnose, treat and manage illnesses depending upon location and specialization.

An aging U.S. population is one factor shaping demand for NPs. By 2030, all baby boomers will be at least age 65, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

What is the demand for nurse practitioners?

The U.S. News & World Report ranked nurse practitioners No. 1 on its 2026 Best Jobs, Best Health Care Jobs and Best STEM Jobs lists, marking the third consecutive year NPs earned the top spot in all three.

Employment of nurse practitioners is projected to grow 41% from 2025 to 2035, adding about 137,800 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Nurse practitioners earned an average annual salary of $137,300 as of May 2025, according to BLS wage data.

What types of NPs are there?

There are several certifications NPs can pursue, including family, adult-gerontology primary care, adult-gerontology acute care, psychiatric mental health, pediatrics and women's health.

The certifications align with some of the top specialties for NPs, including Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP), Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP-PC) and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP). Herzing offers all six as online MSN specialty tracks:

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP): These NPs treat patients across the lifespan and can work in a wide variety of settings. FNPs work in outpatient clinics, hospitals, public health departments, home health agencies and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities.

Day-to-day work responsibilities usually include:

• Performing physical exams
• Prescribing medications
• Developing and implementing patient care plans, and often serving as a primary care provider
• Ordering and performing diagnostic tests

Herzing's MSN-FNP program is designed for BSN-prepared RNs and takes 20 months of full-time study, with 48 credits and 585 clinical hours. If you're an RN with an associate degree, the Accelerated RN to MSN-FNP lets you earn your MSN in as few as 24 months.

Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP): This NP specializes in the delivery of acute and chronic care to adult and geriatric patients. Their focus is on care for adolescents, adults, and older adults with acute, critical, and complex chronic conditions.

AGACNPs manage patients from admission to discharge delivering emergency care, and providing urgent care to new patients suffering serious injuries or illness. Common settings include intensive care units (ICUs), emergency rooms, urgent care, and other inpatient facilities.

Herzing's MSN-AGACNP takes 24 months, with 48 credits and 585 clinical hours, and focuses on patients ages 13 and above. The Accelerated RN to MSN-AGACNP takes 28 months.

Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP): This NP specialty is geared toward providing preventative and ongoing care for adult and geriatric patients.

An AGPCNP will examine patients, diagnose medical issues, and develop treatment plans.

Like FNPs, AGPCNPs work in a variety of places, including a hospital or clinic, or, if focusing especially on older adult patients, in a nursing home or home health care setting.

Herzing's MSN-AGPCNP takes 20 months, with 48 credits and 540 clinical hours, including a 180-hour immersion experience. The Accelerated RN to MSN-AGPCNP takes 24 months.

Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP-PC): These primary care providers are similar to AGNPs and FNPs but focus their care on the pediatric patient population. PNP-PCs care for infants, children, and adolescents from birth through age 21.

Herzing's MSN PNP-PC takes 20 months, with 48 credits and 585 clinical hours, and prepares you for the Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP-PC) exam from the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB). The Accelerated RN to MSN PNP-PC takes 28 months.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP): These advanced care nurses provide care that overlaps the roles of psychiatrists, assisting patients with mental health needs.

A PMHNP could provide psychotherapy; a treatment process designed to understand troubled emotions in patients, prescribe medications safely, and develop individualized treatment plans for patients. Keep in mind that the scope of practice will depend on state regulations. Depression, anxiety, substance abuse/addiction, attention deficit disorder (ADD), and schizophrenia are among the disorders that can be treated by PMHNPs.

Work settings could include a hospital's behavioral health center, a community mental health facility, or a clinic. Telehealth is also a growing aspect of this position.

Herzing's MSN-PMHNP takes 24 months, with 48 credits, 540 clinical hours, including a 180-hour immersion experience and prepares you for the Board Certified PMHNP (PMHNP-BC) exam from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Accelerated RN to MSN-PMHNP takes 28 months.

Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP): These NPs focus on women's health across the lifespan. This includes years associated with adolescence, reproductive years, menopause, and later life. WHNPs perform exams, prescribe medications, and provide preventive care counseling on topics such as family planning and sexual health.

Herzing's MSN-WHNP takes 24 months, with 54 credits and 630 clinical hours, and the Accelerated RN to MSN-WHNP takes 28 months. Graduates can pursue the WHNP-BC exam from the National Certification Corporation (NCC).

What attributes do the best NPs have?

Here are a few of the skills that should make you a successful NP:

• Strong communication: When you are working with patients, they need to feel like they're being heard as you provide care and set up a treatment plan. This is especially the case if you need to explain complex medical terms and test results. Also, you'll need to communicate effectively with colleagues to coordinate a high level of care for patients.
• Excellent leadership: An NP is a decision maker who will provide patients and members of the treatment team with an evaluation of a patient's condition and steps for a treatment plan. Other key decisions include what types of medication to prescribe and how much, and whether to order additional tests.
• Analytical thinking: Each patient's situation is different. NPs use critical thinking to adapt care strategies to the individual patient and respond to unexpected outcomes.
• Patience during crisis: Whether in an intense emergency room setting in a hospital or a one-on-one consultation in a physician's office, NPs need to deal effectively with stressful situations. You have to be a strong listener, remain calm, and figure out the best way to move forward.

How can I become an NP?

There are multiple paths to become an NP – a shorter path for nurses and others in healthcare and a longer path for those who are not in the industry.

For example, to be accepted into one of Herzing University's nurse practitioner programs, you need to have an active, current and unrestricted RN license.

• If you have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), you'll pursue a program to earn your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). With Herzing, you can complete your degree online and finish in as few as 20 months, depending on your specialty track. You can also choose from six NP specialty tracks: FNP, PMHNP, AGACNP, AGPCNP, PNP-PC, and WHNP.
• If you are an RN and have an associate degree, you can first go from RN to BSN, or begin working towards becoming an NP right away in an RN to MSN program. Herzing's Accelerated RN to MSN NP tracks take 24 to 28 months, depending on your specialty, with 100% online classes and a hands-on clinical component. Not sure which route fits? Read RN to MSN vs. RN to BSN.
• If you already have an MSN, you can add an NP specialty with a Post Master's Certificate. For example, the Post Master's Certificate FNP takes 16 to 20 months.
• If you're not in the healthcare field at all and already have a bachelor's degree, you can pursue an accelerated BSN program, which is offered at select campus locations, or the MSN Direct Entry program. MSN Direct Entry takes 20 to 24 months and prepares you to take the NCLEX-RN as an MSN-prepared RN. From there, you could pursue a Post Master's Certificate in an NP specialty.

After you earn your degree, you'll need to pass a national board certification exam in your specialty and obtain your license from the state in which you plan to work, where requirements are set by the state board of nursing.