Nurse Practitioner Specialties and Other APRN Roles Explained

"Nurse practitioner" is not one degree and not one job. It is a role, and within it you choose a population you will care for, such as families, adults and older adults, children or people with mental health needs. That choice is a specialty track inside a graduate program, not a separate degree. This guide explains how the pieces fit, how they differ from other advanced practice roles, and which bodies decide what a program must teach and who may sit for certification.

Roles, population foci and degrees are different things

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) describes advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) as registered nurses educated in a specific role and patient population at a master's or post-master's level. Its Consensus Model, released in 2008, names four APRN roles:

• Certified nurse practitioner (CNP)
• Certified nurse-midwife (CNM)
• Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
• Clinical nurse specialist (CNS)

NCSBN adds that APRNs are educated and certified in both their role and one of six population foci:

1. Family/individual across the life span
2. Adult-gerontology
3. Women's health/gender-related
4. Pediatrics
5. Neonatal
6. Psychiatric/mental health

Adult-gerontology and pediatrics may be divided further into primary or acute care. So a family nurse practitioner (FNP) is a nurse practitioner role with a family/individual focus, and the degree it sits inside is a master's degree, a doctor of nursing practice or a post-master's certificate. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists must earn at least a master's degree in their APRN role, be licensed in their state and pass a national certification exam. For a clinical nurse specialist, BLS notes a master's degree in nursing is required, and CNSs must also meet state licensing rules, such as earning specialty certifications.

Where the specialty sits in your education

Look at the degree first, then the track. The same school may offer an MSN with several tracks, a DNP with the same tracks, and a post-master's nursing certificate for nurses who already hold a graduate degree and want a new population focus. The track name, such as family or psychiatric-mental health, tells you the population, and the degree tells you the level. When you compare programs on this site, compare tracks inside the same degree level.

Because NCSBN notes that states adopt the Consensus Model unevenly, titles, practice authority and licensing rules can differ by state. Check your state board of nursing before choosing a track, especially if you plan to move.

Nurse practitioner population foci

These are the tracks the site covers for nurse practitioners. Each links to a specialty page.

• Family nurse practitioner. Family/individual across the life span. The Nurse Practitioner Certification Board (AANPCB, operating as NPCB) describes its FNP exam as entry-level and focused on family and individuals across the life span.
• Adult-gerontology primary care. NPCB describes its AGNP exam as testing clinical knowledge from adolescents to older adults. ANCC offers an adult-gerontology primary care NP certification (AGPCNP-BC).
• Adult-gerontology acute care. ANCC offers an adult-gerontology acute care NP certification (AGACNP-BC).
• Psychiatric-mental health. Both NPCB (PMHNP) and ANCC (PMHNP-BC) offer certification across the life span.
• Pediatric primary care, neonatal and women's health. These correspond to the pediatric, neonatal and women's health/gender-related foci in NCSBN's model. We do not cite a certifying body here, so confirm the certification path for each with the program and the certifying organization.

NPCB also lists an emergency nurse practitioner exam, which describes emergency specialty care across the life span. Whether a program prepares you for that route varies, so ask.

Other APRN roles

Certified registered nurse anesthetist

Nurse anesthesia programs are accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), which accredits programs in the United States and Puerto Rico. COA maintains lists of accredited programs and a database for school search. See nurse anesthesia programs and verify accreditation status with COA, not only the school's own website.

Certified nurse-midwife

The Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) is described by the American College of Nurse-Midwives as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a programmatic accrediting agency for nurse-midwifery and midwifery education. The American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) is the national certifying body for candidates who completed graduate education in ACME-accredited programs. Browse nurse-midwifery programs.

Clinical nurse specialist

ANCC lists an adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist certification (AGCNS-BC), and BLS describes CNSs as needing a master's degree and typically some prior RN or related work experience. See clinical nurse specialist programs.

Who decides what: accreditors versus certifiers versus boards

Keep three layers apart:

• Program accreditation (such as CCNE, ACEN or CNEA for nursing degrees, COA for nurse anesthesia and ACME for midwifery) judges the educational program.
• Certification is awarded by a certifying body after you pass its exam. ANCC and NPCB each set their own eligibility rules and each is accredited by an outside certification-accrediting body.
• State boards of nursing license and set practice rules.

Certification eligibility is set by the certifier, not by your school. For example, ANCC's FNP page says candidates need an active RN license and an FNP master's, post-graduate certificate or DNP from a program accredited by CCNE, ACEN or CNEA, with at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours and specific graduate-level core courses. Rules like these can change; ANCC's page announces an exam content outline update effective October 30, 2026.

Choosing a track

1. Decide which patients you want to serve and confirm the matching population focus.
2. Check that the program's track leads to a certification you can sit for, using the certifier's published eligibility rules.
3. Verify program accreditation with the accrediting body.
4. Confirm that clinical placements are available; online coursework still requires in-person clinical hours, and an online program may not enroll residents of every state.
5. Check your state's licensing and practice rules, then use compare programs and the nurse practitioner specialties hub to build a shortlist.

Read our methodology for how this site presents specialties and accreditation.