Which professional is a registered nurse with graduate training who may serve as a primary care provider and can prescribe medicine?

Which professional is a registered nurse with graduate training who may serve as a primary care provider and can prescribe medicine?

• A. Cardiovascular system
• B. Nurse Practitioner (NP)
• C. Registered Nurse (RN)
• D. Physician Assistant

Answer: (B)

An advanced practice registered nurse known as a Nurse Practitioner fits this description. NPs are RNs who pursue graduate-level training (master’s or doctoral) and obtain national certification. With that training, they can serve as a primary care provider and have prescriptive authority to prescribe medications, in many places under state scope rules and oversight.

A registered nurse typically provides direct patient care but does not usually prescribe medications or act as a primary care clinician unless paired with a physician or in a rare, highly regulated setting. A physician assistant is a different professional path—they are licensed mid-level providers who can prescribe and serve as PCP, but they are not a registered nurse. The other option describes a system or body, not a person, so it doesn’t apply.