Abstract: The United States is the first country to develop nurse practitioner（NP）programs. Experience has shown that NP training is one of the effective ways to improve the accessibility of healthservices，and to achieve a hierarchical management of nursing staff. This article reviewed the NP practice in the United States and showed that NP can provide health care services with higher quality and lower total cost than doctors. We summarized NP management system including licensure，accreditation，certification and education and provided reference for the establishment and improvement of Chinese NP training and practice.

Key words: Nurse Practitioners, Organization and Administration, the United States