Current standards require that, in order to become an NP, one must have an advanced graduate degree, along with clinical training in one or more specialty areas, with Board Certification as an adult, family, pediatric, geriatric, women's health or psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. Frequently, Family (FNPs) or Adult Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) may also have specific areas of interest and expertise, such as diabetes education, chronic medical illness in underserved populations, and rural health care. These are only a few examples of the significant contribution that NPs make to the healthcare of the citizens of Maine.

Maine NPs earned the right to practice independent of physicians in the mid-1990s, following completion of at least 24 months of supervised work. More recently, they also won the right to be credentialed as participating providers, and won the opportunity to become primary care providers (PCPs) in managed care organizations (MCOs). The services of NPs (and Certified Nurse Midwives) must be billed to insurers using their own identification codes or numbers assigned by insurers, making it illegal to submit claims "incident to" a physician if the physician did not provide the service to the patient. This applies to all state-regulated insurers and MCOs.

NPs practice in a wide variety of clinical and other settings, including hospitals, private and public clinics and practices, educational institutions, correctional facilities, and more. The scope of practice of NPs is typically 50% to 70% of that of a physician, according to a federal study some years ago. Maine NPs can prescribe Schedule II, III, IV and V medications using their own DEA numbers.

MNPA conducts at least one major conference each year at which NPs are provided a wide array of continuing education opportunities.