For nurses
Can a nurse order lab tests for clients?
It depends on the license and the state. Registered nurses generally can't order labs on their own authority, and nurse practitioners usually can only within their practice and scope. If you're a nurse doing functional or wellness coaching outside a clinical setting, the practical route is for your clients to order their own labs through Priority One — an independent licensed physician authorizes each order, and you're never the one ordering.
See how practitioners use Priority OneWhy this is a grey area for nurses
A lot of nurses have moved into functional health, wellness and coaching work, and the license that opens every door in the hospital opens surprisingly few here. RNs don't have independent ordering authority. NPs do in many states, but ordering labs for coaching clients who aren't patients of your practice raises scope, documentation and liability questions that most nurses would rather not carry into a side business.
Priority One sidesteps all of it. You're not ordering anything. Your client chooses their tests and orders in their own name; our independent physician authorizes; the client owns the results and decides who sees them.
What a nurse-coach gets out of it
Clients who can actually get the panels you'd want to look at, at prices a cash-pay client will accept — tests from $5, panels from $79, drawn at any Quest. Results charted over time, exportable to PDF, and sharable with you. And a partner menu with your name on it if you'd like clients to see only the tests you work with.
You'll notice what isn't on that list: money. We don't pay clinicians, nurses, coaches or trainers per order. If you hold a license, you already know why that matters.
How ordering your own labs works
Pick the tests or panels you want from the lab store — individual tests start at $5 and panels at $79, with the price shown up front. An independent licensed physician reviews and authorizes the order; that's what makes it a valid lab order without a visit. A flat $10 lab service fee covers that authorization and the draw, once per order, however many tests are in it.
You'll get a requisition to bring to any Quest Diagnostics location — no appointment required at most sites. Results usually land within about a week and appear in your Priority One dashboard, where they're charted against the lab's reference ranges and against your own earlier results so you can see the trend, not just a number.
Priority One is available in 47 states. New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island don't allow this kind of self-ordered testing, so we can't serve those three yet.
Common questions
- I'm an NP. Can I just order through Priority One myself?
- Priority One isn't a practitioner ordering platform. Each order is placed by the member and authorized by our independent physician. If you want to order under your own license, a practitioner platform is the right tool; if you want clients to be able to order for themselves, that's us.
- Are results sent to me?
- No. Results go to the member's dashboard. They can export or share them with you, and many do — but it's their choice.
- Do you offer referral fees to nurses?
- No, and we won't. Paying a licensed clinician per order is a kickback problem for both sides. Your value from Priority One is that your clients can get labs done.
- Will Priority One tell me what my results mean?
- We show your values, the lab's reference ranges and your trend over time, and we flag what's out of range. We don't diagnose or recommend treatment — bring questions about specific results to a licensed healthcare provider.
Priority One does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Lab testing and dashboard tools help people organize and understand their own health data; results should be reviewed with a qualified healthcare professional. Lab orders are authorized by an independent licensed physician. Not available in NY, NJ or RI.