Objective To investigate expectations of nursing managers in Hunan province for training and practice of nurse practitioners (NPs) in China, and to provide reference for NP development in China. Methods A self-designed questionnaire was used to survey 1 996 nursing managers in Hunan province through a web link. Results The nursing managers acknowledged top 3 core competencies of NPs : independent practice (95.34%), clinical quality control (78.21%) and clinical research (68.84%). In terms of entry requirements of candidates, the nursing managers agreed upon such requirements as holding a bachelor′s degree (74.90%), being a supervise nurse (67.18%), being a registered nurse with 5-10 years of working experience in general practice nursing (78.96%), and 5-10 years of working experience in specialized nursing (76.40%). Overall, 1 321 (66.18%) nursing managers expected that graduate program and special education program could be the routes of NP training in China;44.94% expected that NP qualification should be certified by the national health administrative department; 87.88% expected that certification could be renewed. The nursing managers had a selection rate exceeding 53.00% in 8 scopes of NPs. Conclusion Based on the national conditions and people′s health needs, nursing managers put forward their expectations for training, certification and practice of NPs. These expectations are conducive to the roll out of NP practice and steady development of NP role in China.