how to answer this question?

I mean... youre right. Doctors are way more experienced and go through way more schooling and clinical hours. Your best answer is to say you will charge at a cheaper rate and accept a lower salary.

I don't recommend the initial response be about money.

Nurse Practitioners spend more time with their patients compared to doctors because they are nurses first. Patient centered care is most important and for NPs, this includes the diagnosis and therapeutic communication. In my opinion, I've never felt uncomfortable or rushed when seeing an NP for my medical needs. They are thorough and frankly seem to care more.

There is an increasing amount of published evidence which indicates that NP outcomes are equivalent to those of physicians - some small studies have even shown that NPs are better, but these are pretty controversial.

With the current climate (repeal everything!), there may be significant changes coming in healthcare reimbursement. I certainly don't have a crystal ball, but just want to point out the fact that if the changes are focused on prioritizing Business Model over quality outcomes (like rolling back EPA restrictions in favor of industry preferences), NP reimbursement may suffer. It may be wise to keep this in mind as you plan your career trajectory.