Question

Review state regulations for APRN prescribers in the state in which you live or the state where you plan to be certified : California

1. Summarize which agency/agencies regulate/oversee APRN prescribing in your state.
2. Summarize the educational requirements for prescribing as an APRN
3. Differentiate the regulations in your current state and state(s) you are considering practicing in.
4. Create an outline of the actions required to prescribe in your identified state.
5. Summarize the Controlled Substances regulations in your state and the process for obtaining your DEA registration.

Answer 1

Answer

An APRN is a nurse who has obtained at least a master's degree in nursing. Further specialization within in the APRN category includes nurse practitioners, as well as certified nurse-midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists.

California's advanced practice nurses are under the jurisdiction of the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). In order to be certified as an advanced practice nurse, a practitioner must also be licensed as a registered nurse.

The Board recognizes the following graduate-level advanced specialty areas:

• Nurse Anesthetist (NA)
• Nurse Practitioner (NP)
• Nurse-Midwife (NMW)
• Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
• Psychiatric/ Mental Health Nurse (PMH)

Out-of-state nurses who do not yet hold California RN licensing must submit endorsement RN applications. They may apply for temporary nurse practitioner certification

Overseas applicant

California Code of Regulations Section 1413 states that the Board may request the applicant to take the English comprehension examination (TOEFL) if there is reasonable doubt of an applicant’s ability to comprehend the English language. The Board will also request TOEFL from the applicant if they completed their initial nursing program where the language of instruction was not in English.

Nurse practitioners can prescribe medication, including controlled substances, in all 50 states and Washington DC. That said, the degree of independence with which they can prescribe drugs, medical devices (e.g., crutches) or medical services varies by state NP practice authority

NPs in many of the largest US states (e.g., California, Texas, Florida) operate under restricted practice conditions and must have an agreement with a collaborating physician in order to prescribe medications; other states (e.g., Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon) have granted NPs full practice authority. In these areas, NPs can autonomously prescribe medications, including highly regulated Schedule II-V substances, without physician supervision. Still other states such as Vermont and New York have a supervised probationary period and newly licensed NPs must have a collaborating agreement with a doctor. After typically one to three years of experience, NPs gradually become more autonomous in their ability to prescribe pharmaceuticals.

Differene in states are shown in the tables

ALABAMA STATE	Prescriptive authority	Collaborative practice under authority of a physician
	Board of Nursing	AL Board of Nursing
	Practice Art	AL Board of Nursing
	Details and resources	Prescriptive authority is regulated by the AL Board of Medical Examiners

ALASKA STATE	Prescriptive authority	Full authority with licensure
	Board of Nursing	AK Board Of Nursing
	Practice Art	AK Nursing Statutes (article 4)
	Details and resources	Separate application to prescribe schedule 2-5 controlled substances

CALIFORNIA	Prescriptive authority	Requires supervision of a physician or surgeon
	Board of Nursing	CA Board of Nursing
	Practice Art	CA Nursing Practice Art
	Details and resources	Prescribing medication or medical devices requires a “furnishing number