The two states I chose to compare for this week’s discussion are West Virginia and Florida. Both are states where I hope to practice in the future.
The Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses regulates APRN practice in West Virginia. Requirements for licensure and certification include a valid RN license, a graduate degree in an NP role, and a national certification. West Virginia is a reduced practice environment, which means that APRNs in this state are under a limited or reduced scope of practice in at least one element of NP practice. This could require NPs to have a career-long collaborative agreement with a physician or limit the setting of one or more elements of NP practice (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2023). In the case of this state regulation, APRNs may practice independently, but they must enter into a collaborative agreement with a practicing physician in order to have prescriptive practice privileges. APRNs may not prescribe a Schedule I controlled substance and may only prescribe up to a three-day supply of any Schedule II narcotic (West Virginia RN Board,2022). Recommendations have been brought to the state legislature to remove these restrictions. However, they remain in place as of now.
In Florida, APRN practice is regulated by the State Board of Nursing. Requirements for licensure and certification are a valid RN license and a national certification in an NP role. The educational requirements are a master’s degree in an NP role. Florida is a restricted Practice state, meaning NPs are restricted in at least one practice element. State law requires that NPs must enter into a career-long supervision or delegation agreement with another health provider. The details of the collaboration contract are regulated by the Board of Nursing and the Florida Board of Medicine. There are no further restrictions on prescribing privileges if the NP has graduated with an approved master’s or doctoral degree. In 2023, Florida passed legislation to allow family practice NPs to become licensed as Autonomous Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. This gives them the ability to practice independently without the supervisory agreement with a physician. This requires proof of 3000 supervised hours of patient care within the last 5 years (Florida State Board of Nursing, 2023)
My question for further discussion is: Are any states allowing you to enter into independent practice as a new graduate NP?
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2023, October). State Practice Environment. https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/state/state-practice-environment
Florida State Board of Nursing. (2023). The 2023 Florida Statutes (including Special Session C). https://floridasnursing.gov/licensing/autonomous-advanced-practice-registered-nurse/#tab-statutes-rulesc6b7-eacd
West Virginia RN Board. (2022). Licensing. https://wvrnboard.wv.gov/Pages/default.aspx
