Certification and Licensure Plan-How To Get Certified And Licensed In the State of Florida

Certification and Licensure Plan-How To Get Certified And Licensed In the State of Florida

In the state of Florida, one to get licensed and certified as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) by the Florida Board of Nursing after fulfilling the requirements as per the Nurse Practice Act of Florida Section 464.012, F.S. (Florida Board of Nursing, 2019).

Application Process

The application process for certification in Florida State is reviewed within 30 days of receipt and involves submitting an application and a suitable fee. The applicant then gets fingerprinted, sends the Board of Nursing proof of certification, and provides proof of exemption to the board or malpractice insurance. Afterward, an application specialist analyses the materials submitted, and when all necessities are met, an APRN license is given (Florida Board of Nursing, 2019).

Florida Board of Nursing Website

The Florida Board of Nursing website is the Florida Board of Nursing(Links to an external site) (Florida Board of Nursing, 2019).

Scope of Practice of a Nurse Practitioner

The Florida statute states that the scope of practice of an N.P. is the performance of acts that require appropriate nursing skills, knowledge, and judgment based on applied principles of psychological, physical, biological, and social sciences. Activities allowed under this scope include nursing care plans, patient education, medication and treatment administration, and supervision of other professions (Florida Board of Nursing, 2019).

What Is Included in the Florida Practice Agreement

A Florida practice agreement includes general information like names, addresses, signatures, nature of practice, and dates. Also, it includes the responsibilities of the ARNP and physician, the management parts the ARNP is expected to handle, specific procedures and conditions that the physician must be consulted, and annual reviews by the parties (Florida Board of Nursing, 2019).

How to get a DEA License

To get a DEA license, one must fill in an official order form obtained from the official U.S. Department of Justice website (DEA, 2023).

Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP)

In Florida, there is a prescription monitoring program that every prescriber must consult to review a patient’s controlled substance dispensing history (Toney-Butler & Martin, 2019).

Prescriptive Authority

The state of Florida requires registered nurses to prescribe controlled substances; they must have graduated from either a master’s or doctoral degree program in a clinical nursing specialty area and have been trained in particular practitioner skills. Furthermore, the nurses must take at least three hours of continuing education on effective and safe controlled substance prescription. Nurse practitioners are authorized to prescribe patients with controlled substances registered in Schedule II, III, or IV as stated in the Florida Statutes (Toney-Butler & Martin, 2019).

Barriers and Surprises

One regulation that exists and impacts nurse practitioners’ independent practice in my state is the requirement for physician collaboration. Ultimately, this limits the nurse practitioners’ autonomy in making clinical decisions and offering particular services independently. One surprise I encountered in my research is the proposal of legislation changes on the expansion of nurse practitioner autonomy. Given the constant regulation evolution, staying informed on potential changes that may affect nurse practitioners in Florida State is important.

References

DEA. (2023). Registration. Usdoj.gov. https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugreg/index.html

Florida Board of Nursing. (2019). Florida Board of Nursing» Updated Standards for Protocols: Physicians and ARNPs – Licensing, Renewals & Information. Floridasnursing.gov. https://floridasnursing.gov/standards-for-protocols-physicians-and-arnps/

Toney-Butler, T. J., & Martin, R. L. (2019, June 3). Florida Nursing Laws and Rules. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532859/

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Now that you are in the final course in your program, it is time to turn in earnest to prepare for certification and licensure. You will need to take and pass the national PMHNP certification exam. Once certified, you will then be eligible to apply for licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) in the state desired. It will be up to you to ensure you are knowledgeable about the practice agreements, scope of practice, and prescriptive authority in your state.

Certification and Licensure Plan-How To Get Certified And Licensed In the State of Florida

Although a movement called the APRN Consensus Model is attempting to standardize NP regulations nationally, it is still the case that requirements vary from state to state. In some states, NPs may establish an independent practice without the supervision of an MD. Additionally, states are currently categorized as either allowing full practice, reduced practice, or restricted practice. Full practice states allow NPs to evaluate, order diagnostics, diagnose, and treat patients. They are licensed under the exclusive authority of the state board of nursing for the appropriate state. Many states may require prescriptive authority protocols in addition to collaborative agreements.
Another important area to consider and plan for is prescriptive authority. The appropriate board, which may be the medical board, state board of pharmacy, or nursing board, grants prescriptive authority under state law for the appropriate state licensure. The federal government grants the authority to write for a controlled substance, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) verifies this action through the appropriate state board. Drug Enforcement Agency registration is granted at the federal level and has additional requirements/fees for the registration process.
In this Discussion, you will locate and review the practice agreements in the state in which you plan to practice, identify potential collaboration requirements in your state, and understand the certification and licensing process that you will need to follow.
TO PREPARE:
• Review practice agreements in FLORIDA
• Identify whether FLORIDA requires physician collaboration or supervision for nurse practitioners, and if so, what those requirements are.
• Research the following:
o How do you get certified and licensed as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in your state?
o What is the application process for certification in FLORIDA?
What is the FLORIDA Board of Nursing website?
o How does FLORIDA define the scope of practice of a nurse practitioner?
o What is included in the FLORIDA practice agreement?
o How do you get a DEA license?
o Does FLORIDA have a prescription monitoring program (PMP)?
o How does FLORIDA describe a nurse practitioner’s controlled-substance prescriptive authority, and what nurse practitioner drug schedules are nurse practitioners authorized to prescribe?