Practice authority and prescribing by state
Practice authority, transition-to-practice requirements, prescribing and RN compact status for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Informational guidance only. Holding a license does not by itself authorize every service or prescription. Confirm current requirements with the appropriate licensing authority before applying, renewing or practicing. Read the disclaimer
What the colors show: practice and prescribing combined. Each state takes the more limiting of the two, so a state with independent practice can appear as a transition or restricted state because of a prescribing condition. The table lists practice authority, transition and prescribing separately.
- Full practice17
- No ongoing physician relationship for practice or prescribing under state NP law, and no transition period.
- Transition period21
- Independent authority follows a state-defined period of experience, mentorship or approval. In some states it covers prescribing only.
- Restricted13
- An ongoing physician relationship applies to practice, to prescribing, or to both.
Select a state on the map or in the table. Each state’s category is also listed in the table below.
How practice authority, prescribing and transition set each color
A state’s color reflects the most limiting of two dimensions: practice and prescribing. A transition period or physician relationship that applies only to prescribing still sets the color, so the table and state detail list practice authority, transition and prescribing separately.
- Full practice (17)
- Independent pathway (17) An independent pathway is identified. Licensing, prescribing approvals and other conditions still apply.AK AZ DE DC HI ID IA KS MT NH NM ND OR RI UT WA WY
- Transition period (21)
- Practice transition (15) An initial experience, mentorship or designation requirement applies. The state summary distinguishes supervision from mentorship and explains the permitted setting.AR CA CT FL IL ME MD MN NE NJ NY SD VT VA WI
- Prescribing transition (6) A prescribing experience or agreement-removal pathway applies. It may concern only certain drug schedules.CO KY MA NV OK WV
- Restricted (13)
- Prescribing agreement (1) A physician relationship applies to prescribing; drug-specific exceptions may apply.IN
- Physician relationship (11) A physician relationship applies to practice and prescribing.AL GA LA MS MO NC OH PA SC TN TX
- State-specific conditions (1) Practice recognition and prescribing relationships differ. Read the state-specific summary for the drug or activity affected.MI
Categories summarize state law; they are not an eligibility determination for any individual clinician.
Compare all states
Select a row for the full state detail. Sort by any column.
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| Board | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlabamaAL | No FPA pathway | Collaborative | NLC member | Alabama Board of Nursing | |
| AlaskaAK | None | Independent | Not in NLC | Alaska Board of Nursing | |
| ArizonaAZ | None | Independent | NLC member | Arizona State Board of Nursing | |
| ArkansasAR | 6,240 hours | Independent after transition | NLC member | Arkansas State Board of Nursing | |
| CaliforniaCA | 4,600 hours per stage | Independent after transition | Not in NLC | California Board of Registered Nursing | |
| ColoradoCO | 750 mentorship hours (prescribing) | Independent after transition | NLC member | Colorado Board of Nursing | |
| ConnecticutCT | 2,000 hours + 3 years | Independent after transition | NLC member | Connecticut Department of Public Health | |
| DelawareDE | None | Independent | NLC member | Delaware Board of Nursing | |
| District of ColumbiaDC | None | Independent | Not in NLC | District of Columbia Board of Nursing | |
| FloridaFL | 3,000 hours, primary care | Delegated; autonomous primary care pathway | NLC member | Florida Board of Nursing | |
| GeorgiaGA | No FPA pathway | Collaborative | NLC member | Georgia Board of Nursing | |
| HawaiiHI | None | Independent | Not in NLC | Hawaii Board of Nursing |
12 of 51 jurisdictions shownReport a correction
RN compact status is not APRN authority. A qualifying multistate RN license may satisfy the RN prerequisite in another NLC state; NP authority in that state is a separate license or approval.
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