Advanced Practice Nurse Requirements in New York
The New York Board of Nursing certifies the state’s nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists. Each holds two state credentials: an RN license and an NP or CNS certification. Both credentials are state-specific; New York is not party to the nurse license compact, though the National Council of State Boards of Nursing notes that there is pending legislation.
The state’s nurse anesthetists and midwives have different credentialing requirements. Nurse midwives are licensed as midwives. New York midwives do not have to hold RN licensure, though a nursing license may permit a midwife to use additional professional titles.
The state’s nurse anesthetists, meanwhile, work under the authority of their RN licenses; they hold national certification as CRNAs but are not required to pursue an additional state credential (http://www.nysana.com/?page=PracticinginNYS). The New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists is a resource.
Select a New York Advanced Practice Nurse Topic:
- Nurse Practitioner Requirements in New York
- The Nurse Practitioner Application Process
- Clinical Nurse Specialist Requirements in New York
- Clinical Nurse Specialist License Application Materials
- Certified Nurse Midwife Requirements in New York
- Nursing Board, Contacts, Associations and Additional Information
Nurse Practitioner Requirements in New York
A New York nurse practitioner may be certified on the basis of either education or national certification (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/np.htm). Those who select the certification pathway should be aware that initial certification is based not only on examination but on meeting educational prerequisites set by an approved certification agency.
A qualifying nurse practitioner program is one that is registered with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) or determined to be equivalent (Nurse Practitioner programs in New York).
A nurse practitioner must demonstrate competence in pharmacology. A student who completes a registered program will have had the required content. A student who does not complete a registered program can complete one three-semester course that includes all required content or one or more courses that are the substantial equivalent. A student is also considered to have met the requirement if he or she took a national physician assistant or nurse midwife exam that is accepted for certification in New York or passed an acceptable pharmacology examination.
Pharmacology coursework must cover New York law. A student who completes a pharmacology course that does not include state-specific legal curriculum is directed to contact one of the following organizations:
- The New York State Nurses Association
- The Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State
A nurse practitioner who opts for national certification may hold national certification through one of the following organizations:
- The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
- The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
- The American Nurses Credentialing Center
- The National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses
- The National Certification Corporation
- The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation
- The Pediatric Nursing Certification Board
An individual who seeks certification will submit educational documentation to the certifying agency.
New York recognizes the following nurse practitioner specialties: adult care, family care, acute care, pediatrics, gerontology, psychiatry, perinatology, oncology, palliative care, community health, holistic care, women’s health, obstetrics/gynecology, neonatology, school health, and college health.
New York nurse practitioners have collaborative relationships or written collaborative agreements.
The Nurse Practitioner Application Process
Nurse practitioner applications can be downloaded from the Board website (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nurseformsnp.htm).
Applicants who qualify on the basis of programs that are NYSED-approved or equivalent will have their schools submit verification forms. Those who qualify on the basis of national certification will have their certifying agencies submit verification. The Board has supplied forms for both purposes.
An applicant who completed pharmacotherapeutics coursework through any other than an NYSED-registered program will have his or her school complete an additional verification form.
An NP applicant currently pays $85 for application and initial registration.
A nurse practitioner who qualifies in multiple specialty areas must submit multiple applications.
While New York’s state-issued NP certifications do not expire, registration must be renewed on a three-year basis.
Clinical Nurse Specialist Requirements in New York
New York recognizes four clinical nurse specialist specialties:
- Adult Health
- Pediatrics
- Oncology
- Psychiatric Mental Health
There are two ways for a nurse to earn first-time recognition as a clinical nurse specialist if he or she has not yet submitted an application to NYSED and is not credentialed in another state. The individual may 1) complete a program registered with NYSED or 2) graduate from a program that is considered substantially equivalent and then seek an approved national certification. New York recognizes some credentials issued by the following certification agencies as qualifying for clinical nurse specialists:
- The American Nurses Credentialing Center
- The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
- The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation
A clinical nurse specialist who is licensed or certified in another state can be certified in New York if it is determined that he or she met substantially similar requirements.
Clinical Nurse Specialist License Application Materials
CNS applications can be downloaded from the Board website (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nurse-cnsforms.htm).
The prospective CNS will pay $80 for application and initial registration.
Registration must be renewed every three years; the initial registration period may be shorter.
Certified Nurse Midwife Requirements in New York
A New York midwife must have education at the graduate level. A program can be accepted if it is registered with the NYSED, accredited by the American College of Nurse Midwives, or found to be equivalent. The program will be authorized in its own jurisdiction and will cover a similar scope as a New York program.
The student will need a course in pharmacology. A graduate who has not yet had an acceptable course is directed to contact an accredited midwife program. A student who pursued a three-hour pharmacology course that did not include New York law is directed to contact the New York State Nurses Association, the Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State, or the Midwifery Education Program at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center.
The graduate will take a certification examination through the American Midwifery Certification Board. Examination results should be sent directly to the Midwifery Unit.
Temporary authorization may be granted pending examination.
Application forms are available from the Office of the Professions (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/midwife/midwifeforms.htm).
The midwife licensing fee is $322.
Currently, New York does not require nurse midwives to renew their national certification in order to renew registration (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/midwife/midwifeqa.htm).
Additional Information
Information about nurse practitioner (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/np.htm)
clinical nurse specialist (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nurse-cnscert.htm), and nurse midwife (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/midwife/midwifelic.htm) credentialing is available from the New York Office of the Professions.
The Office of the Professions can be reached at 518-474-3817. The Nursing Board Office is Extension 120. The Midwifery Unit is Extension 250.
State professional associations include the following:
Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State http://www.thenpa.org/
New York State Association of Licensed Midwives http://www.nysalm.org/
New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists http://www.nysana.com/
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