Nurse Practitioner Licensing Guide for the state of Florida
By pursuing the nurse practitioner (NP) career, registered nurses (RNs) can move up the healthcare professional ladder, taking on more roles than are considered possible for the RN. This they can do by becoming Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs); NPs are a subclass of the APRN. APRNs are nurses who are licensed to carry out more advanced tasks and duties based on their completion of appropriate postgraduate programs and certification by a national certifying body.
Certified Nurse Practitioners (CNPs) make up a major class of APRNs. They may be licensed to examine patients, request tests, diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, and manage in-patients as would traditionally have been expected of a physician. Depending on the state where they are licensed, they may be allowed to practice without collaborative agreements with other healthcare practitioners; however, this is not the case in Florida.
The Florida Board of Nursing is responsible for issuing licenses to nurses and APRNs to practice in Florida. Applicants are required to fulfill certain requirements and those who are successful are issued licenses. Find all the requirements for licensure and information on limitations of practice through the links below.