Nurse Practitioner Licensing Guide for the state of North Carolina
The nursing profession is a delicate one. Therefore the profession demands only qualified and trusted hands should be saddled with such responsibility. When such qualified and trusted nurses are discovered, they are issued a license as proof that they have been screened.
The issuance of a license only comes after a thorough screening process. Part of the requirements of these screening processes is comprehensive training programs. Trainees get certificates as evidence that they have successfully passed the program and mastered the course. The process of granting licenses and certificates to an aspiring nurse is called licensure and certification.
Every state has a board saddled with the responsibility of setting the standards for nursing practice. In North Carolina, the North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON), in collaboration with the subcommittee of the medical board, issues licenses to aspiring nurses who want to practice in the Tar Heel State. North Carolina is a member of the compact state conference, which makes a North Carolina nursing license a multistate license and valid in the other member states.
The Registered Professional Nurse (RN) certification is the basic license for nursing practice, then the next level. The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) certification confers a nurse with additional responsibilities. The APRN is a collective term for four kinds of nursing careers; Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP), and the Nurse Practitioner (NP).
In this guide, we will cover the steps you need to take to achieve the Nurse Practitioner status or licensure from scratch, which are;
- A North Carolina Registered Professional Nurse License or the Registered Professional Nurse license under the Compact State conference.
- Get a North Carolina graduate degree in nursing.
- Earn national certification in North Carolina
- Apply for a nurse practitioner license in North Carolina