Oklahoma Nurse Practitioner Licensure Steps - 2023

Nurse Practitioner Licensure Requirements in Oklahoma

Follow below to learn how to become a nurse practitioner (NP) in Oklahoma.

Initial Registered Nurse (RN) License

Already have your RN License?  Skip to the next section

Single-state RN licenses to practice in Oklahoma and multi-state licenses issued from NLC member states are accepted as a fulfillment of the basic licensing requirement for NP licensure in Oklahoma.

If you have neither a in-state or multi-state RN license, you can apply for an RN license by Examination or Endorsement.

RN by Examination

If you just graduated from a board-approved nursing program up until the immediate past two years from your application and have never been licensed as an RN in any state or territory in the US, you are eligible for RN licensure via this route.

• The application process is completed online and it involves the submission of a completed form, payment of specified fees, and provision of required supporting documents. You can also request a paper form if you prefer by sending a written request to the Board Office. Your request must include a postage-paid ($1.06 postage cost) 8 ½ × 11inch return envelope for the Board to staff to return an application.
• If you intend to become a nurse practitioner in the near future, you should be applying with at least a bachelor’s degree; however, an associate’s nursing program is the minimum requirement.
• Oklahoma-based programs usually send in original copies of transcripts to the board as a courtesy for participants. To be safe, however, you should consult with your institution for the protocol on sending transcripts to the NDBON. For out-of-state programs, the board will evaluate such a program for equivalence with what is obtainable in Oklahoma. You will be required to contact your awarding institution to send an original copy of your transcript containing your date of graduation, degree awarded, correct name as provided in the license application, and a breakdown of courses taken.
• All applicants who choose this route must take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) which you must register for here for $200. You should register with PearsonVue before you begin your licensure application as the board must communicate to the test vendors regarding your eligibility for the test. After this, you will receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) which is valid for 90 days.
• If you have graduated for over 2 years and have not taken the NCLEX examination yet, or have taken it but have not been licensed in over two years, you will be required to take a board-approved refresher course.
• The board will only issue licenses to citizens or aliens who can provide documentation of such which includes the completion of an appropriate Evidence of Status form and providing “Acceptable Documents to Establish Evidence of Citizenship” as listed in the Evidence of Status Part A form.

RN by Endorsement

You are to apply via this route if you hold a valid single-state RN license from another state.

Holders of multi-state RN licenses from NLC states are only expected to apply for a license in Oklahoma if they are changing their state of residence permanently.

• The board requires all applicants to have completed a board-approved nursing program or an equivalent for which documentation must be provided in form of an original transcript sent from the awarding institution.
• Since you hold a license from another state, you will be required to verify such license, including your original license by examination. This can be done easily using the Nursys platform for $30 provided that our jurisdiction is part of Nursys. If not, you will have to send a verification form to the appropriate board of nursing and pay their prescribed fees.
• The verification from Nursys should normally contain proof of your graduation from a board-approved program or equivalent, verification of your licensure status, and proof of having passed to NCLEX.
• The application process can be completed online or a paper version of the application requested by mail.
• You will be required to submit an employment verification form to show that you have been practicing as a licensed RN. Applicants who have taken their NCLEX-RN more than two years immediately before the date of application must provide proof of having completed a continuing education refresher course and fulfill other requirements as spelled out on page 4 here. Applicants will also be required to prove their citizenship or legal alien status.

Criminal background checks are mandatory requirements for licensure in Oklahoma as the board wants to license professionals of good conduct. The process is carried out by the OSBI and the FBI at the state and federal levels respectively. Your criminal background check is only valid for 90 days concerning use for securing licensure.

If you live in Oklahoma, you can schedule an appointment online or on phone (877 219-0197) at an IdentoGO center sponsored by Idemia for your fingerprint capturing. For out-of-state applicants, you will receive special fingerprint cards from the board which you must take to a law enforcement agency in your area for your fingerprinting. Once your fingerprints have been taken, the law enforcement agency will then mail the fingerprint cards to the board.

All applicants for a license should be at least 18 years of age. Applicants who are graduates of foreign institutions are to have their credentials evaluated by the CGFNS and a detailed report of this sent to the board. CGFNS reports of any kind must not be older than five years at the time of application. If you were trained in a country where English is not the major language of communication, you must provide proof of having passed an English proficiency test. The acceptable tests and passing scores are on page 5 here. The application fee for both routes is $85 but foreign applicants are required to add $40 for educational equivalence analysis.

Advanced Education Requirement

Completing an advanced nursing program (master’s degree or higher) specific to your chosen specialty area and population focus is the next step towards becoming licensed as a nurse practitioner in Oklahoma.

Your chosen preparatory program must include at least two semesters of coursework sandwiched between clinical exposure through externships and supervised clinical hours practicing in your chosen field.

A complete program should include graduate-level competency courses such as pharmacology, pathophysiology, and health assessment. Your program must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the USDE (ACEN, CCNE, CNEA) and should preferably be recognized or approved by the appropriate national certifying agency for professionals in your chosen specialty area.

The APRN license does not come with prescriptive authority, hence all applicants for this are required to provide proof of having completed 45 contact hours of advanced pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics.

National Certification

National certifying agencies lend credence to the NP preparatory education that you undergo. They are given the duty of determining who possesses the required command of NP practice knowledge required to practice in Oklahoma.

The certification process is usually examination-based and specialty area-specific. This means that you are required to choose a program that covers all the areas specified by the agency that certifies professionals in your chosen area and population focus. You must hold and maintain national certification in at least one specialty area at the time you are applying for an APRN license and maintain this certification through proper conduct, continuing education, and appropriate renewal processes if you will practice legally as an NP in Oklahoma. Find a list of approved certifying agencies for NPs in Oklahoma here.

Getting Licensed to Practice as a Nurse Practitioner in Oklahoma

It is illegal to practice as an APRN-NP in Oklahoma without an APRN-NP license and this is the case in most U.S. states as well.  The board will only issue APRN licenses to US Citizens or qualified aliens. Hence, all applicants are to provide documents to support their claims. Resident Aliens must report in person with the Evidence of Status form.

You must also hold a valid RN license to practice in Oklahoma. This may be a single-state license or a multistate license issued from an NLC member state. Applicants are required to have completed a graduate program and obtained at least a master’s degree from such. A transcript must be sent to the board from the awarding institution detailing your date of graduation and the degree awarded.

All applicants are also required to provide proof of current national certification by one of the recognized agencies as covered in the previous subsection. This verification can be sent from the agency in question to the board.

The board also accepts applications for APRN licensure by endorsement for those who hold such licensure in another state. You would be required to complete the requirements for an initial application in addition to verifying your licensure in the other state. This can be done with Nursys. In addition to this, you must provide proof of having worked in the role you hold a license for at least 520 hours in the immediate preceding two years from the date of your application.

The application process can be completed online or by the paper as for RN licensure for a fee of $70. All applicants for an APRN-NP license are also expected to take part in a criminal background check as in RN licensure applications.