Nurse Practitioner

Description:
A nurse practitioner (NP) is an RN who has completed advanced nursing education (usually a masters or doctorate
degree) and is certified by the New York State Education Department as a "Certified Nurse Practitioner" "Nurse
Practitioner" or "NP" in a specialty area of practice. The New York State Education Department certifies NPs to
practice in the following specialty areas: Adult Health; Family Health; Gerontology; Neonatology;
Obstetrics/Gynecology; Oncology; Pediatrics, Perinatology; Psychiatry; School Health; Womens Health; Holistic
Care; College Health; Acute Care; Community Health; and, Palliative Care. An NP performs physical exams and
diagnoses and treats illnesses and other health problems that fall within the specialty area of practice in which the NP
is certified.

NPs may provide primary care, acute care or long term care. They may prescribe medical tests and treatments (i.e.,
x-ray tests, drugs) and perform a variety of medical procedures and minor surgical procedures. They provide health
counseling, emotional support and health teaching. They coordinate and supervise patient care delivered by other
health care personnel, such as RNs and LPNs. They engage in clinical research and make health care policy. Like
RNs, NPs practice in broad range of health care and community settings. Many NPs have admitting and clinical
privileges at hospitals and other health facilities.

NPs work with physicians and other health care practitioners to ensure that their patients receive appropriate, timely
and well-coordinated care. They consult with physicians and other health practitioners regarding their patients as well
as provide clinical consultations to other health practitioners. NPs identify when their patients require further
evaluation or specialized care and make the appropriate referrals. New York law requires NPs practice pursuant to a
written practice agreement with a collaborating physician except when an NP qualifies for and chooses to practice
more autonomously and have collaborative relationships with physicians and/or a hospital.

Licensing Requirements:
You must be certified and registered as a nurse practitioner (NP) by the New York State Education Department
(NYSED) in order to practice as an NP in New York.

NYSED certifies NPs to practice in the following specialty practice areas: Acute Care, Adult Health, College Health,
Community Health, Family Health, Gerontology, Holistic Care, Neonatology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Oncology,
Pediatrics, Palliative Care, Perinatology, Psychiatry, School Health, and Women's Health.

To become certified and registered by NYSED as an NP, you must:

be currently registered and licensed as a registered professional nurse (RN) in New York State;
have graduated from a nurse practitioner education program acceptable to NYSED or be certified
as a nurse practitioner by a national certifying organization acceptable to NYSED;
complete pharmacology coursework acceptable to NYSED; and
apply for nurse practitioner certification with NYSED.

Laws that govern NP certification include Education Law 6910 and 8 NYCRR Part 64.

Education Requirements:
If you are applying to be certified as an NP, you must provide to the New York State Education Department (NYSED)
satisfactory evidence of:

1. Having completed pharmacology coursework acceptable to NYSED; and,

2. Having met applicable professional study and experience requirements acceptable to NYSED.

Experience Requirements:
To satisfy the professional education and experience requirements for certification as an NP, you must meet the
criteria in one of the paragraphs (A, or B) below.
 1. You must graduate from an education program registered by NYSED as qualifying for NP
certification or an education program that is determined by NYSED to be the equivalent to an NP education
program
2. OR
3. You must obtain certification as an NP by one of the following national certifying organizations:

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

P.O. Box 12846

Austin, TX 78711

Phone: 512-442-4262

Web: www.aanp.org

American Association of Critical Care Nurses

101 Columbia

Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-4109

Phone: 800-599-2226

Web: www.aacn.org (certification for adult nurse practitioners)

American Nurses Credentialing Center

Attn: Verification Specialist

P.O. Box 791321

Baltimore, MD 21279-1321

Web: http://nursingworld.org/ancc/

National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses

One Penn Center West

Pittsburgh, PA 15276-0100

Phone: 412-787-1057

E-mail: nbchpn@hpna.org

National Certification Corporation

(Formerly NAACOG)

P.O. Box 11082

Chicago, IL 60611-0082

Phone: 312-951-0207

Web: http://www.nccnet.org

(Certification for women's health, neonatal and gynecologic/reproductive nurse practitioners.)

Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation

125 Enterprise Drive

Pittsburgh, PA 15275

Phone: 877-769-6622
Web: http://www.oncc.org

Pediatric Nursing Certification Board

800 South Frederick Avenue, Suite 204

Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4152

Phone 301-330-2921 or 888-641-2767

Web http://www.pncb.org/

Fees (as of November 2, 2016)

The fee for certification and initial registration to practice as a nurse practitioner (NP) in each specialty practice area
is $85. ($50 certificate application fee plus a $35 fee for initial registration.)

Licenses Issued:
In 2014, there were 1,678 licenses issued for this occupation.

In 2015, there were 1,761 licenses issued for this occupation.

As of July 1, 2016, there were 22,339 active licenses (specialties combined) for this occupation.

Licensing Authority:
New York State Education Department

Education Building

Division of Professional Licensing Services

Nurse Unit

89 Washington Avenue

Albany, New York 12234

Phone: (518) 474-3817 Ext. 280

Fax: (518) 474-3398

E-mail: opunit4@nysed.gov

Standard Occupational Classification:

29-1171 - Nurse Practitioners

To learn more about this occupation search the Occupational Information Network (O*Net).

Additional Information:
American Nurses Association

8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite

Silver Spring, MD 20910-3492

Phone: (800) 274-4262

New York State Nurses Association

131 West 33rd Street, 4th Fl.

New York, NY 10001

Phone: (212) 785-0157

Disclaimer:
Fees stated and other information contained in this report are subject to change. Please contact the licensing
authority listed above for the most current information.

This page was last updated on 12/1/16.