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State Practice Differences for Nurse Practitioners

Posted by VISTA Staffing on May 24, 2016 10:00:00 AM

Nurse practitioner practice laws differ from state to state and include full, reduced and restricted scopes of practice. For your convenience, VISTA has put together a map showing what scope of practice each state allows.

Full Scope of Practice

In states with full scope of practice laws, nurse practitioners are allowed to:

  • Evaluate and diagnose patients
  • Order and interpret diagnostic tests
  • Treat patients from start to finish, including prescribing medications

Nurse practitioners are given full scope of practice under the exclusive authority of the state board of nursing and without physician oversight. States with full scope of practice — marked green on the map.

State Practice Differences for Nurse Practitioners

Reduced Scope of Practice

Reduced scope of practice, under a regulated collaborative agreement, allows nurse practitioners to diagnose and treat patients but requires physician oversight to prescribe medications.

States with reduced scope of practice — marked yellow on the map.

Restricted Scope of Practice

In states with restricted scope of practice, nurse practitioners are required to have physician oversight to treat and diagnose patients and to prescribe medications.

States with restricted scope of practice — marked red on the map.

A collaborative agreement is a written statement between a physician and a nurse practitioner that defines the joint practice in the working relationship. It provides legal protection of the nurse practitioner and puts forth the rights and responsibilities of each party.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is currently working to modernize state licensure laws for nurse practitioners that would allow full scope of practice in all 50 states. The AANP states that “providing patients with full and direct access to nurse practitioners is one proven method with a track record for improving access to quality care and curbing escalating health care costs.”

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About VISTA Staffing Solutions

VISTA Staffing Solutions has over thirty years of experience providing award-winning customer service to clients and providers alike. Headquartered in Salt Lake City with additional offices in Atlanta and Houston, and employs approximately 1,000 people between corporate staff and field clinicians and contracts with over 2,500 physicians across 60+ specialties and subspecialties. VISTA helps U.S. hospitals, medical practices, and government agencies optimize their physician staffing, ensure quality and continuity of care for patients, and maintain financial stability. As a leading provider of U.S. Locum Tenens and Permanent Physician Search Services, VISTA also operates VISTA Select, a first-of-its-kind technology and services solution utilizing advanced data and analytics to provide healthcare organizations with customizable workforce optimization solutions.