Publication Date: 
Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Nurse practitioner scope of practice laws govern the independence nurse practitioners are given to treat patients. In some states, these laws limit autonomy by requiring nurse practitioners to collaborate with, or work under the supervision of, another health care provider. In other states, nurse practitioners are given full practice authority that enables them to practice independently to the full extent of their education, training and certification.

This legal map identifies the variation in scope of practice laws, including whether nurse practitioners are provided full or limited practice authority, whether there is a transition to practice requirement that will give them greater autonomy after certain requirements are met, and a list of activities they may conduct autonomously. The lists of activities and supervising providers included are not exhaustive; they represent the most common and important classifications identifiable in the law across jurisdictions.

In August 2017, this map was updated to include prescribing privileges for nurse practitioners. It now displays laws in effect from May 1, 2015 through August 1, 2017.

These data were produced in collaboration with the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium with funding by the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under award numbers 15IPA1504830 and 15IPA1504831.