Every year nurse practitioners (NPs) have to renew their approval to practice with the North Carolina Board of Nursing. Since nurse practitioners must also have an active NC nurse license, they must make sure that their registered nurse license in NC does not lapse. Renewal of a NC registered nurse license must be done prior to application for annual renewal of the NP approval to practice. Nurse practitioners must renew each approval to practice with the Board of Nursing no later than the last day of the NP’s birth month. That doesn’t even take into account certification.
Must Nurse Practitioners Maintain Practitioner Certification?
Yes, pursuant to 21 NCAC 36 .0806(2), nurse practitioners must maintain certification as a nurse practitioner. Certification must be done by a national credentialing body, like the AANCP, ANCC, or other certification body. Remember, a nurse practitioner’s collaborative practice agreement, which is approved by the NC Board of Medicine and NC Board of Nursing, sets forth for which medical acts the NP is qualified to perform.
When Can Nurse Practitioners Seek Renewal Of Approval To Practice?
Nurse practitioners cannot seek renewal of their approval to practice until she/he is within 90 days of the expiration date of their approval to practice. Think of it as the same timeline as getting a car inspected for registration renewal in North Carolina. That doesn’t mean wait until the 90-day window to renew the RN license or keep up with certification. Those can be done prior to the 90-day window, but the approval to practice renewal application can only be done within 90 days of expiration.
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*This information is not intended to be legal advice and does not establish the attorney-client relationship. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us at 919-521-8810 to set up a consultation. Learn more about our firm by clicking here.