Nursing Advanced Practice, Student, Clinical

Licensing & Credentialing for New Nurse Practitioners (NP)

Apr 28, 2021

Congratulations new NP! Breathe that sigh of relief that the exam is done (and you did it)! There’s still more to do to make it official. Once your formal certification arrives it’s time to move forward with your licensing process. State requirements vary but here’s the tea on your broad next steps!

Apply for a license with your state board of nursing. While you wait for your official certification to arrive, start gathering the other required information so you're ready to go. AANP has a center to help you easily find your state board information. Simply click your state and then the Board of Nursing link. Fill in all paperwork completely, submit all required documentation, and be prepared to pay the fee required by your state.

Upon receiving your license (usually in about 8-12 weeks), you’ll need to register with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in order to actively work with controlled substances. The DEA requires five informational sections in their registration process: Personal, Activity, State License, Background, & Payment.

Determine if your state has a second license requirement (CDS). If your state is on the list, you’ll need to check your Board of Nursing website to apply. In most states that require a second license this can be done in conjunction with the DEA.

Apply for your National Provider Identifier (NPI) number. This allows you to bill for services. Create an account on the NPPES website to get started.

From start to finish this process should take 3-5 months. The biggest factor will be the turnaround time for applications in your state. Whether you're job hunting, actively working, or waiting until these steps are finalized, make sure you keep your clinical skills sharp so you're more confident when you start seeing patients independently. Visit our New NP Center for books that can help! Good luck and welcome to the NP life!