Posted: September 2nd, 2022

How to become Certified and Licensed as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in Virginia
In the State of Virginia to meet the requirement to become certified and licensed as an APRN, the applicant must first provide a current Virginia RN or RN license with multi-state privileges. The completion of a graduate degree program in nursing or nurse practitioner program that is appropriate or designed to prepare one for a nurse practitioner as approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing is another step the applicant must complete before moving forth in the process of becoming licensed as a nurse practitioner (Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2021). Then there is the requirement of the professional certification that is consistent with the area of specialty of the applicant’s education in which licensure is being requested (Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2021).
Application Process for Certification in Virginia
The application process to apply for a licensure examination in the State of Virginia is to complete the online application or paper application with an official transcript from a graduate degree program if applying for an initial license. A paper application must be completed if a specialty or Rx Authority is added to a current Virginia Licensed Nurse Practitioner (LNP) (Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2021).
State Board of Nursing Website
The website for the Virginia Department of Health Professions Board of Nursing is http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/Boards/Nursing/index.html (Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2022a).
Scope of Practice of a Nurse Practitioner
The scope of practice for a nurse practitioner in Virginia if not licensed by the Board of Medicine, a) is only allowed to practice within the scope of his/her clinical and professional training and boundaries of expertise and understanding consistent with the appropriate standards of care, b) they have to consult and collaborate with other health care providers based on the patient clinical presentation, and c) a plan must be established for that patient that is complex or requires emergent care to physicians or others health care providers that can provide appropriate care (Legislative Information System, 2022).
Practice Agreement
Practice agreements are jointly implemented by the Board of Medicine and Nursing specifying collaboration and consultation among physicians and nurse practitioners working as a team in the development, review, and revision of a written or electronic practice agreement; guidelines that define consultation among collaborating parties and patients; and combined evaluation of services rendered. The agreement should include anticipation for periodic reviews of health records, which may include onsite visits, and the regularity to be determined by the nurse practitioner and the team or healthcare provider (Legislative Information System, 2022).
DEA License
A DEA license is obtained in Virginia by completing an online application through the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Diversion Control Division. A new application is required to complete form DEA 224, the status of the application can be checked on the website, and upon approval a DEA number will be assigned (U.S> Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.).
Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP)
Virginia has a PMP program. The program monitor is in real time data base which contain information used by healthcare providers for dispensing and treatment decisions. It contains information on controlled substances as well as naloxone that has been dispensed and products such as cannabis that has been registered. It has a tracking system that track trends in utilization, it measures the impact of legislative actions, and activities like response to opioid crisis in the Commonwealth. The is also information provided that may help with criminal or licensee investigations by law enforcement or regulatory agencies (Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2022b)
Prescriptive Authority for Controlled-Substances
In Virginia prescriptive authority is something that the nurse practitioner must apply for with licensure application. In accordance with the provision of the Board of Medicine and Nursing, a LNP have the authority to prescribe Schedule II through VI controlled substances and devices but those that do not meet criteria for practice without a written or electronic practice agreement, will need authorization by a written or electronic practice agreement entered into by the nurse practitioner and a patient care team physician whose name is clearly stated, LNP, or clinical nurse specialist prior to prescribing controlled substances or devices (Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2022).
References
Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health Professions. (2022). Drug laws for
practitioners [PDF]. https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/media/dhpweb/docs/laws-
regs/DrugLaws_Practitioners22.pdf
Legislative Information System. (2022). Title 54.1. professions and occupations.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title54.1/chapter29/section54.1-2957/
U.S> Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration. (n.d.). Dea forms and
applications. https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/online_forms_apps.html
Virginia Department of Health Professions. (2021). Instructions for applying for a nurse
practitioner license [PDF].
https://www.license.dhp.virginia.gov/apply/Forms/Nursing/NP_Instr_Forms.pdf
Virginia Department of Health Professions. (2022a). Virginia board of nursing – structured data
– nursing. http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/Boards/Nursing/index.html
Virginia Department of Health Professions. (2022b). Virginia prescription monitoring program –
prescription monitoring program.
https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/PractitionerResources/PrescriptionMonitoringProgram/

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