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Discussion

Should NP scope of practice determine in which state I study?

I understand the scope of practice for NPs varies with each state. My question is: since there is a difference, will I learn the same techniques/instruction if i go to a school in a state that has a limited scope of practice (such as Alabama or Pennsylvania) versus one that allows more freedom for NPs (such as Arizona)? My worry is that I will miss out on some education if I attend a school in a state with limited SoP. Has anyone found this to be the case?

I was basing those state comparisons on the articles from the American College of NP website http://www.acnpweb.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3465

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    The article titled "Overview of Nurse Practitioner scope of Practice in the U.S." does not have updated/correct information. On page 6, it says that Pennsylvania NPs have to work under the supervision of a physician. That's not true. Pennsylvania NPs practice on their own license. A collaborative agreement is required for prescriptive authority only. I guess my point is to check each states' board of nursing before making your decision.

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    OP, I've actually never heard of this brought up but it is an interesting question. Nurse practitioner programs have standard pre-clinical courses in Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Physical Assessment. There are variations in credit hours between institutions but not necessarily associated with state-to-state regulations. Formal clinical courses also vary between different programs sometimes even between the same NP tracks (i.e., FNP program in this school have this much credits for peds and that school has this much credits for peds). I do think that being in an independent practice state allows an NP student a greater access to finding clinical placements with NP's who have independent practice. That obviously can be a good thing. However, bear in mind that statistics do show that only a small percentage of NP's are truly independent practice owners overall. To me, finding a good program for NP is more dependent on the particular school you choose rather than the scope of practice in the state the school is located in.

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