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The State of New York authorizes a number of professions
to prescribe medications; among them are: Dentistry, Medicine, Midwifery,
Nurse Practitioners, Optometry, Physician Assistants, and Podiatry. In
New York State, nurse practitioners and nurse midwives have independent
prescriptive privilege. This means that no co-signature of a collaborating
physician is required for medication prescription, including controlled
substances.
New York State requires that nurse practitioners meet
specific educational and practice requirements. A core requirement is
the completion of an educational program that is registered by the New
York State Education Department and that is designed and conducted to
prepare graduates to practice as nurse practitioners. However, some nurse
practitioners have completed education programs that are not registered
by the New York State Education Department (if, for example, they went
to school in another state). In such cases, in order to become certified
in New York State, the nurse practitioner must possess certification as
a nurse practitioner from a national certifying body that is acceptable
to the New York State Education Department AND have completed not less
than 3 semester hours of coursework in pharmacology.
The content of the pharmacology coursework must include
instruction in medication management of patients in the nurse practitioner’s
specialty area of practice. An additional requirement is instruction in
New York State and Federal laws and regulations relating to prescriptions
and recordkeeping.
This course has been approved
by the New York State Department of Education for nurse practitioners
and nurse midwives who otherwise meet educational, practice, licensure
and certification requirements, to meet the additional pharmacology coursework
requirement.
*Although the term nurse practitioner
has been used throughout this course, application extends to nurse midwives
as well.
© 2004, 2006 NYSNA, all rights reserved.
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