Frequently Asked Questions

Effective July 1, 2006, all specialties of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse applying for licensure in Florida must provide proof of National Certification.

When moving (changing primary state of legal residence) to a new NLC state, it is the nurse’s responsibility to apply for licensure by endorsement. This should be completed upon moving and the nurse should not delay. There is no grace period. The nurse may not wait until the former license expires to apply in the nurse’s new state of legal residency. The nurse may practice on the former home state license only UNTIL the multistate license in the new NLC home state is issued. Proof of residency such as a driver’s license may be required. Upon issuance of a new multistate license, the former license is inactivated.

No, it does not have to be a Florida RN license. Any nurse desiring to be licensed as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse must apply to the department and submit proof that he or she holds a current license registered nurse license.

458.348(1)(a), Florida Statutes, only requires the physician to report the number of APRNs being supervised. You can have the physician complete the form in this link https://ww10.doh.state.fl.us/pub/medicine/PDF%20Forms%20on%20Web/APRN%20EMT %20Paramedic%20Protocol%20Form.pdf to indicate that a relationship has been established or terminated.

Please access the Licensing tab on our website and choose the Endorsement option for your licensure type. https://floridasnursing.gov/licensing/

Inactive status means the licensee is not working in FL, but might again in the future, and has paid Inactive status renewal fees. There is no CE documentation required per biennium, but if the licensee goes back to Active status the cumulative total of CEs for the inactive bienniums must be accounted for. This status must be renewed each biennium. To reactivate a license from an inactive status you can make the request from your online portal, under “Manage My License”.

Retired status means the licensee is not working in FL (has retired from practice) and has paid a $55 fee to receive a Retired license. It is possible to come off of retired status in the future, but that is not the intent of this status. This is an optional status. Practitioners can also Voluntarily Relinquish the license — or take no action and initially go Delinquent and then Null/Void if the license isn’t renewed after two consecutive bienniums. To reactivate a license from this status you must contact the Board.

If the applicant is a graduate of a foreign prelicensure education program not taught in English, or if English is not the applicant’s native language, successful completion of one of the following:

(a) A minimum score of 540 on the paper version; 207 on the computerized version or 76 on the internet based version, on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Examination;
(b) A minimum overall score of 55 with a minimum speaking score of 55% on the Michigan English Test (MET);
(c) A minimum score of 6.5 overall with a 7.0 on the spoken portion of the academic version of International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or
(d) A minimum score of 300 on the Occupational English Test (OET).

Only an APRN who registered and been approved for autonomous practice can sign a death certificate according to House Bill 607.

The Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics looks forward to supporting and welcoming Autonomous Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (AAPRNs) as online users of the state’s Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS). Completion of the death certificate is critical to families when their loved one passes away and becoming an online EDRS certifier is easy and free. The Bureau of Vital Statistics has an online tutorial and training tools that will educate AAPRNs on their roles and responsibilities in certifying death certificates. The attached brochure gives certifiers a quick look at how to properly complete the cause of death section and the importance of the death certificate.

For information on how to become an online certifier within EDRS, please contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics Helpdesk toll-free at 1-866-295-5902, Monday through Friday from 8am – 6pm ET and Saturday from 9am-2pm ET. Access forms will be provided, along with a link to an online tutorial, will need to be completed before gaining access to EDRS.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has information for certifiers on how to properly complete the medical portion of the death record and specific training videos on certifying COVID-19 deaths. To access the CDC’s materials, click on this  link: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/coding-and-reporting.htm .

Three graduate-level semester hours are equivalent to forty-five (45) Continuing Education credits offered by the entities set forth in Section 464.013(3)(b), F.S. and Rule 64B9-4.002(2), F.A.C.

The pharmacology course content must address the therapeutic uses and biological effects of drugs.

The differential diagnosis course content must address advanced health assessment, differential diagnosis, critical thinking, or diagnostic reasoning.

Courses may be completed at any time within the 5 years before applying for Autonomous APRN Registration.

Please see S. 464.0123(3), FS for practice requirements.

Once registered as an Autonomous APRN, protocols are no longer required unless the Autonomous APRN has opted to also practice under the supervision of a physician or dentist or in a facility that requires it.