Week 1 _ Discussion_ CERTIFICATION AND LICENSURE PLAN

Instructions:

Respond to your colleague in one or more of the ways listed below.

· Share an insight from having viewed your colleagues’ posts.

· Suggest additional actions or perspectives.

· Share insights after comparing state processes, roles, and limitations.

· Suggest a way to advocate for the profession.

· Share resources with those who are in your state. (Florida)

. 

**minimum of three (3) scholarly references are required for each reply cited within the body of the reply & at the end**

Reply # 1

Ada Offor

Summary

How to get certified and licensed as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in Georgia

The Georgia Board of Nursing is the association that grants licenses to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in Georgia. Georgia does not participate in the agreement on nurse licensure; hence, the APRNs must also be licensed as registered nurses (RNs) in Georgia. A future Georgia APRN must possess a master's degree or higher educational qualifications in the advanced practice role. The curriculum will provide training for the specific position and include advanced pharmacology education (Georgia Board of Nursing, 2020). The state administrative code also specifies extra specialty-specific academic qualifications. At least two clinical nurse specialists' nursing degrees must entail clinical practice. Advanced physical assessment and advanced physiology courses are required. At least two psychiatric nursing courses that include clinical practice are required of clinical nurse specialists in mental health and psychiatry.

Application Process for Certification in Georgia

The application process for becoming a certified nurse in Georgia involves the following:

· Getting a graduate Degree in Georgia.

· Earning their National certification in Georgia.

· Applying for authorization in Georgia (Georgia Board of Nursing, 2020).

· Renewing one's license in Georgia.

Georgia State’s Board of Nursing Website

Georgia Board of nursing's website is  http://www.sos.state.ga.us/plb/rn  Links to an external site. , where most nurses apply for their certification authorization.

Scope of Practice of a Nurse Practitioner in Georgia

In Georgia State, nurses are only permitted to accept activities compatible with their training, knowledge, competencies, and abilities (Georgia Board of Nursing, 2020). Given their primary duty is to provide their patients with safe treatment, the state's scope also requires nurses in Georgia practice to adhere to this rule.

Georgia State’s Practice Agreement

The Georgia practice agreement covers the doctor-physician assistant relationship of supervision, the physician assistant's scope of authority, and the circumstances of the physical examination and patient evaluation (Georgia Board of Nursing, 2021).

Getting A DEA License in Georgia

A nurse practitioner (NP) must be registered with the federal drug enforcement administration to administer, prescribe, or dispense any prohibited substance and obtain a DEA license. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (2020), to get an official order form, a nurse must apply on the United States (US) Department of Justice website, contact the DEA Registration Unit, and mail in a completed DEA Form 222a.

Prescription Monitoring Program in Georgia

Georgia has a prescription drug monitoring program. An electronic database is utilized to track the prescription and dispensing of prohibited medications in Georgia State's prescription drug monitoring program. The program provides physicians with vital information about a patient's history of controlled substance prescriptions. Pharmacists and prescribers can access it to view information on specific users' controlled drug prescriptions.

Description of a Nurse Practitioner’s Controlled-Substance Prescriptive Authority and That Nurse Practitioner Drug Schedules Are Nurse Practitioners Authorized to Prescribe in Georgia.

NPs are permitted to prescribe drugs from schedules III to V. It should be on a form that includes, among other things, the APRN and delegating physician who are parties to the nurse protocol agreement, the patient's name and address, the drug ordered, directions regarding the dosage of the drug or use of the device, and be signed by the advanced practice registered nurse (Georgia Department of Public Health., 2021). NPs do not have the authority to prescribe any legal drugs under Schedule II. Nothing in the Code section, except oral contraceptives, and prenatal vitamins, which may be refilled for 24 months, should be translated as providing a platform for any APRN to draft a prescription drug order for a Schedule I or II controlled substance or to approve or permit refills of any medication for a time longer than 12 months after the date of the first order.

Types of Regulations and Barriers Impacting Nursing Independent Practice in Georgia State

The two primary laws and regulations governing nursing practices in Georgia are monitoring and prescribing laws. In supervision law, nursing practitioners in Georgia must work under medical supervision and collaborate according to nursing protocol. The doctor agrees to be accessible for prompt consultation with the nurse practitioner and grants the NP permission to execute medical acts in this protocol, which is a written document. One NP and one medical doctor (MD) must concur with the nursing protocol agreement before signing it.

The Georgia prescription authority requires that a nurse practitioner's capacity to prescribe be specified in the nurse protocol agreement between the NP and MD. In Georgia, nursing practitioners cannot administer Schedule II restricted substances. In Georgia, they are allowed to sign their prescriptions without the assistance of a physician. Another practice restriction that also has barriers in Georgia is that nurse practitioners are permitted to sign birth certificates but not death certificates. Surprisingly, while Georgia's legislation giving nurse practitioners the power to write prescriptions undoubtedly made life easier for NPs, the state still lags behind most others regarding nurse practitioner independence. 

 

References

American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2020). How to Get Information About Obtaining a DEA Number? https://www.aanp.org/practice/practice-management/business-resources-for-nurse-practitioners/how-to-order-a-dea-number

Georgia Board of Nursing. (2020). Become a Nurse Practitioner in Georgia | APRN License Requirements in GA - NursingLicensure.org. https://www.nursinglicensure.org/np-state/georgia-nurse-practitioner/

Georgia Board of Nursing. (2021) How to Become a Nurse in Georgia | Nurse Licensure in GA | Nursing-School-Degrees.com. https://www.nursing-school-degrees.com/nurse-licensure/become-a-nurse-in-georgia/#:~:text=In%20order%20to%20be%20licensed%20as%20a%20registered

Georgia Department of Public Health. (2022) Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. https://dph.georgia.gov/pdmp#:%7E:text=The%20Georgia%20Prescription%20Drug%20Monitoring