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 | Get your Graduate Degree in Missouri |
 | Earn your National Certification in Missouri |
 | Apply for Your APRN Recognition in Missouri |
 | Renewing Your APRN Recognition in Missouri |
The Missouri Board of Nursing (573-751-0681 or [email protected] ) recognizes registered nurses with advanced training to work as advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) in the state.
Four APRN roles are recognized in Missouri. They include nurse practitioners (NP), clinical nurse specialists (CNS), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA), and certified nurse midwives (CNM).
The Missouri Board of Nursing will not recognize you as an APRN unless you first hold a Missouri RN license or an RN license in another state within the Nurse Licensure Compact (Missouri, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Maine).
With an active RN license, follow these steps to become a recognized APRN in Missouri.
Missouri’s Nursing Practice Act states that you must graduate from a regionally accredited college or university with a graduate degree and a concentration in an advanced practice nursing clinical specialty area in order to be recognized as an APRN in the state.
FIND SCHOOLS Sponsored ContentRequirements for advanced practice nursing education programs may be found in the Missouri Nursing Practice Act, 20 CSR 2200-4.1 , (1 )(B).
Qualified Graduate Programs
The college or university that houses your graduate-level advanced practice nursing program must be accredited by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Course Requirements
The Missouri Board of Nursing follows the educational requirements of national certification agencies setting the scope of practice for each APRN role:
In addition, your courses will be tailored to your clinical nursing specialty. The Missouri Board of Nursing recognizes the following population specialties:
If no national certification exists for your chosen advanced practice clinical specialty, under Missouri’s statutes, your advanced practice graduate education must include courses in the following areas:
Prescriptive Authority
When you become a recognized APRN in Missouri, you will automatically have prescriptive authority for non-controlled substances. If you wish to prescribe controlled substances, an application must be filed. (CRNAs are the only type of APRN who cannot have controlled substance prescriptive authority, as is explained in further detail in Step 3).
In order to gain controlled substance prescriptive authority, you must have documentation of ONE of the following:
Specialization
Missouri APRNs may become nationally certified to work with specific patent populations (children, elderly, families, adults, women, etc.).
Additionally, during your graduate-level advanced practice nursing education, you may elect to pursue tracks or concentrations in nursing administration, business administration, nurse leadership, nurse informatics, or nurse education.
If a national certification agency exists for your clinical nursing specialty, you must become nationally certified in that specialty. Each national certification agency has its own requirements and standards that you must meet, including minimum education, experience. Certification is granted upon passing a national certification examination.
The Missouri Board of Nursing recognizes the following APRN roles:
Certification Programs
The Missouri Board of Nursing recognizes the following certifying bodies and APRN clinical nursing specialty certifications:
If national certification is available for your specialty, obtain it before proceeding with Missouri’s APRN recognition process. If it is not, make sure that you meet Missouri’s educational requirements for APRN specialties for which no national certification exists (see the education section above).
Your social security number is a mandatory part of your application for APRN recognition in Missouri. If you do not have a US social security number, contact the Missouri Board of Nursing at 573-751-0681 or [email protected] before moving forward with the application process.
Download the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Application. Complete it in its entirety, using only black ink. Sign it in the presence of a notary public. Complete and sign the Authorization to Release Confidential Information (part of application packet). Mail this directly to your national certification agency. Along with your completed application, the following items must be sent to the Board:
Send these documents to the State Board of Nursing, P.O. Box 656, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0656.
When the Missouri Board of Nursing has approved your APRN recognition, you will receive by mail an APRN Document of Recognition. Your RN licensure and APRN recognition status will also be listed on the Missouri Board of Nursing website.
Criminal History Background Check
If you are applying for Missouri APRN recognition and hold an RN license in a compact state, you must complete a criminal history background check. Contact L-1 Enrollment Services at 866-522-7067 to schedule a fingerprinting appointment. Submit your receipt from this fingerprinting service rendered with your APRN application. You must pay a fee to L-1 Enrollment Services as well as provide them with Missouri ORI number MO920100Z.
Graduate Status Recognition
If you have just graduated from your advanced practice nursing education program and wish to practice immediately, you may apply for graduate status recognition. You must have already applied to take your national certification exam, and must still send the Authorization to Release Confidential Information to your national certification agency. You may use the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Application, and along with it, submit the following documentation:
Send the items described above to State Board of Nursing, P.O. Box 656, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0656.
Your graduate status recognition is valid for a maximum length of four months.
No later than five days after you take your national certification exam, send a copy of your results directly to the Board. If you fail the exam, your graduate status recognition ends immediately. If you pass, the Board will notify you of your full APRN recognition.
Collaborative Practice Agreement
Under Missouri statutes, in order to practice as a legally recognized APRN you must have a written collaborative practice agreement with a physician. This agreement must cover the following:
You must file the written collaborative practice agreement with the Board and maintain a copy at all locations in which you and /or your collaborating physician see patients.
Controlled Substance Prescriptive Authority
If you are a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or certified nurse midwife, who meets the following conditions, you may apply for controlled substance prescriptive authority:
To apply for controlled substance prescriptive authority, submit to the Board one of the following to prove you have completed an advanced pharmacology course and have the requisite preceptorial experience:
To prove 300 hours of preceptorial experience, submit the Statement of Preceptorial Experience form. This must be signed by a qualified preceptor (includes a licensed APRN with prescriptive authority, or a licensed practitioner of medicine or osteopathy with unrestricted prescriptive authority)
To prove 1000 hours of clinical practice, submit the Statement of Practice in APRN Category form, completed by you and your supervising APRN. Clinical hours completed during your advanced practice nursing education are not applicable.
Submit the Statement of Controlled Substance Delegation form, completed by you and your collaborating physician.
All items must be mailed to the State Board of Nursing, P.O. Box 656, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0656.
Once the Board has granted you controlled substance prescriptive authority, this will be added to your APRN Document of Recognition as well as to the Missouri Board of Nursing website where your RN licensure and APRN recognition status is listed. This authority does not need to be renewed, nor does it expire, unless your RN license or APRN recognition lapses.
For Nationally Certified APRNs:
As long as you keep your Missouri RN license active, maintain your national certification, and report any new national certification to the Board, your APRN Document of Recognition will not lapse. No form or fee is necessary to be filed to “renew” it.
You must renew your Missouri RN license, which expires April 30 of odd-numbered years, to keep your APRN Document of Recognition current.
FIND SCHOOLS Sponsored ContentIt is your responsibility to send a copy of your new certification card/letter to the Board each time you renew your national certification or earn new national certification. Follow the continuing education (CE) requirements of your national certification agency to maintain certification:
You must also maintain your Collaborative Practice Agreement and report any changes to the Board.
For Non-Nationally Certified APRNs:
If national certification does not exist for your APRN specialty, you must fulfill Board requirements to keep your APRN recognition active. Contact the Board at 573-751-0073 or [email protected] to request a form to file for continued non-certified APRN recognition. Along with the form, submit the following documentation to the Board:
Mail this information to the State Board of Nursing, P.O. Box 656, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0656.
Lapsed APRN Document of Recognition
If you let your APRN Document of Recognition lapse, you must immediately stop practicing as an APRN in Missouri. Contact the Board at 573-751-0073 for further instructions. You may need to re-apply for active APRN recognition with the Board.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Associations in Missouri
Consider joining one of the following professional associations that support advanced practice nursing in Missouri:
If you’re looking to earn six figures sometime in your career, becoming an NP will get you there. NPs in Missouri make $106,870 per year, on average. More experienced NPs bring home more: $137,340 or more annually.
