Pennsylvania · guide
Nurse practitioner licensing in Pennsylvania
Read from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Last verified 2026-09-15.
The sequence
| Step | What it involves |
|---|---|
| RN license | Held by compact privilege where the nurse compact reaches the state, otherwise filed separately. |
| APRN license or recognition | Filed with the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, including national certification evidence. |
| Prescriptive authority | Separate grant in most states, with its own application and its own renewal date. |
| Collaborative or supervisory agreement | Executed with a named physician and filed or held on record before the first prescription. |
| Controlled substance registration | State registration where required, then the DEA registration tied to the practice address. |
What the numbers say
- Pennsylvania is not a nurse compact state, so the RN license is filed separately.
- A written collaborative agreement with a physician is required for CRNP prescriptive authority.
Source: the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Last verified 2026-09-15. Where a national summary and a board disagree, we publish the board.