Locum tenens nurse practitioners (NP) have the freedom to work in any of the 50 states; however, state law dictates which duties they can perform.
For example, in Arizona, NPs can open their own practice and prescribe drugs independently, while in Massachusetts NPs practice and prescribe drugs under physician supervision.
It’s difficult enough for permanent NPs to keep track of practice laws in their own state, but locum tenens NPs have it even harder. Many locum tenens NPs want to know the rules before they take an assignment in a new state, but the information is typically buried in long legal documents. To solve that problem, Barton Associates created an interactive NP Scope of Practice Law Guide.
The guide is simple, interactive, and fun to use. The graphic is set up so that each state (including the District of Columbia) is represented as a spoke in the wheel. The colors on each spoke denote whether a privilege is allowed, limited, not allowed, or if there is no law. This color-coded set up allows the user to quickly get a sense of each state’s laws and compare states.
For a little more information, users can hover their cursor over any state spoke and read a brief description of the state’s scope of practice laws. Of course, the actual laws are more complex. Those who need more specific information should consult the state’s laws.
If you are curious how your state’s nursing practice laws compare to others, check out the NP Scope of Practice Law Guide!
