Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners FAQ

Q.  How can I find out about job openings?

    A. Job ads are placed in the Members Only section of the web site, so you would need to be a member of the VCNP to access it.

Q.  As a nurse practitioner, which organizations should I join?

    A.  As a professional, one should at least be a member of the nursing organization (VNA in Virginia) and the specialty organization such as the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners.

Q.  I am a member of VCNP, but will be moving soon. How do I connect with my new regional council?

    A.  Call the VCNP Administrative Office at 804-565-6360, or check our website for contact information in each region

Q.  Where can I get the current rules and regulations for nursing and advance practice nursing in Virginia?

Q.  How can I find out about local nurse practitioner meetings in my area?

    A.  The VCNP page has a list of the regions, officers and email addresses. Some of the regions also post their meetings on the website.

Q.  How do I find out about legislative issues and contacts in the individual regions?

    A.  Check the VCNP web page for information about the regional contacts, and locate the legislative representative for your region.

Q.  Who do I contact about work related problems such as scope of practice?

Q.  Where can I get written information on Medicare reimbursement rules?

Q.  How do I go about applying for prescriptive authority? Is it separate from licensure?

A.  Yes, it is a separate application and costs $50. The paperwork can be obtained through the Virginia Board of Nursing.  Applicants must hold a current, unrestricted license as a nurse practitioner in the Commonwealth of Virginia and provide evidence of the following: 

  • Continued professional certification as required
  • Satisfactory completion of a graduate level course in pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutices obtained as part of their nurse practitioner program within 5 years prior to submission of application
  • Practice as a nurse practitioner for no less than 1000 hours and 15 continuing education units related to the area of practice for each of the two years immediately prior to submission of the application, or thirty contact hours of education in pharmacology or phamacotherapeutics acceptable to the boards taken with five years prior to submission of application. 
  • The 30 contact hours may be obtained in formal academic setting as discrete or noncredit continuing education offering and shall include: applicable federal and state laws, prescription writing, drug selection, dosage and route, drug interactions, information resources and clinical application of pharmacology related to specific scope of practice.

Q.  What is the supervisory ratio of doctors to nurse practitioners in Virginia?

    A.  1:4

Q.  I am a nurse practitioner from another state. How do I obtain a license in Virginia?

    A.  First, contact the Virginia State Board of Nursing at 804-662-9946. You will need licensure as an RN and as an advanced practice nurse. After you complete the applications, you will need to contact your home state and have them send confirmation of your licensure.

    Prescriptive authority is site specific. You will need to submit a practice agreement to the State Board of Nursing prior to obtaining prescriptive authority.

Q.  How many contact hours are needed to recertify for licensure as a nurse practitioner?

A.  There are some alternatives depending on when someone was initially licensed.  It is laid out in Regulations 18 VAC 90 -30 -105 for NP's and there are additional requirements for NP's with prescriptive authority that can be found in 18 VAC 90-40-55.  You can access these from our website www.dhp.virginia.gov and then go to Board of Nursing.

 

Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners
2209 Dickens Road
Richmond, VA 23230-2005
804-565-6360
804-282-0090 fax

General VCNP Information:  vcnp@vcnp.net
Membership Information:  vcnpmembership@vcnp.net