Minnesota Nurse Practitioner Licensure Steps - 2024

Nurse Practitioner Licensure Requirements in Minnesota

Follow below to learn how to become a nurse practitioner (NP) in Minnesota.

Initial Registered Nurse (RN) License

Already have your RN License?  Skip to the next section

All applicants for an APRN license to practice as an NP in Minnesota are required to hold a valid RN license to practice in the state. The state is not a member of the enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC) hence multi-state licenses from member states are not accepted.

If you do not hold a single-state RN license in Minnesota already, you should apply for one by examination or endorsement.

RN by Examination

This is the chosen route of application for graduates of basic nursing programs who have never been licensed in the US.

• These applicants should have obtained an associate’s degree from an accredited nursing program in Minnesota or an equivalent in any other state or territory.
• You can apply online or download relevant application forms to be filled and mailed to the board.
• The application fee of $105 should be paid using a cashier’s check or money order made payable to the Minnesota Board of Nursing.
• Applicants who choose this route must take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) which you can register for here for $200. You will be sent an authorization to test (ATT) if you are considered eligible for the test. If you fail the test, you will have your result set to you with a breakdown that helps you see how you fared in each segment. You can retake the test within the next eight months after failing. ** Note that you are required to take and pass the test within a year of your application being accepted or your application is canceled. **
• People who have completed their nursing program for more than 5 years before their application date and have been unable to pass the NCLEX within that period will be required to complete a review course before taking it.
• Proof of completing a basic nursing program is required in form of a “Confirmation of Program Completion” form completed by your nursing program and sent to the board if you completed your program in Minnesota.
• For those who were trained in Canada, you will also need to have such a form filled and sent to the board by your program or a transcript containing your date of graduation and the type of degree received. Foreign-trained nurses are to have their credentials evaluated by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and the resulting report sent to the board.
• Also, you will need to take an English proficiency test such as TOEFL (score of 84, minimum speaking score of 26 on TOEFL-iBT) or IELTS (overall score of 6.5, minimum of 6.0 in all modules) if you were trained in another language.

RN by Endorsement

You are to apply via this route if you have been licensed as an RN in any state or territory in the US before.

• You must have received such a license after completing a basic nursing program approved by the nursing board in that state and have passed the NCLEX-RN or any other equivalent entry-level nursing test.
• The application process is also completed for a fee of $105 and you can download the forms here.
• Applicants are required to verify their valid licenses using the Nursys platform for a fee of $30.
• If your state board does not process licensure verification through Nursys, you must contact them to enquire about their verification process and fees.
• You are also required to submit a form confirming past employment as a nurse.
• You can download the “Confirmation of Nursing Employment Form” here and give it to your present employer or immediate past employer to fill. Once it is completed, you must submit it to the board.
• Depending on how long ago you practiced nursing, you might be required to complete a refresher course. The board usually contacts those who must fulfill this requirement.

Regardless of your application route of choice, you are required to submit your fingerprints for a criminal background check (CBC). The CBC office will send you a fingerprint packet by email when you submit your application.

Follow the instructions for the fingerprinting process to the letter. If you answer “yes” to any of the questions regarding functional or past disciplinary actions that you have been subjected to, you must provide supporting documents for these as the board will take a more critical approach towards your licensure.

Advanced Education Requirement

The Minnesota Board of Nursing requires that all applicants for an APRN license to have received advanced nursing training. This should be a post-basic (graduate) program that awards at least a master’s degree.

The program should have been accredited by a certifying agency that is recognized by the board and an accreditation body recognized by the US Department of Education.

An ideal program for prospective nurse practitioner s will prepare you to take up a role in a specific area serving a given population focus. The recognized specialty area by the nursing board in Minnesota include:

• Pediatric
• Neonatal
• Geriatrics
• Adult Health
• Family
• Women’s Healthcare
• Acute Care

Your chosen program must prepare you for certification by the appropriate certifying agency for your specialty area. The program must include coursework and clinical components.

The coursework components must include diagnosis and health management of conditions relevant to your specialty area, advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacotherapy, preventive medicine, and other specialized courses for your specialization.

Finally, your program must include at least 500 hours of supervised clinical experience.

National Certification

The quality of your advanced practice education is evaluated by national certifying agencies as chosen by the board. This means that you will not be required to submit any transcripts from the institution where you had your nurse practitioner education. This is because national certification from a recognized agency proves that you have fulfilled the educational and experiential requirements for practicing as an APRN in the state.

Nurse practitioner s are required to be certified to practice in at least one specialty area serving a population focus. The certification process is usually examination based and this highlights the importance of choosing a nurse practitioner program that is accredited by the certifying agency for professionals in your chosen area. These are the recognized certifying agencies for nurse practitioner s in Minnesota:

• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
• American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
• National Certification Corporation (NCC)
• Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB)
• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)

Getting Licensed to Practice as a Nurse Practitioner in Minnesota

The board receives applications for APRN licenses to practice as a nurse practitioner in Minnesota all year long and issues such licenses to eligible applicants. All applicants must hold a valid and unencumbered RN license to practice in Minnesota.

All APRN licenses come with prescriptive authority which means that the APRN is licensed to prescribe, dispense and administer medications and medical devices as their role permits.

You are required to have obtained at least a master’s degree from a post-basic nurse practitioner preparatory program.

Next, you are required to download and submit a filled version of the Confirmation of Program Completion – Advanced Practice Nurse form to the board. You will need to fill the first page and sent both pages to the program you completed where the rest of the form will be filled and sent to the board.

The board does not require your transcript, however, you must provide proof of your current valid national certification. This can be requested from the national certifying agency and sent to the board by the same.

You are also required to submit a filled copy of the Confirmation of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Employment form. All nurse practitioners are mandated to complete 2,080 hours of collaborative practice in a team with a registered Minnesota physician and/or experienced APRN working in the same specialty area.

Following the completion of the collaborative practice period, you are required to submit a filled Post-Graduate Practice Verification form. All applicants must also complete a fingerprint-based CBC as was covered under the initial RN licensure section.

The application process is also completed online or via the paper route for $105.