Steps to Becoming an APRN in Louisiana

louisiana nursing

1Get your Graduate Degree in Louisiana
2Earn your National Certification in Louisiana
3Apply for your License in Louisiana
4Renewing your License in Louisiana
Louisiana Job Statistics

  • As of May 2020, NPs in Louisiana earn an average of $111,880 per year.
  • NPs in Louisiana earn about 126% more than the state’s median household income.
  • RNs working in Louisiana make $68,010 on average, annually.
  • 2020 NCLEX-RN first-time pass rates for nursing school graduates in Louisiana: 92.8%
  • Approximately 41,690 RNs and 3,170 NPs are licensed in Louisiana.

The Louisiana State Board of Nursing (225-755-7500 or [email protected]) licenses RNs qualified to work as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in four general roles: nurse practitioner (NP), certified nurse midwife (CNM), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA), and clinical nurse specialists (CNS).

Before pursuing APRN licensure in Louisiana, you must hold a Louisiana State Board of Nursing RN license.

Take the following steps to become a licensed APRN in Louisiana.


Step 1. Get Your Graduate Degree

For the full standards maintained by the Louisiana Board of Nursing for APRN education programs, review Chapter 45, section 4509 of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing Professional and Occupational Standards.

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Qualified Graduate Programs

To be eligible for APRN licensure in Louisiana, you must complete a graduate, post graduate, or doctoral degree program in your chosen advanced practice nursing role. The program must be delivered through a regionally accredited college or university. The institution must offer nursing as a major, or offer a concentration in the APRN role and specialty for which you will pursue national certification and state licensure.

A list of Board-approved in-state and out-of-state graduate schools of nursing is available here.

If you graduate from a program that does not appear on this list, the Board will likely grant approval if the school is nationally or regionally accredited. Review national, regional, and hybrid accreditation agencies, as well as specialized and programmatic agencies listed in the United States Department of Education (USDE) database of accreditation agencies.

Course Requirements

The Louisiana State Board of Nursing mandates that all APRN education programs include the following courses:

  • Advanced pathophysiology
  • Advanced pharmacology
  • Advanced assessment and diagnostic reasoning
  • Management of health care status
  • Preceptorship involving 500 supervised clinical hours in direct nurse/client care (if you are on a specialty track that will prepare you to work with multiple patient population groups, you will be required to have more than 500 hours)

Prescriptive Authority

Licensed Nurse Practitioners in the state of Louisiana hold prescriptive authority. If you are not a recent graduate, you must document 45 contact hours (3 credit hours) of advanced pharmacotherapeutics coursework and 45 contact hours (3 credit hours) of physiology/pathophysiology coursework.

Specialization

Specialized tracks are available in the form of degrees with concentrations in various disease types and population foci within Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), or Ph.D. in Nursing programs.

You may pursue other advanced degree options including nursing education, nursing leadership, and nursing administration.


Step 2. Earn Your National Certification

The Louisiana State Board of Nursing requires that you become nationally certified within your APRN role prior to licensure. All national certification agencies maintain independent eligibility standards required to sit for their national exams.

The Louisiana State Board of Nursing recognizes the following general APRN roles:

  • Nurse practitioner (NP)
  • Certified nurse-midwife (CNM)
  • Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
  • Clinical nurse specialist (CNS)

Certification Programs

The Louisiana State Board of Nursing recognizes the following agencies for granting certification in the general APRN roles, as well as certification in specializations and patient population foci:

Contact the appropriate national certification organization representing the specialty in which you wish to become certified.


Step 3. Apply for your License

Licensure by Examination

If you are applying for initial licensure, download the Application for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Initial Licensure by Examination. Along with your completed, notarized application:

  • Include money order or bank cashier’s check for $142.50 payable to the Louisiana State Board of Nursing (includes $100 application fee and $42.50 fingerprinting fee – an additional fee of $10 applies if fingerprinted in person by LiveScan, bringing the total to $152.50 – explained below)
  • Include completed criminal history background check (Forms CBC1 and 2 included in the application) (details on fingerprinting and submission process is explained below)
  • Include completed Verification of Advanced Practice Education filled out by your graduate institution (Form AP2 included in application)
  • Include completed Verification of National Certification or original letter from certification organization verifying your national certification (Form AP3 included in application)

Mail all documents to the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, 17373 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70810.

Adding an Additional APRN Role

If you are already licensed as an APRN in Louisiana, and are interested in becoming licensed in an additional advanced practice role, complete the Request for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Licensure in an Additional APRN Role/Population Focus/Specialty.

Licensure by Endorsement

If you are already licensed to practice as an APRN in another state, use the Application for APRN Licensure by Endorsement.

Criminal History Background Check

As part of the APRN licensure process, you must complete a criminal history background check. Fingerprinting can usually be facilitated by your local sheriff’s office or police station. Instructions are included within your application packet. If your local law enforcement agency does not have blank FBI fingerprint cards, the Application for Licensure by Examination includes the form necessary to request two blank FBI fingerprint cards. These cards can be taken to your local law enforcement agency for fingerprinting. Submit fingerprint cards along with the two Criminal Background Check (CBC) Authorization forms included in the APRN application packet. The cost of the background check is $42.50, included in the total application cost of $142.50.

You also have the option of having your fingerprints taken by LiveScan in person at the Louisiana State Board of Nursing office. This is subject to an additional fee of $10.

Collaborative Practice Agreement and Prescriptive Authority

Nurse practitioners in Louisiana hold prescriptive authority and therefore require a collaborative practice agreement (CPA) with a state-licensed physician or dentist.

Complete and submit the Collaborative Practice Agreement form detailing your mutual agreement specific to parameters of collaborative practice, clinical practice guidelines, your responsibilities and those of the physician, and methods of patient care including prescriptive authority over legend drugs and controlled substances. This collaborative agreement must be on file with the Board before you may legally practice as nurse practitioner in Louisiana.

To add controlled substances to your prescriptive authority privileges, submit Form#CON 1A (Request for Addition of Controlled Substances for Prescriptive Authority.

Temporary Permit

When applying for APRN licensure in Louisiana, you may wish to request a Temporary Permit. This requires that you complete the application for licensure and submit proof of completion of APRN education, plus proof that you have applied for and been approved to take your national certification examination. Temporary permits are valid for 90 days. For details on attaining a temporary permit, review page 2 of the Application for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Initial Licensure by Examination.


Step 4. Renewing Your License

Your APRN license in Louisiana is valid for one year, and must be renewed annually at the time of your RN license renewal. The Louisiana State Board of Nursing will send you an email reminder as your licensure expiration date approaches. You must renew your APRN license and pay all renewal fees online. You may be asked to submit proof of national certification at the time of renewal as well.

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The Louisiana State Board of Nursing does not issue paper licenses, but you may verify your license online at any time.

Continuing Education

As a licensed APRN in Louisiana, you must maintain national certification to maintain licensure. In addition, if you have prescriptive authority, you must complete six contact hours in pharmacotherapeutics each year. A comprehensive list of approved continuing education providers is available here. You will not have to submit proof of CE completion unless the Board selects you for audit. In the event that you are selected for an audit, you’ll be required to complete the CE Audit Verification Checklist Prescriptive Authority.

In order to maintain national certification, you must fulfill the continuing education mandates of your national certification organization. Contact that organization for information on their continuing competency mandates:

Expired License Renewal Application

If your APRN license has expired, you must apply for its reinstatement to legally practice in Louisiana. If you have not worked in five years or more, you must undergo another criminal background check. Information on requirements and fees may be found in the Reinstatement Packet.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Associations in Louisiana

Consider becoming a member of an organization in Louisiana that supports APRNs though continuing education and advocacy services:


Louisiana Nurse Practitioner Salary

If you’re hoping to make six figures sometime in your career, don’t worry. Nurse practitioners in Louisiana make an average $111,880 per year. Top earners report grossing at least $158,170 annually.

Area Name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Alexandria
170
113790
Baton Rouge
630
97970
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area
150
126750
Hammond
190
110610
Houma-Thibodaux
160
116820
Lafayette
300
120560
Lake Charles
160
119460
Monroe
120
106310
New Orleans-Metairie
860
112950
Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area
100
118510
Shreveport-Bossier City
230
117820
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area
80
106880

Registered Nurse Salary

You won’t go hungry as a registered nurse (RN) in Louisiana. RNs in this state make an average of $68,010 per year. Those at the top of the proverbial food chain make even more: a minimum $84,070 per year. That goes a long way in a low-cost state like Louisiana.

Area Name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Alexandria
1840
67680
Baton Rouge
6530
65160
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area
1390
64170
Hammond
1170
68830
Houma-Thibodaux
1550
66940
Lake Charles
1560
62250
Monroe
2050
65650
New Orleans-Metairie
14290
70930
Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area
1190
65680
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area
1010
67700

Nursing Instructors and Teachers Salary

Have a passion for teaching? If you choose to explore this avenue, you’ll set yourself up well. In Louisiana, nursing instructors report an average annual income of $71,050 per year.

Area Name
Employment
Annual median wage
Baton Rouge
190
64270
New Orleans-Metairie
90
70200
Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area
50
58780

Nurse Administrator Salary

(Includes Nurse Managers, Directors, and Chief Nursing Officers)

Think you’re management material? Nurse administrators do well for themselves in Louisiana. On average, these professionals make $105,790 per year. Seasoned admins make a whopping $162,350 annually – a huge jump from the average.

Area Name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Alexandria
230
101840
Baton Rouge
1030
109490
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area
190
105930
Hammond
160
120980
Houma-Thibodaux
170
101910
Lafayette
370
96980
Lake Charles
200
84850
Monroe
240
88050
New Orleans-Metairie
1420
119130
Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area
140
116100
Shreveport-Bossier City
NA
90910
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area
NA
101290

Nurse Anesthetists Salary

If you’ve thought of becoming a nurse anesthetist, you’ll command a great living in Louisiana. The average salary for anesthetists in this state is $161,310 per year. What’s more, the top earners in this role report making over $200,000 annually.

Area Name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Hammond
30
175250
Houma-Thibodaux
50
143360
Lafayette
NA
139220
Lake Charles
60
178710
New Orleans-Metairie
370
157610
Shreveport-Bossier City
120
184460


2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics job market trends and salary figures for 1)
Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Midwives; 2) Medical and Health Services Managers (Nurse Administrators); 3) Registered Nurses; and 4) Postsecondary Nursing Instructors and Teachers reflect state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. 2019 US Census Bureau figures for state median household income provided for comparison. Data Accessed December 2021.

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