Indiana § 25-23-1-19.5 - Advanced practice registered nurses; authority to prescribe drugs

§ 25-23-1-19.5. Advanced practice registered nurses; authority to prescribe drugs

Sec. 19.5. (a) This section does not apply to certified registered nurse anesthetists.

(b) The board shall establish a program under which advanced practice registered nurses who meet the requirements established by the board are authorized to prescribe drugs, including controlled substances (as defined in IC 35-48-1.1-7) in accordance with IC 25-1-9.3.

(c) The authority granted by the board under this section:

(1) expires on October 31 of the odd-numbered year following the year the authority was granted or renewed; and

(2) is subject to renewal indefinitely for successive periods of two (2) years.

(d) The rules adopted under section 7 of this chapter concerning the authority of advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe drugs must do the following:

(1) Require an advanced practice registered nurse or a prospective advanced practice registered nurse who seeks the authority to submit an application to the board.

(2) Require an applicant to satisfy the following as a prerequisite to the initial granting of the authority:

(A) Meet all the qualifications for licensure as a registered nurse under this article.

(B) Successfully complete:

(i) education requirements determined by the board to be appropriate to the advanced practice registered nurse's role; and

(ii) a graduate level course in pharmacology providing at least two (2) semester hours of academic credit.

(C) Either:

(i) provide documentation, as requested by the board, that the applicant has graduated before December 31, 1997, from an advanced, organized formal education program appropriate to the practice and that is acceptable to the board; or

(ii) complete a graduate, postgraduate, or doctoral advanced practice registered nurse program from an accredited college or university.

(3) Establish requirements for an advanced practice registered nurse to comply with national certification or the certification's equivalence, including a portfolio equivalence, appropriate to the advanced practice registered nurse's role.

(4) Require, as a condition of the renewal of the authority, the completion by the advanced practice registered nurse of the continuing education requirements set out in section 19.7 of this chapter.

As added by P.L.185-1993, SEC.8. Amended by P.L.83-2000, SEC.1; P.L.58-2014, SEC.9; P.L.129-2018, SEC.31; P.L.28-2019, SEC.13; P.L.9-2022, SEC.47; P.L.186-2025, SEC.139.