1. (a) The board may authorize an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to prescribe and dispense legend drugs in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.

2. (b) An advanced practice registered nurse who applies for authorization to prescribe and dispense drugs

   1. (1) must be currently designated as an APRN in this state at the time of application;
   2. (2) shall provide evidence of completion of 15 contact hours of education in advanced pharmacology and clinical management of drug therapy within the two-year period immediately before the date of application; and
   3. (3) shall submit a completed application as required in 12 AAC 44.400(a)(6) accompanied by the application fee established in 12 AAC 02.280.
3. (c) Authorized prescriptions by an APRN must comply with all applicable state and federal laws.

4. (d) The board may limit, restrict, deny, suspend, or revoke prescriptive authorization or APRN licensure if the APRN has

   1. (1) not maintained current licensure as an APRN;
   2. (2) not maintained current national certification from the national certifying body within their scope of practice;
   3. (3) prescribed, dispensed, administered, or distributed drugs in an unsafe manner or without adequate instruction to patients according to acceptable and prevailing standards;
   4. (4) sold, purchased, traded, or offered to sell, purchase, or trade drug samples;
   5. (5) prescribed, dispensed, administered, or distributed drugs for other than therapeutic or prophylactic purposes;
   6. (6) prescribed or dispensed drugs to individuals who are not patients of the APRN or who are not within the nurse's role and population foci; or
   7. (7) violated any provision of state or federal statutes and regulations pertaining to nursing practice.
5. (e) An APRN's prescriptive authority must be renewed biennially with the APRN licensure.
6. (f) An APRN may receive, sign for, record, and distribute medication samples to patients. The distribution of drug samples must be in accordance with state laws and United States Drug Enforcement Administration laws and guidelines.
7. (g) Contact hours used for initial licensure as an APRN may not be used again for renewal of the licensure unless the initial licensure is within 180 days of the renewal deadline.
8. (h) In this section, "prescriptive authority" includes authority to dispense prescriptions.

(Eff. 1/13/80, Register 73; am 12/1/84, Register 91; am 11/7/87, Register 104; am 8/9/92, Register 123; am 4/9/94, Register 130; am 4/27/97, Register 142; am 7/17/2003, Register 167; am 5/29/2005, Register 174; am 3/28/2008, Register 185; am 12/23/2009, Register 192; am 4/16/2010, Register 194; am 12/27/2012, Register 204; am 3/19/2014, Register 209; am 8/10/2016, Register 219; am 5/16/2018, Register 226; am 1/19/2022, Register 241)