California Code of Regulations
Title 16 - Professional and Vocational Regulations
Division 14 - Board of Registered Nursing
Article 8 - Nurse Practitioners
Section 1483 - Evaluation of Credentials

(a) An application for evaluation of a registered nurse's qualifications to be certified as a nurse practitioner shall be filed with the board by submitting the Application for Nurse Practitioner (NP) Certification (Rev. 03/2019), which is hereby incorporated by reference. A temporary Nurse Practitioner (NP) certificate shall be obtained by submitting the Application for Temporary Nurse Practitioner (NP) Certificate (Rev. 03/2019), which is hereby incorporated by reference. In order to furnish drugs or devices in California as a Nurse Practitioner, the certified nurse practitioner must be issued a Nurse Practitioner Furnishing Number by submitting the Nurse Practitioner Furnishing Number Application (Rev. 03/2019), which is hereby incorporated by reference, for approval. Submission of each application shall be accompanied by the fee prescribed in Section 1417 and such evidence, statements or documents as therein required by the board.

(b) The Application for Nurse Practitioner (NP) Certification, the Application for Temporary Nurse Practitioner (NP) Certificate and the Nurse Practitioner Furnishing Number Application shall include submission of the name of the graduate nurse practitioner education program or post-graduate nurse practitioner education program.

(c) The Application for Nurse Practitioner (NP) Certification shall include submission of an official sealed transcript with the date of graduation or post-graduate program completion, nurse practitioner category, credential conferred, and the specific courses taken to provide sufficient evidence the applicant has completed the required course work including the required number of supervised direct patient care clinical practice hours.

(d) A graduate from a board-approved nurse practitioner education program shall be considered a graduate of a nationally accredited program if the program held national nursing accreditation at the time the graduate completed the program. The program graduate is eligible to apply for nurse practitioner certification with the board regardless of the program's national nursing accreditation status at the time of submission of the application to the Board.

(e) The board shall notify the applicant in writing that the application is complete and accepted for filing or that the application is deficient and what specific information is required within 30 days from the receipt of an application. A decision on the evaluation of credentials shall be reached within 60 days from the filing of a completed application. The median, minimum, and maximum times for processing an application, from the receipt of the initial application to the final decision, shall be 42 days, 14 days, and one year, respectively, taking into account Section 1410.4(e) which provides for abandonment of incomplete applications after one year.