There are multiple aprn licensure available and a few

There are multiple APRN licensure available and a few are common among all three states. Nurses can obtain Nurse
Practitioner (NP), Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). In California
and Illinois nurses can get licensed asClinical Nurses Specialist (CNS) but this is not available in Washington. Also,
California recognizes and will give licensure for Psychiatric/mental health nurse (PMH)
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Scope of Practice:
Niether of the three states are compact states, meaning you must be licensed as an RN within that state in order
become a licensed APRN.
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Accreditation:
All three states require that the schools attended be accredited nursing schools. California specifically stated in that
a school must be accredited by the Nation League of Nursing or an agency recognized by the United state
Department of Education (USDE) and also have approval from the California board of Nursing (California Board of
Registered Nursing,2016). In Washington the nursing school must be accredited by the American Nurses
Credentialing Center, which offers a variety of certifications for nurse practitioners, lists among the requirements,
500 hours of clinical work under faculty supervision (Washington State Department of Health, 2016). For Illinois

The school must be accredited and recognized by the U.S Department of Education, and some in-state schools that
are pre-approved by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The accredited programs are the
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the National League for Nursing Accredited Nursing
Programs (NLNAC) (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, 2016).
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Certification:
In the three states we are evaluating all APN must pass a National certification exam to be considered for licensure.
Common certifications are American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), American Association of Critical-Care
Nurses (AACN), American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), National Certification Corporation for Obstetric,
Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing Specialties, as well as the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. Illinois also
includes certification under the Certification board for Urlogic Nurses and Assosciates.
All midwife’s are certified through the American Midwifery Certification Board
All CRNA’s are certified through the Council of Certification of Nurse Anesthetist
And all CNSs are certified through American Nurses Credentialing center and American Association of Critical Care
Nurses.