Steps to Becoming an Advanced Practice Nurse in Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Board of Nursing is responsible for granting practice authority to RNs, including those that practice at a level that may be considered similar to that of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in the US (including nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists). Puerto Rico’s Board of Nursing administers two different exams that are designed for nurse licensure applicants with varying levels of preparatory education, and that are specific to the two distinct levels of licensure the Board grants.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) has made an attempt at determining equivalency among Puerto Rico nurse licensure standards and those maintained by US jurisdictions as they pertain to education, certification, and examination; including exam security measures, assessment standards and pass rates, as well as validation procedures. The NCSBN’s ongoing comparison also looks to determine equivalency with regard to scope of practice for RNs and advanced practice registered nurses in the US and Puerto Rico.

At this time, the Puerto Rico Board of Nursing is considered an associate member of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), but no final determination has been made as to the level of equivalency that may or may not exist between Puerto Rico’s licensing standards and practice privileges and those in other US licensing jurisdictions.

All nurse licensing process inquiries should be directed to the Puerto Rico Board of Nursing:

Phone: 787-765-2929

Building GM Group 3rd. – Urb. Caribe floor
1590 Ponce de Leon Street
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico 00926

Puerto Rico Nurse Practitioner Salary

The largest majority of registered nurses in Puerto Rico work in the Mayaguez (1090 licensed RNs), Ponce (1610 licensed RNs) and San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo (14170 licensed RNs) areas.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) RN classification, which includes both advanced practitioners and registered nurses, shows that the nurses in Puerto Rico who earned within the 90th percentile in 2020 had salaries in the range of $35,450, for those in Aguadilla-Isabela, on up to $50,480 in the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo area.

Here you will find the full hourly and annual break-down of nurse salaries in Puerto Rico, by city, ranging from median to 90th percentile:

Registered Nurse Salary

Area Name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Aguadilla-Isabela
730
27160
Arecibo
860
32830
Guayama
100
33100
Mayaguez
1090
33640
Ponce
1610
32820
Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area
120
28410
San German
570
32960
San Juan-Carolina-Caguas
14170
36650

Nursing Instructors and Teachers Salary

Area Name
Employment
Annual median wage
Mayaguez
60
48540
Ponce
80
28530
San Juan-Carolina-Caguas
440
33000

Nurse Administrator Salary

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

Area Name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Arecibo
40
61740
Mayaguez
70
57200
Ponce
80
74420
San Juan-Carolina-Caguas
930
84830

Nurse Anesthetists Salary

Area Name
Employment
Annual mean wage
San Juan-Carolina-Caguas
230
57510

These tables provide salary and employment information compiled by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2020. The data contained herein does not include self-employed nurses in independent practice.

When responding to the salary survey, some advanced practice registered nurses identified themselves as RNs while others identified themselves as health diagnosing and treating practitioners. When available, both sets of data were included for comparative purposes.

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