Sponsored School(s)
- Get your Graduate Degree in the CNMI
- Obtain National Certification in the CNMI
- Apply for Licensure in the CNMI
- Renewing your License in the CNMI
The Commonwealth Board of Nurse Examiners (CBNE) (670-664-4810, cbone@pticom.com) regulates and licenses advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) in the following categories:
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
- Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
- Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
In order to work toward APRN in the CNMI, you must first hold a current, valid RN license:
- If you are a graduate of a Board-approved RN program, you may apply for Licensure by Examination.
- If you are currently licensed as an RN in another United States territory or state, you may apply for Licensure by Endorsement.
- If you previously held an RN license in the CNMI, you may apply for Application Reinstatement.
All applications for RN licensure can be downloaded from the CBNE website.
Step 1. Get Your Graduate Degree
Note: The CNMI follows the APRN Consensus Model through the National Council on State Boards of Nursing, which strives to achieve uniform licensure requirements across all states and U.S. territories.
Once you have obtained your RN license in the CNMI, you must possess a graduate degree or higher from a program that is accredited by a nursing or nursing-related accrediting organization that is recognized by either the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The CNBE requires a graduate degree in nursing with a concentration in an advanced nursing practice category. All graduate transcripts must show a nursing specialty.
The graduate education must include both didactic and clinical components, including:
- Advanced Knowledge in Nursing Theory
- Physical Assessment
- Psycho-Social Assessment
- Appropriate Interventions
- Management of Health Care
Under the APRN Consensus Model, all APRN graduate programs should contain at least three, separate graduate-level courses in:
- Advanced Physiology
- Pathophysiology
- Advanced Health Assessment, including Assessment of all Human Systems, Advanced Assessment Techniques, Concepts and Approaches
- Advanced Pharmacology, including Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacotherapeutics
Additional content should be specific to the APRN role and population, and the above courses should be integrated through the role and population didactic and clinical courses. In addition, the graduate content should prepare the graduate to assess, diagnose and manage patient problems, including using prescription pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions.
Prescriptive Dispensing Authority
Licensed APRNs in the CNMI are authorized to prescribe and dispense drugs and therapeutic measures within their scope of practice. A 2009 bill (Public Law 16-34) changed the scope of the APRN, thereby allowing nurse practitioners to prescribe medications and treat conditions within their scope of practice, and without doctor supervision.
Collaborative Relationship
All APRNs in the CNMI are required to enter into a collaborative relationship with a supervising physician. The collaborating physician must be licensed to practice medicine in the CNMI and must have training and experience in the APRN’s specialty.
Step 2. Obtain National Certification
To become licensed as an APRN in the CNMI, you must obtain appropriate national certification in your APRN specialty. The CNBE recognizes the following national certifying bodies:
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist –
- Certified Nurse Midwife –
- Clinical Nurse Specialist –
- Nurse Practitioner –
Step 3. Apply for Licensure
Once you have obtained national certification in your APRN specialty, you are then eligible to apply for licensure in the CNMI.
To apply for an APRN license in your nursing specialty, you must do the following:
- Complete the Application for APRN License and have it notarized. The application can be downloaded and printed on the CNMI website.
- Provide the CNBE with a copy of your birth certificate, marriage license (if applicable), and two, 2”x2”, passport-type photographs of yourself that were taken within the last 6 months. Sign the bottom front area of each photograph.
- Provide the CNBE with a copy of your current RN license.
- Include a $140 licensure fee in a U.S. postal money order or cashier’s check drawn on a U.S. bank (plus another $50 if you are filing for a temporary license), made payable to “CNBE” or “Commonwealth Board of Nurse Examiners.”
- Provide the CNBE with proof of current/active certification from a recognized national certifying body.
- Provide the CNBE with an official transcript from the college or university where you obtained your graduate degree in advanced practice nursing and nursing specialty.
Send the completed and notarized application, all documentation and the related licensure fee to the: Commonwealth Board of Nurse Examiners, Northern Mariana Islands, P.O. Box 501458, Saipan, MP 96950.
Step 4. Renewing Your License
All RN and APRN licenses in the CNMI are renewed bi-annually on April 1st of every even-numbered year. To renew your APRN license, you must complete the Renewal Application for Advanced Practitioners, which is found on the CNBE website. You must also complete the following:
- Notarize the renewal application.
- Provide the CNBE with two, 2”x2”, passport-type photographs of yourself that were taken within the last 6 months. Sign the bottom front area of each photograph.
- Include a $100 renewal fee (plus $80 RN renewal fee) in a U.S. postal money order or cashier’s check drawn on a U.S. bank, made payable to “CNBE” or “Commonwealth Board of Nurse Examiners.”
- If you fail to renew your license by April 30th, you must pay an additional $20 late fee (plus $20 RN renewal late fee). If you fail to renew your license by June 30th, you must apply for reinstatement.
- Provide evidence of at least 30 contact hours of continuing education for license renewal during the preceding 2 years by completing the Continuing Education for Nurses form found on the CNBE website (you must also have this form notarized). Accredited sources and CE providers of nursing boards are acceptable sources for contact hours.
Send the completed and notarized application, all documentation and the related licensure renewal fees to the: Commonwealth Board of Nurse Examiners, Northern Mariana Islands, P.O. Box 501458, Saipan, MP 96950.
License Reinstatement
If you fail to renew your APRN license by June 30th, you must complete the above renewal requirements and pay the reinstatement fee of $150 (plus $150 RN reinstatement fee).
You must also provide proof of 60 contact hours of continuing education; 20 hours of which must be in pharmacology, by completing the Continuing Education for Nurses form found on the CNBE website (you must also have this form notarized). Accredited sources and CE providers of nursing boards are acceptable sources for contact hours.
Advance Practice Nursing Associations in CNMI