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 | Renewing your APRN License in Connecticut |
The Connecticut Department of Public Health, Board of Examiners for Nursing (860-509-7603 or dph.nursingteam@ct.gov) licenses registered nurses who meet the qualifications to work as advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) in the state.
Three types of APRNs may be licensed to practice in Connecticut:
- Nurse practitioners
- Certified registered nurse anesthetists
- Clinical nurse specialists
You must hold an RN license in Connecticut before you may apply for APRN licensure.
Connecticut Job Statistics
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- If you have never been licensed as an RN in Connecticut or any another state, apply for RN Licensure by Examination
- If you are seeking RN eligibility based on holding an out-of-state RN license, apply for RN Licensure by Endorsement
- If your RN training was completed in another country, you must have your trascripts reviewed by CGFNS International and the findings submitted to the Board prior to applying for licensure by endorsement
- If your Connecticut RN license has lapsed, apply for reinstatement
The steps that follow explain how to become licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse in Connecticut.
Step 1. Get Your Graduate Degree
In order to be licensed as an APRN, the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing requires completion of a master’s degree at minimum in the area of practice and specialty in which you are nationally certified.
Qualified Graduate Programs
The Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing defers to the national certifying agencies that it recognizes to determine the viability of advanced nursing programs:
- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
- ANCC (American Nurses Credentialing Center)
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses
- National Certification Corporation
- Pediatric Nurse Certification Board
- National Board of Certification & Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA)
- Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC)
Certifying agencies generally accept programs and institutions that have received accreditation from institutional and programmatic accrediting bodies recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE).
Course Requirements
Within your graduate coursework in your APRN program, you must complete at least 30 hours of courses in pharmacology for APRNs.
Specialization for APRNs
If you decide to specialize in a particular patient population focus within your broader APRN category (i.e., NP or CNS), your graduate program must be specific to that specialization. In Connecticut, specialized population foci that you may work with include acute care; adults; adult, child or family psychiatric and mental health; family; geriatrics; pediatrics; neonatal; women’s health; and oncology.
Although your specialization will not be listed on your Connecticut APRN license, you may become nationally certified in one or more of these areas.
Graduate Status
If you have completed your master’s degree program in advanced practice nursing, you may apply for a temporary practice provision in Connecticut. This allows you to work for up to 120 days after graduation in a doctor’s office, hospital or other medical facility under the supervision of a licensed physician and/or licensed APRN.
In order to qualify for graduate status, you must have already applied to take your national certification examination. Additionally, while working in a graduate/temporary capacity, you may not prescribe nor dispense medications.
Contact the Department of Public Health for more information on obtaining a temporary practice permit.
Step 2. Earn Your National Certification
The Connecticut Department of Public Health acknowledges three categories of APRN. You must become nationally certified within the category in which you intend to become licensed to practice. The Connecticut Department of Public Health issues licenses for three types of APRNs:
- Nurse practitioner (NP)
- Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
- Clinical nurse specialist (CNS)
Independent national certification agencies each set their own requirements for certification in these respective categories, including education, experience, and examination.
If you choose to become nationally certified in a particular specialized patient population, this area of specialization will not be noted on your license. Your license will only indicate that you may practice as a NP, CRNA, or CNS.
Certification Programs
The Connecticut Department of Public Health recognizes the following national certification bodies for APRNs:
- ANCC (American Nurses Credentialing Center), which offers the following specialized certification programs:
- Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- Adult Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Gerontological Nurse Practitioner
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
- Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Adult Psychiatric & Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Child/Adolescent Psychiatric & Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist
- AANP (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners):
- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP
- Adult Nurse Practitioner
- AACN Certification Corporation (American Association of Critical Care Nurses):
- Adult, Neonatal & Pediatric Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist
- NCC (National Certification Corporation):
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
- Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner
- ANCC (American Nurses Credentialing Center), which offers the following specialized certification programs:
- PNCB (Pediatric Nursing Certification Board):
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care
- National Board of Certification & Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA):
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
- Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC):
- Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner
- Advanced Oncology Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist
Your APRN license application must include your US social security number or Federal Tax ID number, as mandated by federal law. If you do not include your social security number on your application for licensure, it will be rejected. Contact the Department of Public Health at 860-509-7603 for more information.
One APRN application for licensure is used to license all recognized APRN categories in Connecticut (NP, CRNA and CNS).
Download and complete the Application for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Licensure.
Along with your application:
- Have your national certification agency send verification of your certification directly to the Department of Public Health
- Give the APRN Licensure Verification of Pharmacology Coursework form to your program’s director to complete and remit to the Department of Public Health
- Have your graduate APRN program send an official transcript listing your receipt of a master’s degree or higher to the Department of Public Health
- (As Applicable) Have every state nursing agency in which you hold an RN license fill out the Nurse Licensure Verification form and send it directly to the Department of Public Health (with the exception of Georgia and/or Illinois – the office can verify these RN licenses online). If you hold an RN license in a state that uses NURSYS verification, you need not fill out this form.
- Attach a recent 2” x 2” photograph of your head/shoulders
- Include a $200 application fee paid by certified check or money order only, payable to Treasurer, State of Connecticut
- Have your signature on the application notarized
Send all documentation and fees to Connecticut Department of Public Health, APRN Licensure-Remittance Unit, 410 Capitol Ave, MS #12MQA APP, P.O. Box 340308, Hartford, CT 06134-0308.
Once your application has been received, the Department will take no longer than 10 business days to review it. You will be notified in writing of the licensure decision that is made, and if approved, you will receive written verification of your license number and its expiration date. During the third week in the month after your license is issued, you will receive your license in the mail.
Professional Liability Insurance
Once licensed as an APRN in Connecticut, you must maintain professional liability insurance in order to legally practice. This will provide you the coverage in the event of professional malpractice claims related to pharmacological or treatment complications. The amount of insurance you carry must be at least $500,000 for one person, per occurrence.
Controlled Substance Registration
If you are licensed and nationally certified as a CRNA in Connecticut and plan to prescribe, administer, and dispense controlled substances, you must apply for Connecticut Controlled Substance Registration. Contact the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Drug Control Division at (860)-713-6065 or drug.control@ct.gov for more information. After obtaining this registration, you must also apply for registration with the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
If you are licensed and nationally certified as a nurse practitioner (NP) or clinical nurse specialists (CNS), you may obtain prescriptive authority for pharmacological agents other than controlled substances, as long as you have a written collaborative agreement with a physician overseeing your practice.
Collaborative Agreement
As a licensed APRN, you must maintain a collaborative agreement with a physician who is educated or trained in the same area in which you specialize. This agreement must be in writing and specify:
- Consultation and referral practices
- How patients will be covered if the physician is not present
- How the physician will review patient outcomes
- How this collaborative agreement will be disclosed to patients
- How prescriptive authority will be handled
- Which drugs the APRN will prescribe
Contact the Connecticut State Medical Society – APRN Assist for more details.
Step 4. Renewing Your APRN License
Your Connecticut APRN license expires yearly at the same time your RN license expires. You may renew it online along with your RN license.
You will be mailed a license renewal notice 60 days prior to the expiration of your license. This notice will include a username and password so that you may access the online renewal system. Licenses may also be verified through this system.
You will be required to pay the APRN license renewal fee of $120 online.
Continuing Education
Connecticut does not require APRNS to complete continuing education in order to maintain licensure. However, your national certification agency will require continuing education as a condition of maintaining national certification.
Maintaining national certification is a stipulation for maintaining your Connecticut APRN licensure. Contact your national certification agency for more details on continuing education requirements:
- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
- ANCC (American Nurses Credentialing Center)
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses
- National Certification Corporation
- Pediatric Nurse Certification Board
- National Board of Certification & Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA)
- Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC):
Your national certification status will be verified by the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Board of Examiners for Nursing at the time of your APRN license renewal.
Expired License Renewal Application
If your APRN license has expired, you must complete the following steps to have it reinstated:
- Complete the Application for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Licensure
- Submit a $200 reinstatement fee
- Include a brief, written synopsis of all of your professional activities since you graduated from nursing school, including lapses in employment, and your plans for employment as an APRN
- Have your most recent employer send a letter of verification to the Department of Public Health
- Have your national certification agency send verification of your certification status
- Verify your RN licenses in all states where held by either filing this form, or online where the NURSYS system is used
- If your APRN license has been expired for more than three years, you may be asked to complete a retraining period under the supervision of a licensed Connecticut physician or APRN
Mail application, fee, and required documents to Department of Public Health, APRN Licensure, 410 Capitol Ave, MS#12 APP, P.O. Box 340308, Hartford, CT 06134.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Associations in Connecticut
Now that you are a licensed APRN in Connecticut, consider joining these professional associations:
- Connecticut Association of Nurse Anesthetists
- Connecticut Nurses Association
- Connecticut Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Society
- Connecticut League for Nursing
- Connecticut State Medical Society – APRN Assist
Connecticut Nurse Practitioner Salary
You can make quite a good salary as a nurse practitioner in Connecticut. These nurses make $116,150 a year, on average. Those who have stuck with the year make quite a bit more: at least 162,060, annually.
Registered Nurse Salary
Considering becoming a registered nurse (RN)? In Connecticut, you’ll earn a respectable living. The average salary for RNs in this state is $84,850 a year. The top earners in this field make at least $113,320 annually.
Nursing Instructors and Teachers Salary
Those with an interest in education should consider becoming nursing instructors. In Connecticut, these professionals earn $96,620 a year, on average.
Nurse Administrator Salary
(Includes Nurse Managers, Directors, and Chief Nursing Officers)
Think you have leadership potential? If you’re interested in management, nurse administrators in Connecticut make an average salary of $130,300 a year. If you climb to the top 25 percent, you could end up making over $144,180 a year.
Nurse Anesthetists Salary
Anesthetists make a fantastic living, even in a state with a higher cost of living. In Connecticut, these professionals earn an average $217,360 per year. The annual salary for experienced anesthetists in the top ten percent is literally off the charts – above the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ reporting threshold of $208,000.
Nurse Midwives Salary
Nurses specializing in natal care make a good living in Connecticut: an annual salary of $104,200. That’s just the average. The top earning nurse-midwives make more than $130,160 per year.
2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics job market trends and salary figures for 1) Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Midwives; 2) Medical and Health Services Managers (Nurse Administrators); 3) Registered Nurses; and 4) Postsecondary Nursing Instructors and Teachers reflect state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. 2019 US Census Bureau figures for state median household income provided for comparison. Data Accessed December 2021.