Sponsored School(s)
 | Get your Graduate-Level Education in Wyoming |
 | Become Nationally Certified in Wyoming |
 | Apply for your APRN Recognition in Wyoming |
 | Renewing your APRN Recognition in Wyoming |
Wyoming Job Statistics
|
The Wyoming State Board of Nursing (WSBN) (phone: 307-777-7601, wsbn-info-licensing@wyo.gov) is responsible for granting APRN recognition to qualified advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who practice in the state.
You must be licensed as an RN before you can apply for APRN recognition (and prescriptive authority).
- If you have never been registered as an RN in Wyoming or any other state you can apply using the RN or LPN Application for Licensure by Examination
- If you hold an RN license in another state or have been previously licensed in Wyoming, you may apply for a license in Wyoming using the RN Application for Licensure by Endorsement
- If you have an inactive or expired Wyoming State RN license you can reinstate it using the Application for RN-LPN Licensure by Re-Examination
The following steps describe the process for becoming recognized as an APRN in Wyoming.
Step 1. Get Your Graduate-Level Education
To be considered for APRN recognition, you must receive graduate level education in your clinical specialty through a nationally accredited graduate program.
The Wyoming State Board of Nursing does not recognize individual graduate programs; instead, it defers to national accreditation agencies to determine program viability. The master’s, doctoral, or post-graduate certificate program you choose must be accredited by a nursing-related accrediting organization recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) (check both Institutional and Specialized or Programmatic Accrediting Agencies) or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Your graduate program should correspond to your clinical specialty. The Wyoming State Board of Nursing recognizes four clinical specialties for advanced practice nurses:
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
- Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)
- Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
- Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP)
Course Requirements
The Wyoming State Board of Nursing requires the following core courses (often called the three “P”s):
- Pathophysiology (all general principles applicable across the human lifespan)
- Advanced pharmacology (includes pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics of broad categories of agents)
- Physical evaluation/assessment (includes assessment of all systems of the body, advanced assessment methods, techniques, and concepts)
Prescriptive Authority
The Wyoming State Board of Nursing may authorize you to prescribe medications and devices in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws, including the Wyoming Pharmacy Act, the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act of 1971, and the Federal Controlled Substances Act.
Prescriptive authority in Wyoming requires you to complete at least two semester credit hours, three quarter credit hours, or 30 contact hours of coursework in pharmacology and clinical management of drug therapy or pharmacotherapeutics within the five year period prior to applying.
Specialization
If you are a student interested in becoming a CRNP and CNS in Wyoming, you will be expected to pursue a graduate program within a specific population focus. The population foci within the CNRP and CNS specialties are:
- Family/individual across lifespan
- Adult-gerontology
- Neonatal
- Pediatrics
- Women’s health/gender
- Psychiatric – mental health
You can further specialize within the above population foci and choose to focus your practice in such areas as palliative care, nephrology, orthopedics, oncology, older adults, etc. so as to add to the level of care you’re able to offer your chosen population.
Step 2. Become Nationally Certified
Before you can become recognized as an APRN in Wyoming, you must become nationally certified in the APRN area you wish to practice.
Advanced Nursing Certification Categories
The Wyoming State Board of Nursing recognizes these APRN categories for national certification:
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
- Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)
- Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
- Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP)
Certification Programs
The Wyoming State Board of Nursing honors certification granted by any nationally recognized certifying body offering advanced practice nursing certification in practice area specialties, population foci, and APRN categories.
Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS):
- American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC):
- Adult Health CNS (ACNS)
- Adult Psychiatric & Mental Health CNS (PMHCNS)
- Child Adolescent Psych & Mental Health CNS (PMHCNS)
- Gerontological CNS (GNCS)
- Pediatric CNS (PCNS)
- American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN):
- Adult, Neonatal & Pediatric Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (CCNS)
- Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC):
- Advanced Oncology Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist (AOCNS)
- Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB):
- Wound, Ostomy and Continence Advanced Practice (CWOCN-AP)
Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM):
- American Midwifery Certification Board:
- Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA):
- National Board of Certification & Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA):
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
Certified Nurse Practitioners (CRNP):
- ANCC (American Nurses Credentialing Center):
- Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP)
- Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP)
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
- Geriatric Nurse Practitioner (GNP)
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
- AANP (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners):
- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP
- Adult Nurse Practitioner
- AACN Certification Corporation (American Association of Critical Care Nurses):
- Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP)
- NCC (National Certification Corporation):
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP)
- Women’s Health OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)
- PNCB (Pediatric Nurse Certification Board):
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care (ACPNP)
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care (PCPNP)
- NCC (National Certification Corporation for the Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing Specialties):
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP)
- Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)
- National Certification Board of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Nurses (NCBPNP/N):
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
Step 3. Apply for APRN Recognition
By completing and signing the application for APRN recognition in Wyoming, you certify that you have not knowingly submitted false or misleading information to the Wyoming State Board of Nursing.
Complete your application in full by printing clearly with ink. Do not type. If you fail to complete the application in its entirety, it will be considered incomplete, and you will be contacted and informed of what is missing. The Board will hold your application for one year from the date received awaiting a complete submittal.
Complete the RN Licensure with APRN Recognition Application if any of the following applies:
- You are currently licensed in another jurisdiction (APRN Recognition with Endorsement)
- You are applying for re-licensure (you were previously licensed in Wyoming)
- You are applying for reactivation (you are currently on inactive status in Wyoming
- You have a current RN license and you recently graduated from a nationally accredited APRN education program (APRN Recognition by Examination)
- You are applying for a graduate temporary permit
Items to be included with your application:
- A copy of your social security card and another document showing lawful presence in the US, which may include a driver’s license, birth certificate or passport
- Proof of your current Wyoming RN license
- Verification of your original state of licensure (as applicable)
- An official transcript confirming the completion of your master’s degree in nursing within an APRN specialty area
- Documentation for verification of national certification in a specialty area
Prescriptive Authority
Applying for prescriptive authority is optional in Wyoming, and eligibility is contingent on the completion of 30 contact hours of pharmacology and clinical management of drug therapy or pharmacotherapeutics. If you elect to pursue prescriptive authority, when it is granted your name will appear in the Wyoming State Board of Pharmacy database.
If you are applying for APRN recognition with prescriptive authority, complete the prescriptive authority section of the RN Licensure with APRN Recognition Application.
If you are already recognized an APRN and wish to add prescriptive authority, complete and submit the Application for Prescriptive Authority.
Background Check Requirements
When applying for RN licensure with APRN recognition, you must submit to the mandatory background check.
You must provide a self-inquiry report from the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) website. The form must be completed, notarized and mailed back to HIPDB to the address on the top of the form.
Within three business days of submittal you can expect to receive notice via email that your report is complete and available for viewing. Once you receive the report, print it, write your password on it and send it to the Wyoming State Board of Nursing, along with your application for APRN recognition and fees.
Once the board receives your application and fees, you will receive fingerprint cards along with instructions for how to proceed with fingerprinting and processing. Your certificate of recognition of APRN status will not be issued until the Division of Criminal Investigation clears your background check.
Application Fees
- Mandatory criminal background fee: $60.00
- APRN Recognition (first recognition): $120.00
- APRN Prescriptive Authority: $70.00
- RN Endorsement or Re-licensure: $135.00 (as applicable)
Send your completed application(s), all required documentation to Wyoming State Board of Nursing, 1810 Pioneer Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002.
Graduate Temporary Permits
If you are still awaiting the results of your national certification examination, you may apply for a temporary permit, provided you have graduated from a nationally accredited nursing education program for advanced practice registered nurses. Your graduate temporary permit will be valid for no more than 90 days and is not renewable.
Apply for a graduate temporary permit using the RN Licensure with APRN Recognition Application and provide the following:
- Official transcripts, which must be mailed directly from the Registrar’s Office
- Proof that you applied for an APRN national certification examination for which you are eligible
- A letter from a recognized APRN or licensed physician who has agreed to supervise your practice as a GAPRN. The letter must show that the APRN or physician understands the laws related to the graduate temporary permit and must show the equivalence between the APRN role and the supervisor’s role or specialty.
- Completed self-inquiry report from the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) website
Once you have been issued a temporary permit you will be allowed to use the title “Graduate Advanced Practice Registered Nurse” or the abbreviation GAPRN. Note: a GAPRN is only permitted to practice under the supervision of a recognized APRN or licensed physician.
Step 4. Renewing Your APRN Recognition
All Wyoming Registered Nurse Licenses with APRN Recognition expire December 31st of every even-numbered year (biannually). Renewals take place between October 1st and December 31st. During this window, a link to an online renewal application will be available on the Wyoming State Board of Nursing Website.
You will be required to submit proof of your current national certification at the time of renewal.
Biannual Renewal Fees
Fees are due at the time of renewal, and can only be paid by credit card. Include a $5 credit card processing fee.
- $110 for RN license
- $70 for APRN recognition
- $70 for prescriptive authority
Continuing Education and Practice Hours
The Wyoming State Board of Nursing does not stipulate any required continued education or practice hours for RN licenses with APRN recognition renewal if you’ve been recognized an APRN after July 1st 2005.
If you have been recognized by the State of Wyoming prior to July 1, 2005, and have maintained continuous recognition without a national certification, you must provide proof of 60 hours of continuing education related to a clinical specialty and 400 or more practice hours over the last two years.
If you have been granted prescriptive authority, you must submit a document verifying the completion of at least 15 hours of continuing education in pharmacology and the clinical management of drug therapy in the last two years.
Your national certification agency will likely require continuing education as a stipulation for re-certification. Contact your certifying body for details.
Expired/Inactive Certificate Renewal
If your license was allowed to expire, you’ll be expected to submit the RN Licensure with APRN Recognition Application again along with a re-licensure fee of $135.00, and all required documentation (see “Step 2”). You will also be required to resubmit to a background check.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Associations in Wyoming
Consider joining one of the professional associations that support the profession in your state:
- Wyoming Council for Advanced Practice Nurses (WCAPN)
- Wyoming Nurses Association
- Wyoming Emergency Nurses Association
Wyoming Nurse Practitioner Salary
NPs in Wyoming make a comfortable six figures: $118,810 per year, on average. Senior NPs in the top 10 percent earn $160,540 a year or better. Both incomes go a very long way in WY.
Registered Nurse Salary
As an RN, you can expect to make an average of$72,600 in Wyoming. Climb up the ladder, and that salary may bloom to $95,870 a year or better.
Nurse Administrator Salary
(Includes Nurse Managers, Directors, and Chief Nursing Officers)
See yourself educating the next generation of nurses? Nursing instructors in Wyoming gross an average of$67,620 per year.
Nurse Administrator Salary
Those in management roles earn a good living in Wyoming. Nurse administrators in this state make an average of$104,510 per year. The top 10 percent bring in more than $150,360 annually.
Nurse Anesthetist Salary
On average, nurse anesthetists make $231,250 per year. That’s an unbelievable living in this state. What’s more, it’s likely that the top 10 percent make way past the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ income reporting threshold. So, $300,000 per year may not be out of reach.
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.