Purpose And Scope

(1) Tennessee Code Annotated § 63-7-126 requires nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists meeting certain qualifications to apply to the Board for a certificate to practice as an advanced practice registered nurse including authorization to use the title “Advanced Practice Registered Nurse” or the abbreviation “APRN.” These rules implement this process and set forth the requirements for a registered nurse to obtain an advanced practice registered nurse certificate. (2) Certification by the Board as an advanced practice registered nurse will authorize such person to represent oneself as an advanced practice registered nurse under the appropriate category of nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife or clinical nurse specialist in one of the following population foci: family/individual across the lifespan, adult-gerontology, neonatal, pediatrics, women’s health/gender-related or psychiatric/mental health. Each advanced practice registered nurse shall use the title “Advanced Practice Registered Nurse” or the abbreviation “APRN” plus category/role title as a minimum for purposes of identification and documentation. In addition, an advanced practice registered nurse may use letters or words indicating the nurse’s population focus. ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES CHAPTER 1000-04 (3) T.C.A. §§ 63-7-101, et seq., require a certificate of fitness for an advanced practice registered nurse to perform acts of medical diagnosis, develop a medical plan of care and therapeutics for a patient, prescribe or issue legend drugs, and prescribe other treatments. These rules set forth the requirements a nurse must meet to obtain a certificate of fitness.