New Jersey Nurse Practitioner Collaborative Agreement Templates

New Jersey nurse practitioner collaboration changed in 2026. S2996/A4052 made independent practice permanent for certain APNs who provide primary or behavioral health care and allows qualifying APNs to prescribe without a joint protocol with a collaborating physician.

The exemption is not universal. APNs who do not meet the statutory criteria, or who practice outside the covered primary or behavioral health care settings, should still use a written joint protocol when prescribing or ordering medications or devices.

For APNs who still need a joint protocol, compare the protocol against the categories in N.J.A.C. 13:37-8.1(c), including practice nature, patient population, settings, medication categories, refill terms, record-review frequency and methodology, direct communication arrangements, emergency medication procedures, and reference materials.

New Jersey S2996/A4052 APN Independent Practice Update

The Governor's March 30, 2026 announcement explains that New Jersey made independent practice permanent for certain APNs and allows qualifying APNs to prescribe without a joint protocol.

S2996/A4052 Senate Committee Substitute

The bill statement describes which APNs are exempt from existing joint protocol requirements and notes transition rules for APNs nearing 5,000 hours of licensed, active advanced nursing practice.

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Example Joint Protocol

This public example is linked from the Single Aim 50-state template guide as a practical New Jersey joint protocol reference for APNs who still need a protocol. The example is available here.

New Jersey Board of Nursing Chapter 37

Chapter 37 contains the Board rule for joint protocol contents, onsite retention, updates, and annual review for APNs who still need a joint protocol.

Citations
1. New Jersey Governor press release on S2996/A4052, March 30, 2026.
2. S2996/A4052 Senate Committee Substitute bill statement.
3. N.J.A.C. 13:37-8.1.
4. Single Aim 50-State Template Guide, New Jersey section.

Not always. New Jersey exempts certain APNs from the joint-protocol requirement when they meet the statutory criteria for independent practice, including qualifying primary or behavioral health care practice. APNs who do not qualify for the exemption, or who practice outside the covered settings, should still use a written joint protocol when prescribing or ordering medications or devices. S2996/A4052