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How many nurse practitioners can a physician supervise in California?
California
Nurse Practitioner Collaboration

How many nurse practitioners can a physician supervise in California?

Chris Turitzin
•
Updated
December 9, 2025

In California, a physician or surgeon may supervise no more than four nurse practitioners at one time1.

Supervision does not require the physician’s physical presence; acceptable oversight includes collaborating on and approving Standardized Procedures and being available by telephone at the time of the NP’s patient examination1. In addition, Standardized Procedures must specify the scope of supervision and related practice details, including any experience or training requirements and methods for evaluating competence2.

Citations

  1. California Business and Professions Code Section 2836.1
  2. California Code of Regulations Section 1474
Chris Turitzin
Chris, founded Single Aim Health in 2024 to provide clinicians, especially NPs and PAs, with essential services for launching and growing their practices. A Stanford graduate in Product Design, Chris co-founded Momentus Media, which was acquired by Facebook, and worked as a Product Manager there. He later gained expertise in digital health through leadership roles at Bicycle Health, Virta Health, and founding Wink Health. Now, he is using his experience to help clinicians through Single Aim Health.
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Disclaimer: The regulatory research, summaries, and tools provided by Single Aim, LLC are for informational and educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. While we strive to ensure accuracy, healthcare laws vary by state and may change over time. You should always consult a licensed attorney familiar with healthcare regulations in your specific state before making decisions related to you clinical and operational needs for compliance. Single Aim is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation. Use of our materials does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Need legal guidance? We recommend contacting a licensed healthcare attorney in your state or using professional associations such as the American Health Law Association (AHLA) or your state’s medical or nursing board for referrals.