What are the requirements of a physician to collaborate with a Georgia NP?

The requirements of a physician to collaborate with a Georgia NP are specific eligibility, filing, and oversight duties. A collaborating physician must be licensed in Georgia and have a principal place of practice in Georgia or within 50 miles of where the protocol is used, and their specialty must be comparable to the NP’s¹². Collaboration requires a written nurse protocol agreement filed with the Composite Medical Board, along with verification that the APRN is approved to practice³⁴.

The nurse protocol must meet detailed content standards, be reviewed at least annually, and any amendments must be filed with the Board within 30 days of execution⁵⁶⁷. The physician must be immediately available for consultation or designate a backup physician and must conduct annual onsite observation and quarterly medical record review to monitor quality of care⁸⁹.

Ongoing responsibilities include ensuring delegated acts are within the NP’s education, training, certification, and the physician’s comparable specialty, and maintaining accurate patient-specific records¹⁰. If prescribing is delegated, the physician must ensure the NP receives annual, scope-appropriate pharmacology training and keep documentation¹¹. Physicians may supervise no more than four APRNs at one time (and no more than eight combined APRNs/PAs), and generally may not be employed by an APRN they supervise¹²¹³. The physician must also notify the Board within 10 days if the protocol agreement terminates¹⁴.