What is a New York NP's scope of practice?

A New York NP’s scope of practice includes diagnosing illness and physical conditions and performing therapeutic and corrective measures within a specialty, in collaboration with a physician through a written practice agreement and practice protocols when required¹. After accruing more than 3,600 practice hours, an NP is not required to maintain a written practice agreement or protocols, but must maintain collaborative relationships with qualified physicians or a hospital².

Within this scope, NPs may prescribe drugs, devices, and immunizing agents in accordance with their practice agreement and protocols, after obtaining the required prescribing certification from the Department³. NPs may also issue non‑patient specific regimens to registered professional nurses for specified public health interventions (including immunizations, emergency anaphylaxis treatment, certain infectious disease tests, and opioid‑overdose treatment)⁴, and may order patient‑specific or non‑patient‑specific immunization regimens to licensed pharmacists consistent with Department regulations and public health law⁵.

Practice protocols must identify the NP’s area of practice, reflect accepted standards of nursing and medical practice, and include provisions for case management such as diagnosis, treatment, and appropriate recordkeeping⁶. These protocols help delineate the NP’s responsibilities within their specialty and guide collaborative care.