Prescriptive Authority

 

North Carolina nurse practitioners have had prescriptive authority since state statutes were amended to establish NP practice in the mid-1970s. The original formulary was replaced in 1994 with a requirement for a Drug & Device Agreement. This document, a part of the Collaborative Practice Agreement, is mutually agreed upon by an individual NP (or group of NPs in the same practice) and the primary supervising physician and allows NPs to customize the drugs and devices to be prescribed in their particular practice setting.

Nurse practitioners receive a 6 digit prescribing number when they are approved to practice. All prescriptions written by the NP must include this number. 

Since 1994 NPs have also been authorized to prescribe controlled substances from Schedules II-V. Drugs from Schedules II-III may be prescribed for up to a 30 day supply with no refills, and from Schedules IV and V with refills for up to one year. An NP must apply for and receive a DEA number prior to writing any prescriptions for a controlled substance. Applications are available on the Drug Enforcement Agency website at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov. The regional DEA office is located in Greensboro and the phone number is 336-547-4219. All prescriptions for a controlled substance must include the NP’s DEA number.

Dispensing drugs other than samples at your practice site requires a Permit to Dispense obtained from the NC Board of Pharmacy. Applications are available at  www.ncbop.org. The NC Board of Pharmacy is located in Chapel Hill and the phone number is 919-942-4454.

Nurse practitioners should never write prescriptions for themselves (this is true for all prescribers). Prescriptions should be written only for individuals who have seen the NP in their practice setting as a patient of record and for whom an assessment and plan of care have been documented.