A summary of Arkansas’ collaboration, agreement, filing, supervision, prescribing, and specialty rules for NPs and the physicians who collaborate with them.
Collaborating Physician Required? Yes
Physician Involvement: Standard, then transitions to Independent after 6,240 hours
Agreement Name: Collaborative practice agreement
On-Site Requirements: None
Chart Review: No fixed count
Controlled Substances: Allowed — Schedules III–V, plus limited Schedule II; requires a DEA registration and prescriptive authority in the agreement.
Reduced Supervision / Transition Requirements: Full independent practice after 6,240 hours.
Arkansas NP Collaboration Requirements Summary
Arkansas nurse practitioners must have a collaborative practice agreement with a physician in order to prescribe, and they must keep one in place until they earn full independent practice authority. Arkansas is a collaborative-practice state with a path to independence: physician involvement centers on availability for consultation and a shared quality-assurance plan rather than on-site presence, meetings, or a set number of chart reviews, and collaboration may be conducted remotely. After completing 6,240 hours of practice, an NP may apply for a Certificate of Full Independent Practice and prescribe without a physician agreement.
Source: A.C.A. § 17-87-310; A.C.A. § 17-87-314
Type of Collaborative Relationship
Arkansas NPs practice under a collaborative practice agreement with a physician, which is required to obtain and keep prescriptive authority. Physician involvement is centered on being available for consultation or referral and on a shared quality-assurance plan. NPs who complete 6,240 hours of practice may apply for full independent practice authority.
Source: A.C.A. § 17-87-310
What is an NP’s scope of practice in Arkansas?
Arkansas NPs (advanced practice registered nurses) practice within their certified population focus and may prescribe once they hold prescriptive authority. Prescribing requires an approved collaborative practice agreement with a physician, unless the NP holds a Certificate of Full Independent Practice.
Do NPs need a collaborating physician in Arkansas?
Yes, to prescribe. Arkansas NPs must have a collaborative practice agreement with a physician to obtain and maintain prescriptive authority, unless they hold a Certificate of Full Independent Practice.
Can NPs practice independently in Arkansas?
Yes, after meeting the requirements. Arkansas grants a Certificate of Full Independent Practice to NPs who complete 6,240 hours of practice; until that certificate is approved, the NP must maintain a collaborative practice agreement.
How many NPs can a physician supervise in Arkansas?
No limit — Arkansas sets no collaboration ratio cap on how many NPs a physician may collaborate with.
Who can be a collaborating physician in Arkansas?
A physician licensed and practicing in Arkansas under the Medical Practices Act who has training within the scope, specialty, or expertise of the NP. For controlled-substance prescribing, the collaborating physician (or podiatrist) must also hold an unrestricted DEA registration.
Are there proximity or in-person requirements in Arkansas?
No, Arkansas sets no geographic, travel, or on-site presence requirement, and collaboration may be remote.
Collaboration Agreement Requirements
Arkansas’ written agreement is called a collaborative practice agreement, and the state requires it on a current, unmodified state-provided form. It must address the physician’s availability for consultation or referral, methods for managing the collaboration (including protocols for prescriptive authority), a coverage plan for the emergency absence of either clinician, and a quality-assurance plan; it must also state whether the NP may prescribe the hydrocodone combination products reclassified from Schedule III to Schedule II, and carry both clinicians’ signatures.
Source: A.C.A. § 17-87-310(c)
What must be included in an NP collaborative agreement in Arkansas?
It must address the physician’s availability for consultation or referral; methods for managing the collaboration, including protocols for prescriptive authority; a plan for covering patient needs in the emergency absence of the NP or physician; and a quality-assurance plan. It must also state whether the formerly-Schedule-III hydrocodone combination products are authorized, and include both clinicians’ signatures.
What is the collaborative agreement called in Arkansas?
It is called a collaborative practice agreement — Arkansas’s term for the written agreement between an NP and a collaborating physician.
Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in Arkansas?
Both the NP and the collaborating physician must sign it.
How often must the agreement be reviewed or renewed in Arkansas?
Arkansas sets no review or renewal requirement for the collaborative practice agreement itself, but the quality-assurance plan must be reviewed, signed, and dated annually by the NP and the collaborating physician.
Is a backup physician required in Arkansas?
No, Arkansas does not require a named backup physician.
Board Filing Requirements
Arkansas requires the collaborative practice agreement to be filed with the board, but only in connection with prescriptive authority: an NP applying for an initial certificate of prescriptive authority must submit a collaborative practice agreement with a practicing physician. There are no recurring filing requirements, and the NP must notify the board within seven days after the agreement terminates.
Source: 067.00.18 Ark. Code R. 004(VIII)
Do you have to file the collaborative agreement with the board in Arkansas?
Yes, for prescribing. An NP applying for prescriptive authority must submit a collaborative practice agreement with a practicing physician to the board.
Can an NP start practicing as soon as they file in Arkansas?
No, an NP cannot prescribe until an approved collaborative practice agreement and quality-assurance plan are on file with the board, unless the NP holds a Certificate of Full Independent Practice. Prescribing before that approval is treated as illegal practice.
What are the termination and notice requirements in Arkansas?
The NP must notify the board in writing within seven days after the collaborative practice agreement terminates, and a new agreement must be on file before prescriptive authority can be reactivated.
Collaboration Compliance
Arkansas sets no fixed chart-review count, meeting cadence, or availability standard; ongoing oversight runs through the quality-assurance plan built into the collaborative practice agreement. That plan must be reviewed and signed annually by the NP and the collaborating physician.
Source: A.C.A. § 17-87-310(c)(4)
How many charts must a collaborating physician review in Arkansas?
No fixed number — Arkansas does not set a chart review count. The agreement must include a quality-assurance plan, but the state does not specify how many charts must be reviewed.
How often must an NP and collaborating physician meet in Arkansas?
No set cadence. Arkansas does not require a meeting schedule, though a quality-assurance process is required and the QA plan must be reviewed and signed annually.
How long must collaboration records be kept in Arkansas?
Arkansas sets no specific retention period for collaboration records.
Prescribing Rules
Arkansas NPs with prescriptive authority may prescribe legend (non-controlled) drugs and controlled substances in Schedules III–V, with Schedule II limited to narrow situations. Prescriptive authority requires an approved collaborative practice agreement that includes prescriptive protocols, or a Certificate of Full Independent Practice.
Source: A.C.A. § 17-87-310(b); 067.00.18 Ark. Code R. 004(VIII)(D)
Can an NP prescribe controlled substances in Arkansas?
Yes, with limits. NPs may prescribe controlled substances in Schedules III–V, and Schedule II only in narrow circumstances; the prescribing must be authorized in the collaborative practice agreement, and controlled-substance prescribing requires a DEA registration and a collaborating physician who holds an unrestricted DEA registration.
Can an NP prescribe Schedule II drugs in Arkansas?
Only in limited cases. An NP may prescribe a Schedule II drug when it is a hydrocodone combination product reclassified from Schedule III (a 7-day supply or less for acute pain), an opioid for a five-day supply or less, or a stimulant that a physician originally initiated — where the physician evaluated the patient within the past six months and the prescription treats the same condition. A therapeutically equivalent stimulant substitution is allowed if the NP notifies the physician who originally prescribed it.
What schedule drugs can an NP prescribe in Arkansas?
Arkansas NPs with prescriptive authority may prescribe legend (non-controlled) drugs and controlled substances in Schedules III–V, plus Schedule II only in narrow situations.
Does an NP need a DEA license in Arkansas?
Yes, for controlled substances. The state references a DEA registration for both the NP and the collaborating physician; an NP who prescribes controlled substances must collaborate with a physician (or podiatrist) who holds an unrestricted DEA registration.
Can an NP prescribe independently in Arkansas?
Yes, with full independent practice. An NP who holds a Certificate of Full Independent Practice (earned after 6,240 hours) may prescribe without a collaborative practice agreement; otherwise, prescribing requires an approved agreement with prescriptive protocols and, for controlled substances, a collaborating physician with an unrestricted DEA registration.
Specialty & Telehealth Requirements
Arkansas’s main telehealth rule limits prescribing controlled substances by telemedicine, and the state sets no specialty-specific collaboration requirement.
Source: 067.00.18 Ark. Code R. 004(XIV)(B)(5)
Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for NPs in Arkansas?
Yes, for controlled-substance prescribing. An NP using telemedicine may not prescribe controlled substances (Schedules III–V and the reclassified hydrocodone combination products) unless the NP has conducted an in-person exam of the patient, or a valid relationship exists through consultation or referral, or in on-call or cross-coverage situations.
Are there specialty-specific requirements for NPs in Arkansas?
No, Arkansas sets no specialty-specific collaboration requirements.
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