Based on the experience we had in California, Illinois, and Washington, we noticed that licensure, accreditation, certification, and education in these three states differ in a number of ways. According to Khan, Pietroni and Cravioto (2011), different states in the United States have different requirements for those who want to be licensed to practice as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. In Washington, one will need to provide proof of having worked for more than 250 hours in the past two years in the designated role to be given a license. However, this requirement is not a common practice in both Illinois and California. The cost of applying for the certificate also differs in the three countries. California demands $ 75, Washington $ 92, while Illinois the cost is $ 125 (Mkony, 2012).
According to Khan et al. (2011), although the accreditation of advanced practice registered nurses in the United States follow given conventional requirements, each state has the mandate to make additional requirements based on the local needs. In all three countries, earning certification is the second step towards becoming an advanced practice registered nurse. Based on our personal experiences, we noticed that in these three states, one must pass certification exams offered by several bodies before he can be certified. Finally, it is also important to note that education considerations for APNs in these states slightly differ (Mkony, 2012).
References
Khan, O., Pietroni, M. & Cravioto, A. (2011).Global Health Education: International Collaboration at ICDDR. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 28(6), 533-536.
Mkony, C. (2012). The emergence of a university of health sciences: Health professions education. Journal of Public Health Policy, 33(1) 45-63.