In this post, I hope to sum up the nurse practitioner credentialing process. In previous posts, I have written a mini instruction guide with my experiences going through each part of the credentialing process. Although there are steps 5 and 6 to the process, both of them were relatively short steps, so I decided to sum up the entire process in this last post about the credentialing.
If you have been following this series, I hope you have found my posts helpful and informative. I also hope you had a smooth time through the process.
1. Pass the board exam. For FNP's specifically, it will be either the AANP or ANCC. Check out my pasts posts if you're deciding on which one to take or in need of board exam study tips!
2. State license and furnishing application. Submit at same time. Can submit 3-6 months before graduation. Total cost of $900 for California. May be up to 12-14 weeks processing time for California.
3. National Provider Identifier (NPI) application. Can submit prior to graduation or after graduation. Cost is free. Usually doesn't take long to process, but may take up to 30 days to process if any errors on the application.
4. Applying for Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) License. Can submit after receiving NP state license and furnishing. Costs $731 and needs to be renewed every 3 years. Certain employers may cover cost or waive fee. One time registration; no need to re-register. May take 4-6 weeks (or sooner) to process.
5. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) application. This will be completed once you are employed by an institution. Your employer will likely assist you with completing the application process. Things to have handy at the minimum include: your NPI number; information in regards to your RN license, NP license, and furnishing license; and information about your school and clinical training. Depending on your institution, the employer may be the one tracking your application status. If you are tasked with tracking your application status, you can use the PECOS self-service application. I didn't make a separate post about this as my institution assisted me with the application process, and they are tracking the application status on my behalf.
6. Malpractice insurance. Malpractice insurance may be provided by your institution; and even then, having your own malpractice insurance might be something to consider. After all, the insurance may have stipulations that may not cover you in certain incidences. Sometimes, companies opt out of providing you a malpractice insurance. In either case (especially the latter), you will want to consider/need to purchase and maintain your own malpractice insurance. When shopping for policies, it's important to know the difference between a "Claims Based Policy" and "Occurence Based Policy." Remember, if your employer offers a "Claims Based Policy," you should purchase tail end coverage! If these insurance terms are new to you, here's a link to a great article by the American College of Physicians that discusses the two different types of malpractice insurance to choose from and how they work. Some reputable companies that offer malpractice insurance at reasonable rates include: CM&F, NSO, Proliability, and Berxi. Some even offer additional discounts/perks as a new graduate nurse practitioner. Some elements to look for in your future policy includes: license defense and professional liability.
Disclaimer: There may be additional steps past step 6, depending on your individual employer.
Please see my individual posts for each for more detailed information as well as my personal experience with the particular step.
Happy holidays! You can expect more posts about my experience as a nurse practitioner fellow coming in the new year!
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