Hawaii
PMHNP Scope And Prescribing Rules In Hawaii
Yes. AANP lists Hawaii as full practice, so once the Board of Nursing recognizes you as an APRN, you can diagnose, prescribe and institute therapy within your specialty without a physician agreement or supervised hours. Controlled substances need prescriptive authority, a Hawaii registration and DEA registration, and every registrant registers with the state monitoring program.
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Hawaii PMHNP Rules At A Glance
| Topic | Hawaii Rule |
|---|---|
| Practice authority | Full practice. The Board of Nursing grants APRN recognition to nurses with graduate education and national certification, and HRS 457-8.6(d) authorizes qualified APRNs to diagnose, prescribe and institute therapy or referrals. |
| Physician agreement | None. HRS 457-8.5 and 457-8.6 set education, certification and advanced pharmacology requirements for recognition and prescriptive authority and contain no physician supervision or collaboration requirement. |
| Physician limit | Not applicable. Hawaii doesn’t require a collaborating or supervising physician, so there’s no ratio to track and no supervised hours period before independent practice (HRS 457-8.5, 457-8.6). |
| Controlled substances | Qualified APRNs may prescribe and administer over the counter drugs, legend drugs and controlled substances under chapter 329, within the board’s exclusionary formulary; APRNs may not sign for controlled substance samples (HRS 457-8.6(d)). |
| PDMP | Every controlled substance registrant must register with the Hawaii PDMP as part of the registration process (HRS 329-101(b)). The prescriber check that Act 153 (2018) required was repealed on June 30, 2023 (HRS 329-38.2). |
| Regulator | Hawaii Board of Nursing, under the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The Narcotics Enforcement Division issues the state controlled substance registration and runs the PDMP. |
Updated October 25, 2026
Practice Authority
Hawaii Practice Authority Category (Full Practice)
AANP currently classifies Hawaii as a full practice state on its State Practice Environment map. A PMHNP in Hawaii can evaluate and diagnose patients, order and interpret tests, and start and manage treatment, including prescribing, under the exclusive licensure authority of the Hawaii Board of Nursing. There’s no state mandated career long collaborative or supervisory agreement.
For the national comparison, the AANP State Practice Environment map and AANP’s practice information by state show where Hawaii sits. The binding rules come from the Hawaii Board of Nursing.
Collaboration
Is A Collaborative Or Supervisory Agreement Required?
Once you’re licensed, Hawaii doesn’t make you keep a career long collaborative or supervisory agreement. The question for a new NP is the first stretch of practice. Some full practice states require a defined transition to practice period of supervised or collaborative practice before fully independent practice, and whether one applies to you in Hawaii, how long it lasts and how it’s documented all come from state rule.
Our guide to PMHNP collaborative practice agreements covers what these agreements usually contain, and the PMHNP scope of practice by state overview puts Hawaii side by side with every other state.
Prescriptive Authority
Prescriptive Authority And Controlled Substances
Meet the requirements in Hawaii and you can be granted prescriptive authority, which can reach controlled substances once the conditions are met. To prescribe those, you’ll need your own federal DEA registration, and some substances carry additional federal or state conditions. Federal registration goes through the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. On the state side, state law and the rules of the Hawaii Board of Nursing set the scope, any limits and the documentation.
Next Step
Credentialing Is A Separate Track
Practice authority decides what you can do in Hawaii. It doesn’t get you paid. Payer enrollment runs on its own track, and our Hawaii credentialing and payer enrollment guide covers it. The PMHNP credentialing guide has the national picture.
On Headway, Alma, Grow or Rula today? You can usually keep seeing clients there while we build contracts in your own practice, and this page explains how.
Planning the sequence? Our guide on how to start a PMHNP practice and the practice launch checklist put licensure, any collaboration your state requires and enrollment in order. See what PMHNP credentialing costs and what it costs to start a PMHNP practice before you budget, and browse the PMHNP hub for the rest.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can A PMHNP Practice Independently In Hawaii?
Yes. Once the Board of Nursing recognizes you as an APRN under HRS 457-8.5, you may diagnose, prescribe and institute therapy within your specialty without a physician agreement (HRS 457-8.6(d)). Hawaii has no supervised hours period before independent practice.
Can A PMHNP Prescribe Adderall In Hawaii?
Yes, once you hold prescriptive authority, a Hawaii controlled substance registration from the Narcotics Enforcement Division and DEA registration. HRS 457-8.6(d) covers controlled substances prescribed under chapter 329, subject to the board’s exclusionary formulary.
Do I Have To Check The PDMP Before Prescribing In Hawaii?
Not under current state statute. The check that Act 153 (2018) required before Schedule II, III and IV prescriptions was repealed on June 30, 2023 (HRS 329-38.2). Registration with the PDMP is still part of the state controlled substance registration process (HRS 329-101(b)), and for Med-QUEST patients the federal SUPPORT Act requires a check before a Schedule II prescription.
This is general information, not legal advice. It applies the general nurse practitioner rules in Hawaii to PMHNPs, and those rules aren’t the same for every role. Rules change, so check with the Hawaii Board of Nursing and the AANP State Practice Environment map before you act on it. Last reviewed: October 25, 2026.
Keep Reading
Related PMHNP Resources
Scope By State
Compare requirements across states on our PMHNP scope of practice by state overview.
Start A Practice
See the full sequence in how to start a PMHNP practice.
Credentialing
Learn what we handle on our PMHNP credentialing page, or visit the PMHNP services hub.
Opening Your Own Practice In Hawaii?
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