Arkansas
PMHNP Scope And Prescribing Rules In Arkansas
You prescribe under a collaborative practice agreement with a physician. You can apply for a certificate of full independent practice after 6,240 hours under that agreement, and the agreement stays until the committee approves it. Schedule II is limited to a few named situations. AANP lists Arkansas as reduced practice.
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Arkansas PMHNP Rules At A Glance
| Topic | Arkansas Rule |
|---|---|
| Practice authority | Reduced practice. Prescriptive authority requires a collaborative practice agreement with a physician unless you hold a certificate of full independent practice authority (Ark. Code 17-87-310, 17-87-314). |
| Transition to practice | After 6,240 hours of practice under a collaborative practice agreement, a certified nurse practitioner may apply to the Full Independent Practice Credentialing Committee; the certificate renews every three years (Ark. Code 17-87-314). |
| Transition period | Keep the collaborative practice agreement in force until the certificate is approved. The agreement must cover physician availability for consultation, prescribing protocols, emergency coverage and quality assurance (Ark. Code 17-87-310). |
| Controlled substances | Schedule III to V. Schedule II is limited to an opioid for five days or less, hydrocodone combination products the agreement names, or a stimulant a physician initiated after evaluating the patient within six months (Ark. Code 17-87-310). |
| PDMP | Check the Arkansas PDMP every time you prescribe a Schedule II or III opioid and the first time you prescribe a benzodiazepine, with exceptions for surgery, emergencies, hospice and nursing homes (Ark. Code 20-7-604(d)(2)). |
| Regulator | Arkansas State Board of Nursing, within the Arkansas Department of Health. The Full Independent Practice Credentialing Committee reviews independent practice applications (Ark. Code 17-87-314). |
Updated October 25, 2026
Practice Authority
Arkansas Practice Authority Category (Reduced Practice)
AANP currently classifies Arkansas as a reduced practice state on its State Practice Environment map. A PMHNP there practices in many respects on their own. It isn’t full independence, though, because state law requires a collaborative agreement or other physician involvement for at least one element of practice, such as prescribing.
For the national comparison, the AANP State Practice Environment map and AANP’s practice information by state show where Arkansas sits. The binding rules come from the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.
Collaboration
Is A Collaborative Or Supervisory Agreement Required?
Arkansas generally requires an NP to keep a collaborative or supervisory arrangement with a physician for at least part of practice, usually written up as a collaborative practice agreement. State rule sets what that agreement must contain, which parts of practice it covers (prescribing, for example), how it’s documented and how often it’s reviewed.
Our guide to PMHNP collaborative practice agreements covers what these agreements usually contain, and the PMHNP scope of practice by state overview puts Arkansas side by side with every other state.
Prescriptive Authority
Prescriptive Authority And Controlled Substances
Meet the requirements in Arkansas and you can be granted prescriptive authority, which can reach controlled substances once the conditions are met. In Arkansas, though, some or all prescribing may be tied to the required collaborative or supervisory arrangement.
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 Arkansas State 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 Arkansas. It doesn’t get you paid. Payer enrollment runs on its own track, and our Arkansas credentialing and payer enrollment guide covers it. The PMHNP credentialing guide has the national picture.
- Opening your own practice? First Practice Launch sets up the payers, EHR, portals and medical billing together for $6,000, or four monthly payments of $1,500.
- 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.
- Joining a clinic? New Provider Credentialing covers the applications for adding you to its existing contracts.
- Changing to your own Tax ID? We quote that in writing.
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 Arkansas?
Yes, after 6,240 hours. Act 412 of 2021 created a certificate of full independent practice authority for certified nurse practitioners who document 6,240 hours of practice under a collaborative practice agreement (Ark. Code 17-87-314). Until the committee approves the certificate, you keep the agreement and prescribe under it.
Can A PMHNP Prescribe Adderall In Arkansas?
It depends on who started it. Ark. Code 17-87-310 limits APRN authority to Schedule III to V, and allows a Schedule II stimulant only when a physician originally initiated the prescription, evaluated the patient within the past six months, and your prescription treats the same condition. Starting a new stimulant yourself isn’t permitted under that section.
Do I Need A Collaborating Physician In Arkansas?
Yes, unless you hold a certificate of full independent practice. The collaborative practice agreement must address physician availability for consultation or referral, protocols for prescriptive authority, emergency coverage and quality assurance (Ark. Code 17-87-310). The Board requires evidence of a current agreement to renew prescriptive authority.
This is general information, not legal advice. It applies the general nurse practitioner rules in Arkansas to PMHNPs, and those rules aren’t the same for every role. Rules change, so check with the Arkansas State 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 Arkansas?
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