Discuss your state NP community in terms of scope of practice. Include your state's scope of practice for NPs, including: oLevel of independence of practice **In California, NPs are required to practice under Standardized Procedure Guidelines. If CA is your intended practice state, please provide details on how Standardized Procedures Guidelines are developed in California and an example of a California SPG. oPrescribing authority oAny limitations of practice oProcess for obtaining licensure in your state. oCertification and education requirements for licensure.

Discuss your state NP community in terms of scope of practice. Include your state's scope of practice for NPs, including: oLevel of independence of practice **In California, NPs are required to practice under Standardized Procedure Guidelines. If CA is your intended practice state, please provide details on how Standardized Procedures Guidelines are developed in California and an example of a California SPG. oPrescribing authority oAny limitations of practice oProcess for obtaining licensure in your state. oCertification and education requirements for licensure.

Currently, each state in the country has a distinct set of laws regulating the practice for nurse practitioners (Yang et al., 2020). However, in terms of scope of practice, New Mexico, NPs are permitted to practice independently in the fields of general pediatrics, general medical practice, and basic family medicine. Over twenty states have passed laws governing nurse practitioners' practice with unrestricted practicing authority. All NPs are entitled to assess patients, determine, order, and interpret diagnostic tests, as well as initiate and manage treatments, including prescription drugs and restricted substances, under the exclusive licensure authority of the state board of nursing. All of this is legal under state practice and licensing laws (NMNPC, 2023). NPs can now assess, evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients, as well as educate patients about illness prevention (Yang et al., 2020). The process for obtaining licensure in New Mexico includes having an active, unrestricted New Mexico RN license or a multi-state RN license which means an education in nursing so, NPs seeking New Mexico licensure must initially obtain for an RN license and have nursing experience necessary for acceptance into an accredited n Nurse Practitioner program. To sustain certification,NPs must meet 50 CE requirements every 2 years(NMNPC, 2023). Part 2 of the regulations (16.12.2.10, section L) includes the requirements for endorsement licensure, including an extensive criminal background check. All NPs in New Mexico are required by the New Mexico Board of Nursing to retain a record of potentially hazardous medications and regulated substances that they may prescribe (NMNPC, 2023). Only drugs pertinent to the NP's specialization and practice setting should be included in their individual formularies. Once trained as nurse practitioners, NPs who want to prescribe controlled substances must first get a New Mexico Controlled Substance license. NPs must also register with the Board of Pharmacy's

Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) and participate in PMP inquiries and reporting on a regular schedule