Georgia Code
Article 1 - Georgia Registered Professional Nurse Practice Act
§ 43-26-3. Definitions

As used in this article, the term:
(1.1) “Advanced practice registered nurse” means a registered professional nurse who is licensed by the board under this article or who holds a multistate license under Article 4 of this chapter, who is recognized by the board as having met the requirements established by the board to engage in advanced nursing practice, and who holds a master’s degree or other graduate degree from an approved nursing education program and national board certification in his or her area of specialty, or a person who was recognized as an advanced practice registered nurse by the board on or before June 30, 2006. This paragraph shall not be construed to require a certified registered nurse anesthetist who graduated from an approved nurse anesthetist educational program prior to January 1, 1999, to hold a master’s degree or other graduate degree. Further, this paragraph shall not be construed to require a registered professional nurse who holds a multistate license under Article 4 of this chapter authorizing such nurse to practice in another party state under a multistate licensure privilege to obtain a single-state license from the board as a condition of receiving authorization by the board to practice in this state as an advanced practice registered nurse.
(1.2) “Approved nursing education program” located in this state means a nursing education program approved by the board as meeting criteria established by the board. An “approved nursing education program” located outside this state means a nursing education program that the board has determined to meet criteria similar to and not less stringent than criteria established by the board for nursing education programs located in this state. In order to be approved by the board, a nursing education program must be one that is offered by:
History. Code 1981, § 43-26-3 , enacted by Ga. L. 1990, p. 747, § 1; Ga. L. 1994, p. 97, § 43; Ga. L. 2006, p. 125, § 3/SB 480; Ga. L. 2007, p. 460, § 1/SB 222; Ga. L. 2009, p. 210, § 1/HB 475; Ga. L. 2011, p. 779, § 1/SB 100; Ga. L. 2012, p. 19, § 1/HB 675; Ga. L. 2019, p. 219, § 1/SB 168; Ga. L. 2021, p. 922, § 43/HB 497.
The 2019 amendment, effective April 25, 2019, in paragraph (1), inserted “who is licensed by the board under this article or who holds a multistate license under Article 4 of this chapter” near the beginning, deleted the comma following “such requirements”, and inserted the comma following “specified by the board” in the middle; in paragraph (1.1), substituted “nurse who is licensed by the board under this article or who holds a multistate license under Article 4 of this chapter,” for “nurse licensed under this chapter” near the middle of the first sentence, and added the last sentence; and added the second sentence in paragraph (4).
The 2021 amendment, effective May 10, 2021, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, in paragraph (6), in the third sentence, substituted “counseling; and the” for “counseling; the” in the middle, and substituted “a dentist” for “or a dentist” near the end.
Code Commission notes.
Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2007, “specialty” was substituted for “speciality” in paragraph (1.1).
Editor’s notes.
For application of this statute in 2021, see Executive Orders 01.22.21.07, 06.30.21.02, 07.22.21.02, 08.19.21.02, and 09.20.21.02.
A listing of Executive Orders issued in 2021 can be found at https://gov.georgia.gov/executive-action/executive-orders.
Law reviews.
For article on 2006 amendment of this Code section, see 23 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 209 (2006).

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