NP · Maine
Collaborative Practice Agreement for Nurse Practitioners in Maine
Not unconditionally. Maine does not name a specific instrument.
No written collaborative practice agreement is required at any point — only an online registration of the supervisory relationship with the Board of Nursing and a supervisor sign-off verifying the 24 months. After that period, the NP practices fully independently with no supervisor.
Independent practice requires: 24 months of supervised practice under a licensed physician, a qualifying supervising NP (≥5 years as an APRN in the same specialty, ≥10 years in a clinical health care field, Board-approved), or employment by a clinic/hospital with a physician medical director.
What the collaboration must look like
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
during the 24-month supervised period: Available remotely (no on-site requirement)
No on-site or fixed mile/minute radius is codified for the supervisory relationship.
after 24 months of supervised practice: No proximity requirement
No physician/supervisor availability standard applies once independent.
Supervision ratio
Not codified — no cap on file
Chart review
Not codified — left to the agreement
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
Schedule II-V, once registered with the DEA — no collaborative practice agreement is required to prescribe, matching the general independence framework (32 M.R.S. § 2102).
Written agreement
Not required
No written collaborative practice agreement is required even during the 24-month supervised period — only registration of the supervisory relationship with the Board of Nursing (32 M.R.S. § 2102; 02-380 C.M.R. ch. 8).
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — As a full-practice-authority state, Maine likely permits an NP-owned professional entity once independent — this was not independently confirmed against a specific Maine professional-corporation/PLLC statute in this pass; treat as probable but unverified.
Legal sources for these rules (3)
- 32 M.R.S. § 2102 — Advanced practice registered nursing
- 02-380 C.M.R. ch. 8 — Regulations Relating to Advanced Practice Registered Nursing
- Maine State Board of Nursing — Advanced Practice Registered Nurse FAQ
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Maine
$500 – $650
Estimate for one Nurse Practitioner. Standard-tier state.
About Maine's rules
Maine's provider categories follow different independence models: NPs graduate to full practice after 24 months of registered (not written-agreement) supervision; PAs graduate after 4,000 documented clinical hours but still need a lighter 'practice agreement' afterward; CNMs/CNSs appear independent from initial licensure; and CRNAs remain physician/dentist-accountable except in critical-access/rural hospitals. Do not assume a single APRN framework applies uniformly.
Other clinicians in Maine: see the state overview.