APRN regulation: the licensure-certification interface.

This article describes the development of a new regulatory model for advanced practice nursing. The history of nursing licensure is detailed to provide a perspective of the differences in the way that advanced practice roles evolved as a result of external forces and patient needs without the direct control of regulators and the resulting variations in the interpretation and implementation of the roles nationwide. Key provisions of the new consensus model for regulation are detailed, along with implications for each of the main stakeholder groups: licensure, accreditation, certification, and education.