Become a Nurse in Wyoming – Licensure & Requirements

^{Licensure categories and education requirements above are per the Wyoming State Board of Nursing.}

For a closer look at becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in Wyoming, see our CNA career guide.

Wyoming Nursing Salaries

^{Nurse salaries above were retrieved from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for Wyoming, Cheyenne, WY, and Casper, WY, May 2025.}

There are many paths to becoming a nurse in Wyoming. The one you take will mostly depend on the type of nurse you’d like to become and your current or prospective level of education. The more education, the more opportunities you’ll have to choose where and how you pursue your career in nursing.

In addition to nursing salaries in Wyoming, you’ll find information on acquiring and maintaining several types of Wyoming nursing licenses on this page. We’re constantly making updates, but with the speed of change in healthcare, it’s sometimes difficult to stay current. If you have any comments or suggestions for our information on nursing in Wyoming, please email us at info@nursinglicensemap.com!

Compact State Status

Wyoming is a Nursing Licensure Compact state, per the Wyoming State Board of Nursing and the Nurse Licensure Compact Commission.

Prescriptive Authority in Wyoming

Prescriptive authority is part of the statutory definition of an APRN in Wyoming, so it is required for — and automatically activated upon license issuance for — every Wyoming-licensed APRN, covering the prescribing, administering, dispensing, or providing of prescriptive and non-prescriptive medications other than Schedule I drugs. To prescribe or dispense controlled substances specifically (Schedules II–V), an APRN must separately apply for and obtain a Wyoming Controlled Substance Registration from the Wyoming Board of Pharmacy, in addition to a DEA registration for Wyoming. Source: Wyoming State Board of Nursing, APRN Prescriptive Authority Advisory Opinion.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in Wyoming

APRN in Wyoming is defined as certified nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse-midwives, and clinical nurse specialists (Wyoming State Board of Nursing).

Education: Master’s degree or higher in nursing with a clinical specialty or advanced practice registered nurse specialty (WSBN Chapter 2: Licensure/Certification Requirements).

Examination: Varies according to specialty area — a national certification examination in the same role and population focus area as the applicant’s graduate program of study (WSBN Chapter 2: Licensure/Certification Requirements).

Certification Required: National certification in the same role and population focus area as the applicant’s graduate program of study. Wyoming does not require APRNs to hold a separate Wyoming RN license for APRN licensure itself; however, national APRN certifying bodies require an active, unencumbered RN license for initial certification (and some require it for renewal as well), so an applicant whose certifying body requires a Wyoming RN license must submit a separate RN application and pay the applicable fees (WSBN Chapter 2: Licensure/Certification Requirements).

Fees:

• $250 Application Fee by Examination
• $255 Application Fee by Endorsement
• $70 Additional Certification Fees
• Criminal Background Check/Fingerprint Cards: $60

(Fee amounts per WSBN Chapter 5: Fees.)

Renewal: APRN licenses are renewed biennially. Renewal requires evidence of current national certification in the APRN’s recognized role and population focus area, plus three hours of continuing education related to the responsible prescribing of controlled substances or treatment of substance use disorders. An APRN recognized in Wyoming before January 1, 1999 who has maintained continuous licensure but is not nationally certified may instead submit 40 hours of continuing education plus 400 hours of active APRN practice within the last two years, along with the same three-hour controlled-substance/substance-use-disorder continuing-education requirement (WSBN Chapter 2: Licensure/Certification Requirements).

Learn more on how to become an advanced practice registered nurse.

Registered Nurse (RN) in Wyoming

Education: Board-approved nursing education program (WSBN Chapter 2: Licensure/Certification Requirements).

Examination: NCLEX-RN

Fees:

• $130 Application Fee by Examination
• $135 Application Fee by Endorsement
• $200 NCLEX Examination Fee

(Fee amounts per WSBN Chapter 5: Fees.)

Endorsement: RNs may apply for licensure by endorsement in Wyoming by providing proof of graduation from a board-approved RN pre-licensure education program, verification of an active RN license from another jurisdiction, submission of application and fees, CBC fingerprint cards and fees, and verification of initial licensure by examination (a passing score on the NCLEX-RN or a recognized predecessor examination). Applicants must also submit evidence of continuing competency, satisfied by one of the following completed within the past two years: 400 hours of active nursing practice; a passing NCLEX score; a Board-accepted refresher course or equivalent; a nursing education program conferring a degree beyond the applicant’s basic nursing education; or 40 hours of continuing education (WSBN Chapter 2: Licensure/Certification Requirements, §§4(c), 14(d)).

Renewal: RN licenses in Wyoming expire biennially.

Learn more about how to become a registered nurse.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in Wyoming

Education: Board-approved nursing education program (WSBN Chapter 2: Licensure/Certification Requirements).

Examination: NCLEX-PN

Fees:

• $130 Application Fee by Examination
• $120 Application Fee by Endorsement
• $200 NCLEX Examination Fee

(Fee amounts per WSBN Chapter 5: Fees.)

Endorsement: LPNs may apply for licensure by endorsement in Wyoming by providing proof of graduation from a board-approved LPN pre-licensure education program, verification of an active LPN license from another jurisdiction, submission of application and fees, CBC fingerprint cards and fees, and verification of initial licensure by examination (a passing score on the NCLEX-PN or a recognized predecessor examination). Applicants must also submit evidence of continuing competency, satisfied by one of the following completed within the past two years: 400 hours of active nursing practice; a passing NCLEX score; a Board-accepted refresher course or equivalent; a nursing education program conferring a degree beyond the applicant’s basic nursing education; or 40 hours of continuing education (WSBN Chapter 2: Licensure/Certification Requirements, §§4(c), 14(d)).

Renewal: LPN licenses in Wyoming expire biennially.

Learn more about how to become a licensed practical nurse.

Information Disclosure:

Information for the above nursing careers in Wyoming was retrieved from the Wyoming State Board of Nursing as of September 2026.