Nurse licensing boards in the US.
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Nurse Licensing Boards
Find out more about the requirements for nurse licensing boardsBy Theresa Halvorsen If you’re looking to hire a nurse for your business, or if you’re in the health care industry, you may be wondering about nurse licensing boards or a license for nursing. Perhaps you’re not looking to hire a nurse, but looking to become one and you’re interesting in licensing information.
Interestingly enough, nurse licenses are not national; each state has specific requirements for the licensing of nurses and nurse practitioners. If you’re looking to hire a nurse or you want to become one, here are the things you’re most concerned about.
1. Find out what your state’s requirements are for a nursing license.
2. Discovering if a potential employee has a nursing license.
3. Finding out more information about the licensing of nurse practitioners.
Get information about each state's nurse licensing boards
Each state has different requirements for licenses for nurses. Speak to your nursing school or contact your state's Board of Registered Nurses for more information. If you already have a license in another state and want to get a license in a different one, contact the Board of Registered Nurses in your new state. Some nursing license boards will let you get a license with only a little work.
Try:
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) provides information about testing and state requirements. You can also go to All Nursing Schools for a complete list of state nursing boards.
Discover if a nurse has a nurse license
If you want to hire a nurse, a big priority is finding out whether that nurse has a license in your state. Luckily, there are many ways you can check on the licensure of a potential employee.
Try:
The NCSBN lets employers check the status of an employee's or potential employee’s license. Nurses who want to a license to practice in other states can also get information about requirements here. You can also go to the Health Integrity and Protection Data Bank to find out what to do if you find a nurse working without a license, you feel a nurse isn’t behaving in a safe, competent, ethical way or you believe the nurse isn’t in compliance with applicable laws and rules.
Learn more about the nurse practitioner licensing board
Nurse practitioners are nurses with advanced training. They're already an RN and have gone on to get their masters degree and additional training in health issues. They work closely with doctors and many people have a nurse practitioner as their regular provider.
Try:
Nurse practitioners may need additional requirements for their nurses licenses, such as certification with American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) or national certification with American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (ANA).
- Make sure you or a potential employee meets all the requirements to get a license for nursing in your state--not another state.
Information on Nursing License Board Nursing License Board visit to Learn.
Get your MD,DO,PA,RN,LPN license Expedited Services Available!
Be a Family Nurse Practitioner w/a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)!
PDMA/Pedigree license validation Pharmaceutical Industry leader
Department of Professional Regulation
Regulatory board responsible for the licensure of several professions and the investigation of alleged violations of any regulatory statutes under the department's jurisdiction.
Michigan Bureau of Health Services Licensing Division
Umbrella agency that serves the board that licenses nurses.
http://www.cis.state.mi.us/bhser/lic/home.htm
Information on licensing procedures, continuing education and a tool for verifying state licenses.
http://www.state.nv.us/boards/nsbn/
Regulatory board that governs licensed nurses, sets standards for nursing schools and licenses registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.
Regulatory agency governing nurses in Oregon.
Responsible for safeguarding life, health and the public welfare, and for protecting citizens from unauthorized, unqualified and improper application of nursing education programs and nursing practices.
http://www.state.sd.us/dcr/nursing/
Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission
http://www.doh.wa.gov/nursing/default.htm
West Virginia Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses
Regulatory agency governing licensed practical nurses in West Virginia.
http://www.lpnboard.state.wv.us/
Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Nurse Licensing Boards
Not all nursing education programs are created equal. While most provide a quality education that gives each student that passes a level of nursing knowledge sufficient work in a job suitable with their educational level, some students will fall through the cracks. That's why nurse licensing boards exist. They assure that all nurses licensed to present patient care are fully qualified to do so, and catch those students not quite ready for patient work before they can do harm.
While licensing boards can solve the primary issue of regulating the entry into the nursing profession, there are several problems related to their use. The largest problem is one of scale. With a centralized ... more
Not all nursing education programs are created equal. While most provide a quality education that gives each student that passes a level of nursing knowledge sufficient work in a job suitable with their educational level, some students will fall through the cracks. That's why nurse licensing boards exist. They assure that all nurses licensed to present patient care are fully qualified to do so, and catch those students not quite ready for patient work before they can do harm.
While licensing boards can solve the primary issue of regulating the entry into the nursing profession, there are several problems related to their use. The largest problem is one of scale. With a centralized board handling regional licensing, the board can be overwhelmed with applicants. When this occurs, boards delay decisions, and nurses have to wait their turn in the system. This leads to open positions going unfilled, which lowers the standard of care.
The second issue is the lack of overall general standards between regions served by separate boards. For boards to create a minimum, that minimum needs widespread acceptance. There's no way to establish that acceptance except by consensus between nurse licensing boards. This can lead to compromise solutions that set the minimum using standards unrelated to patient care. For further information on nurse licensing boards, follow the available links on this Business.com page.