State Nursing Boards and Licensure Requirements – What You Need To Know

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At this point in your career, you’re likely familiar with state nursing boards and accrediting agencies. In order to practice as a registered nurse (RN), you need to meet certain educational requirements. These requirements will be monitored and updated by state nursing boards, and it is crucial for practicing nurses to keep their licenses and certificates current. The same applies to nurse practitioners, or advanced practice nurses – you must meet specific criteria to qualify for active status. These criteria can be divided into three basic categories:

Degree
Licensure
Continuing Education

Nursing Education

First things first: RNs must complete an approved nursing program. To practice as an RN, you’ll need one of the following entry-level degrees:

Nursing Diploma: 2 to 3 years of study, typically in a hospital setting
Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN): 2 years of study, typically in a community college
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): 4-year university degree

Note: Each degree qualifies you for the National Council of Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

If you want to further your education beyond a BSN and an RN license, you have several options:

A Master of Science in nursing degree will allow you to practice as a family nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist, or in various other specialties, depending on the courses and experience you rack up during graduate school. This degree may allow you to prescribe medication and perform various other primary care duties that RNs are not authorized to do.
A Doctor of Science in nursing (DSN) provides similar privileges to an MSN, but nurses with doctoral level education are more desired as teaching faculty at nursing education institutions. the DSN track can also prepare you to go into clinical or academic research.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) is the terminal degree for nurses, and will prepare you for leadership positions in care-providing, academic research, and administration.

Most nurses get some practical experience as RNs between studying for a BSN and finishing a master’s or doctoral degree, but rapid growth in the nursing field and the aging of the workforce are causing a surge in accelerated programs that can get you a BSN and MSN or DSN in five years.

Licensure

The credentialing process begins with the NCLEX-RN test, designed by the not-for-profit National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). All nurses must pass this exam to be officially licensed to practice in any state. The exam’s content covers specific areas of nursing including:

Safe Effective Care Environment
Management of Care
Safety and Infection Control
Health Promotion and Maintenance
Psychosocial Integrity
Physiological Integrity
Basic Care and Comfort
Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
Reduction of Risk Potential
Physiological Adaptation

According to the NCSBN, the process for registering and taking the NCLEX-RN test is as follows:

The more education you acquire and the more qualifications you obtain, additional licensure might be required depending on your area of specialty. For example, nurse midwives sit for a certification exam administered by the American Midwifery Certification Board.

The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)

Twenty-four states in the US are members of the Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows nurses who reside in a member state to become licensed to practice in all NLC states. This compact only allows RNs to practice across state lines on a single license, and does not apply to advanced practice RNs. To get an NLC license, you must reside in an NLC party state and be a licensed RN.

State nursing boards serve two very important functions: licensing nurses and providing disciplinary action in the event of a violation. RNs must be aware of their state board of nursing requirements to ensure safe, competent, and ethical practice.

Continuing Education

Because of the rapid cycle of innovation in medical technology, nurses are required to take continuing education classes every year or few years. State nursing boards will likely require proof of continuing education classes for nurses applying for recertification.

Continuing education courses may include:

Advanced courses on any type of patient monitoring equipment (fetal, cardiac, respiratory, etc.)
Patient education strategies
Skills courses (stoma care, etc.)
Cultural and ethnic diversity
Therapeutic interpersonal relationship skills with patients/clients
Courses in any specialty area of nursing practice, including occupational health nursing, school nursing, office nursing, etc.

List of State Nursing Boards

Below are links to the Web sites for each state’s nursing board, which you can visit to find certification requirements and other relevant information:

The more knowledgeable you are about the rules and regulations that nurses must abide by, the easier your transition into the field will be. Remember, each state has its own licensing and certification criteria. If you plan to move to a different state, you may need to fulfill additional requirements in order to practice as a nurse practitioner. Review our list of schools below to find an accredited college or university that will prepares its graduates for board certification examinations.

Top Online FNP Degree Programs

To become a family nurse practitioner (FNP), a master’s degree in nursing is a professional requirement. Below are the top online accredited colleges that offer MS in nursing degree programs, suitable for FNPs. You can request information by clicking the college's logo.

MSN in FNP Specialization	Georgetown University — The MSN with a specialization in family nursing from Georgetown University enables licensed RNs to transition into careers as family nurse practitioners. The focus of this FNP program is to provide its students with the technical expertise and clinical skills necessary to prevent disease, promote health, and manage and assess illness within families. School Info Click Here
MSN in Nurse Practitioner	Kaplan University — With its main campus in Davenport, Iowa, Kaplan University is one of the largest online colleges in the nation. Kaplan's online MSN degree for nurse practitioners allows licensed RNs with bachelor's degrees to advance their careers with flexibility and affordability in mind. It is one of the ideal online choices for those seeking to become family nurse practitioners. School Info Click Here
MS in Nursing MSN in Health Education MSN in Health Informatics	University of Phoenix — The College of Nursing at the University of Phoenix offers several Master of Science in nursing degree programs with different specializations for aspiring nurse practitioners. Within the program, areas of concentration available for study include health education and health informatics. School Info Click Here
MSN in Nurse Educator MSN in Educator Bridge	Capella University — For those individuals aspiring to become educational leaders in the field of nursing, Capella University offers two degrees: the first is a regular MSN program in nursing education for those who already practice nursing and have earned a BSN degree. They also offer an MSN bridge program that accepts non-nurse students with bachelor's degrees. School Info Click Here
MSN in Nurse Practitioner	South University — For working healthcare professionals with busy career schedules, the flexibility offered by the South University master's degree program in nursing may be an ideal fit. Individuals looking to advance their careers within the healthcare industry and become family nurse practitioners will find that graduating from this program will surely open doors to new opportunities. School Info Click Here