Resource Center

All states and territories legislated a nurse practice act (NPA) which establishes a board of nursing (BON) with the authority to develop administrative rules or regulations to clarify or make the law more specific. Rules and regulations must be consistent with the NPA and cannot go beyond it. These rules and regulations undergo a process of public review before enactment. Once enacted, rules and regulations have the full force and effect of law.

The intention of the toolkit is to provide a starting point for conversation and assessment between the NRB and its EO. EOs, presidents and members all have different comfort levels and different relationships depending on the individuals involved. EOs leave for a variety of reasons – planned retirement, career change and even involuntary separation. NRBs obviously have different structures that may provide limitations in notice; differing state hiring processes; varying restrictions regarding input into job descriptions, performance evaluations and feedback; and constraints on who participates in the selection process. Each of these factors should be considered when drafting the short-term and long-term succession plans.

In 2015, the Supreme Court issued a decision in North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission that re-examined the State Action Doctrine and its relationship to state regulatory boards. Following the decision, various national and state lawmakers, stakeholder groups, and regulatory boards took actions that may impact boards of nursing. In an effort to educate and inform boards of nursing about the court’s decision, resulting actions, and ongoing discussions, NCSBN’s NC Dental Toolkit has been created. Please use this toolkit to reach these materials.

NCSBN has adopted the nursing regulatory body model rules for fostering innovation in nursing education. The toolkit below provides links to these model rules and also describes regulatory influences on innovation, myths and realities about regulatory barriers, recommendations for boards of nursing.

Boards of nursing (BONs) protect the public by conducting criminal background checks (CBCs) at the time of licensure. CBCs may be conducted at the state or federal level, and may be based on name, social security number, fingerprints or by another state-specific method. NCSBN has launched the state and federal fingerprint-based CBC Call to Action initiative to promote uniformity across all states.

Build your knowledge about NLC and key topics necessary to successfully implement NLC in your board. Learning Objectives 1. Explain how the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) benefits patients, nurses and boards of nursing (BON). 2. Explain the key aspects of the NLC and multistate licensure. 3. Describe the Interstate Commission and its role in administering the NLC.

Instances of fraud involving licensure applications and credentials are experienced by most Boards of Nursing (BONs). Types of fraud can vary from failure to disclose discipline or disciplinary investigations to false identity to false or altered nursing license. Denial of license or renewal licensure occurs as a result of application fraud.

NCSBN has developed numerous resources to help boards of nursing and legislators adopt requirements outlined in the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation. By adopting the model requirements your state can ensure uniformity in licensure, accreditation, certification, and education to facilitate the regulation of safe and competent advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in every state.

The Education Consultant role in nursing regulatory bodies (NRBs) is complex and these tools should assist you in learning about the role. Many of the resources here were developed by experienced Education Consultants who remember what it was like being new to the role.