There are currently 610000 nurses in Kentucky who are licensed. The Kentucky board of nursing is fully dedicated to certifying competent and efficient nurses to deliver care to patients and safeguard the public from unprofessional code of conduct and other unsafe nursing practices. As nursing is a demanding and rewarding career, it can also be challenging while you live in Kentucky.
Complete guide to nursing professionals living in Kentucky
If you are a registered nurse, reading the following information will help you know about the requirements of continuing education, licensing information, salary, and job outlook in Kentucky.
If you want to renew your Kentucky nursing license, you have to pay around 60 dollars and some additional charges. Kentucky board of nursing easily renews licenses when nurses give evidence of working without any complaint to the licensing board.
Licensing information
You’ve to pay the following fees if you wish to become a professional nurse in Kentucky, irrespective of whether you are moving to a different state from Kentucky or if it’s your first-time nursing practice. You get more information by visiting the licensing page of Kentucky.
The licensing fees as per examination include the following-
- $200 for the NCLEX examination
- $125 for the application fee
- $13.25 as fingerprint processing fee
The licensing fee as per endorsement includes the following-
- $165 as application fees for all RNs, LPNs, and APRNs
- $13.25 as fingerprint processing fee
The license renewal fee includes an application fee of $65 for both RN and LPN and $55 for APRN. Kentucky is considered to be a state for a nursing compact that lets nursing professionals hold licenses for multi-state.
What are the steps for renewing the nursing license in Kentucky?
You can verify your license status and visit verification to confirm your license on the official website of Kentucky. You can finish all the nursing continuing education needs required in Kentucky before the license expires. Nursing CEUs can be completed online on your schedule. You need to visit the Kentucky official nurse portal to request a license renewal. You must not apply for Kentucky licensure if your primary state residency belongs to a different compact state.
Basic steps you should follow for certification and licensing in Kentucky
Step 1: Education Requirements
The first step that nursing professionals must follow is to get an Associate Degree in Nursing, also called AND, or a BSN degree (bachelor of science in nursing). Earning an AND degree may take 18-24 months for completion, whereas a BSN degree can be earned when you spend approximately four years. If you already have an AND degree, then the program between your and BSN will need 12-18 months. The RN to BSN bridge program needs three semesters of nursing coursework to be finished within a year. These programs help you to save both time and money. The more educational qualification you gain, the more will be your chance to get a rewarding career.
Step 2: Licensing
When you are only six weeks away from your graduation degree, you should apply for the NCLEX RN examination. The NCLEX licensing exam includes the following topics
- Physiological integrity
- Effective and sage care environment
- Psychological integrity
- Health promotion/maintenance
Some states, including Kentucky, require nursing professionals to give the NCLEX exam, a national council licensure examination. It is a standardized examination that all nurses must pass to become registered nurses or licensed practical nurses in Kentucky.
Step 3: Experience
This is an important step that helps you work with patients and get valuable hands-on experience.
Step 4: Certification
The last step is to get a certification from a reputable governing body/
Job as well as salary outlook for nurses living in Kentucky
As there is a shortage of nurses worldwide, these medical professionals are in high demand globally. The bureau of labor statistics forecasted that there will be an increase in the nursing profession by 9% between the years 2020 and 2030. And the mean wage annually will be $64730.
read more: Nurse Salary in Kentuck
Renewal requirements in Kentucky Board of Nursing
At first, the continuing education, also known as CE of the nursing applicant, is properly audited and checked by the Kentucky board of nursing, and this is done every 3 years. After this, a letter followed by an updated license is sent to the nurse. Kentucky nursing CE broker should be mandatorily used by the renewal applicants who applied for Kentucky nurse license renewal. Follow the key points below-
- All CR requirements should be timely completed
- An application given for renewal should be submitted
- Payment should be made timely
Renewal License in Kentucky
The renewal of a license in Kentucky takes place every year, and the renewal date is 31st October. For license renewal, nursing professionals need to earn fourteen contact hours showing continuing education from a reputable and approved continuing education provider every year. Nurses should also earn three hours related to domestic violence continuing education approved by the Kentucky board of nursing within three years of the date as issued for their Kentucky nursing license. Besides this, you must earn 1.5 hours of pediatric abuse head trauma continuing education as approved by the Kentucky board of nursing within three years of the date on which your Kentucky nursing license has been issued. Kentucky board of nursing also accepts continuing education courses that are ANCC accredited.
read more: Kentucky Board of Medicine – License Lookup and Renewal
Requirements for Continuing education for license renewal
1) RN
RNs are required to finish 14 contact hours each year, among which they have to complete two hours of pediatric abusive head trauma once. Continuing education should be associated with domestic violence. Nursing professionals having SANE credentials should complete their training in Forensic evidence collection
2) LPN
LPNs are required to finish 14 contact hours each year, among which they have to spend two hours in pediatric abusive head trauma, which is a one-time requirement only. They have to spend three hours in domestic violence. The nursing staff holding SANE credentials must complete their training in Forensic collection.
3) APRN
APRNs are required to attain board certification or fourteen contact hours every year. They have to hold five hours in pharmacology additionally. They also have to hold two hours in pediatric abusive head trauma (one time only) and three hours in domestic violence APRNs who have DEA-X Registration should complete four hours duration in addiction disorders, including 1.5 hours in the addiction disorder pharmacology. The hours of continuing education are needed for renewal.