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Virginia Board of Nursing: Licensing Renewal Requirements for VA

Nursing can be a difficult job yet fulfilling at the same time. People opt for nursing because they want to help others, but they cannot just start working as a nurse. It is vital to have a proper license to become a certified nurse. However, for such a license, you must meet certain conditions.

You can find a nursing job anywhere around the world. Virginia is one great place to start for aspiring nurses. You can get a license to work here through the Virginia Board of Nursing.

Nurses getting a license from this Board uphold it with pride, aware that they offer expert care to the clients.

Here, you will find Virginia’s requirements for license renewing and CE (Continuing Education).

Virginia Board of Nursing

The Virginia Board of Nursing has the role of making laws and rules about nurse licensing in Virginia. The Board ensures to provide skilled, expert nurses, and they make sure that the nurses are well-manned.

They also have a Department of Health Professions that look into complaints about specialists who might have violated an act or a rule.

Anyone wanting to practice nursing in Virginia must get a license from this Board. Nurses who have recently graduated can readily apply. Licensed nurses outside of Virginia can also apply for the same if they aim to work in Virginia.

The Virginia Board of Nursing also conducts an exam for nurse licensing, and it is taken before the Professional Examination Committee. This panel is in charge of handling all registered, vocational, or licensed nurses.

If you wish to appear for the nursing exam, you should keep a check on the official website. The Board will declare the signup details and dates of the exam on their website.

Professionals who fulfill the conditions need not worry about anything. They can easily renew their license online from the nurse portal.

Conditions to become a nurse:

You must fulfill certain criteria to be accepted by the Virginia Board of Nursing, which is listed below.

  • A person should have finished the required pre-license education hours or Virginia School of Health Professions coursework.
  • Must have done secondary education that will lead to a degree in nursing from a certified institute.
  • Should know how to act to avoid medical errors.
  • Should know the decrees of Virginia.
  • Anyone updating their license for the first time must have at least 1 hour of CE on HIV/AIDS.
  • At least 30 hours of CE is essential for license renewal.
  • APRNs (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse) must have an extra 8 hours of training in Pharmacology for overall 38 hours of CE. From the 8 hours, 2 hours must be on prescribing controlled substances.
  • The Virginia nurse’s license renewal must be done before the licensee’s last day of their birth month.

read more: Nurse Salary in Virginia

Requirements for License Renewal:

The Virginia Board of Nursing records the entire applicant’s CE and checks them every three years. Any applicants whose license needs to be updated will receive a letter from the Board.

The Board also receives requests from nurses working outside of Virginia. But their license should still be valid, and they must not have any disciplinary action against them.

The steps you need to take for renewing your license are simple:

  • Submit a renewal application.
  • Finish the CE requirements.
  • Pay the necessary fees.

There is also an exam called the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) required for any nurse in Virginia or other states. It is a test taken for licensing a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in Virginia.

Steps for renewing the license

  1. Confirmation: You must first check and verify your license status.
  2. Complete your CE: Obtain the CE requirements before your license expires. You can finish them online on your own time.
  3. Renew your application: Go to the Virginia Board of Nursing to apply for your license renewal.

Requirements for Continuing Education

Both RN and LPN are expected to renew their license every 2 years.

For RN and LPNs:

The nurses need to attain at least one of the requirements:

  • Must have thirty contact hours of meetings or workshops or any courses related to nursing.
  • Minimum of fifteen hours of attending seminars or any lessons about nursing and attain at least 640 hours of working as a nurse.
  • Specialty certificate by a national certifying organization.
  • Must have finished a post-licensure education in nursing for a minimum of three credit hours from a certified college or university.
  • Teaching or studying in a nurse-related CE course for at least 30 contact hours.
  • Teaching or studying in a nurse-related course with no less than three semester hours of college credit 15-week specialty certification course.
  • Must have achieved a nursing-related, data-based practice project related to the research study.
  • A board-accepted refresher course in nursing
  • They should have a book as the author or co-author during the renewal period.

APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse)

To renew a license, any nurse licensed before May 8, 2002, should hold the present certification in their specialty area and must qualify for one of the requirements:

  • Should hold the current certificate in their specialty area from an official agency Or
  • Must have 40 hours of CE in specialty practice.

You can follow the steps above to apply for a license as long as you fulfill the requirements. After you have satisfied all the needs and presented the application, you will have to wait for consent. If your application is approved, you will receive your license through mail within a few days.

read more:  Virginia Board of Medicine – License Renewal and Lookup

Conclusion

If you want a nursing license from Virginia, apply for it through their official website. If you fulfill the conditions and appear for the licensure exam, you can get your license.

With the Board’s help, you can easily get the license. You will, however, have to prove that you have been working as a nurse for over two years without any objection.

Also, know that once you get a license, it doesn’t mean it is valid forever. You will need to renew your license from time to time. You can check the Virginia Board of Nursing website for extra information for licensure.

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