General Overview of LPN License Requirements
Healthcare is a very strict field of work where every professional has to meet certain standards, in addition to educational requirements, before he/she starts work. The reason for the strict rules is obvious, human life is at stake. For the sake of patients’ safety, all professionals need to meet certain the standards.
LPN License Requirements
After having completed your LPN training, your state BON will provide you with a license which will allow you to work as an LPN in that state (or other states after endorsement). Upon application of an LPN license, you will be asked to submit fingerprints for a criminal background check. The degree may vary, but it’s good if you don’t have any conviction or DUI (drive under the influence) cases. If your criminal record is not clean, you must have some excuses which mitigate your case and you will be asked by your state BON to present your case afterward.
In addition to the legal requirements, LPN license applicants must also pass the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX PN) in order to get their license (also known as license by examination). License by examination is given for students who graduate from an approved LPN program. But it’s also possible to get an LPN license by endorsement. There are about 23 states that accept and endorse each other’s licenses. If you have been given a license in one of these states, you can move to another state and continue working as an LPN with an endorsement from the new state.
License Renewal Requirements
In order to keep your LPN license active, you must practice nursing (the job has to be a paying one) or complete continuing education and secure the required credits and make renewal payments every renewal period. Some states do not require LPNs to get continuing education; in that case, a renewal fee suffices.
License Reinstating
If you have been away from nursing for a long time or didn’t renew your license on time, your license is probably lapsed and you need to submit application to your state BON to reinstate the license, in order to resume working as an LPN again. The procedure and requirements to reinstate an LPN license differs by state; however, in most cases you will need to take LPN refresher courses and you will be issued a temporary license for about 90 days, until you complete the course. To find out more about your state’s procedure requirements on LPN license reinstatement, you should contact you state BON directly.
License Verification and Endorsement
Out of state license endorsement is possible in some states, as long as you provide all the required information and you meet the states requirements.
When applying for license endorsement, the usual procedure is for the state BON to verify your license origin. If you have an already endorsed license, you need to get a written verification from the original state that issued your first license. Then an official transcript has to be sent directly to the state board of nursing and a written verification of your NCLEX PN exam has to be sent to the state BON. And, lastly, your criminal background check must come clean.
You need to be careful when supplying information during your license endorsement application. There is a legal clause which will hold you liable for inaccuracy of the information and any inaccuracy may result in a civil penalty of a few hundred to thousands of dollars. Make sure you carefully read and understand the forms before filing.