Renewal
What happens if I decide not to renew my license?
If you do not renew your license, your license will automatically become inactive at midnight on your birthday in your renewal year. Your name will always be kept on file at the New Hampshire Board of Nursing, and you can reinstate your license at any time if you meet continuing competence requirements which include "active in practice" and continuing education requirements. You may not work as a nurse or nursing assistant in New Hampshire or, for RNs and LPNs, in another compact state if your license has expired. If you work as a nurse or nursing assistant after your license is expired, you must pay a fine. If you live in New Hampshire, you may not work as a nurse in another compact state if your license has expired. If you move your residence to another compact state, you must obtain a nursing license in the state to which you have moved within 30 days of moving. You must notify the New Hampshire Board of Nursing that you have moved. Your New Hampshire nursing license will automatically be inactivated 30 days following a change of residence to another nurse compact state.
Practice
What is the practice of nursing?
The practice of nursing is a set of interactions that take place between the nurse and the client. The process starts with a detailed assessment of the client’s health care needs. The nurse interviews the client and sometimes the family to obtain the health history as well as the current health status. The nurse physically examines the patient and also reviews the client's medical record including important data such as the results of diagnostic tests. Nursing assessment is followed by developing a plan of care which address the client's ongoing health conditions. The goal of a nursing plan of care is to improve an individual's health status and to prevent future illness. The interventions outlined in a nursing plan of care may include support with activities of daily living as well as highly complex technological services such as ventilator support. It is the nurse's job to observe the effects of the services being provided to each client and to make necessary adjustments. The nurse should always be the patient's advocate and act in the client's best interest.
Licensure
What is the role of a state board of nursing?
The boards of nursing are agencies established by state governments in order to protect the public's health and welfare by ensuring the safe and effective practice of nursing. The boards of nursing create and update the standards for safe care, issue certifications, renew licenses, and through enforcement of statutes and regulations, safeguard the people from unauthorized, unqualified, and improper application of services by individuals in the practice of nursing. There are differences from state to state with regard to who determines the specific administrative responsibility of the board and who oversees the board of nursing but in general they report to either a state agency, the governor of the state, or some other state organization or official. Licensed nurses are monitored for compliance to state laws and regulations and action is taken in the event of unsafe nursing practice. Representatives who serve on a board of nursing are appointed to their position according to state laws and are usually RN, LPN or advanced practice registered nurses.
Board representatives are tasked with prescribing standards for nursing education programs, approving nursing programs preparing persons for licensure, providing for evaluation of nursing education programs and related clinical facilities, approval of examinations for licensure, issuance of nursing licenses to qualified applicants, verification of licensure status of nurses, investigation of complaints and convening of hearings upon charges calling for discipline of a licensee, creating or updating rules, regulations, policies, and practice standards, the requirements for maintaining nursing licenses, as well as taking disciplinary action on nurse licenses and enforcing the Nurse Practice Act which is a law of each state or territory. It is the responsibility of each licensed nurse to be familiar and comply with the rules, regulations, and requirements of each state they are practicing in. The Nurse Practice Act includes penalties that can happen if a licensed nurse does not follow the nursing law, the educational requirements and other qualifications needed for getting a license, what nurses are allowed to do, and the titles that can be used.
Exam
Is the NCLEX pass rate history of a nursing program important?
The NCLEX pass rate is just one important factor in determining what nursing program you choose. A program which consistently shows NCLEX pass rates of at least 85% does indicate that students have been prepared well and that the program is successful in educating competent nursing graduates. Many states require that nursing programs maintain a certain minimum NCLEX pass rate annually in order to remain in good standing with the board of nursing. This rate may be different from state to state, but in general a pass rate of at least 85% is required. A program's licensing exam pass rate is influenced greatly by the number of students who take the exam that year. One or two individuals who do not pass the licensing exam can greatly influence the passing rate of a small graduating class. In order to accurately understand a nursing program's success, always look at how many individuals took the exam each year and then look at the pass rate.
Education
LPN Training Program Structure
Most year-long practical nursing programs include both classroom study and supervised clinical practice (patient care). Classroom study covers basic nursing concepts and subjects related to patient care, including anatomy, physiology, medical-surgical nursing, pediatrics, obstetrics nursing, pharmacology, nutrition, and first aid. Clinical practice usually takes place in a hospital but sometimes includes other settings.
Career
Employer Type and LPN Wages
As stated by the American Hospital Association, nonprofit facilities in the United States are more prevalent than for-profit ones. Even though the number of nonprofit health care facilities is almost triple that of for-profit ones, more practical nurses are employed by the for-profit type. The reality is that given the same job and working conditions, nurses will choose the employer who will reward them better for their services. On average, working for an investor-owned, for-profit organization, means earning at least $2 more per hour than working for either a state operated and funded organization or a nonprofit one. The difference in pay does not seem big at first glance but for a full-time LPN job, the $2 difference can add up to an extra $4,000 annually.
Organizations
New Hampshire School Nurses' Association
The purposes of NHSNA is to promote quality school health services by registered professional school nurses to ensure that each child can reach his or her full educational potential.
National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service
NAPNES is the oldest association that advocates the practice, education and regulation of practical and vocational nurses as well as the organization that is responsible for the legislation that provides for the licensure, and education of practical nursing in the United States.