Illinois Board of Nursing – Licensing and Contact Information

Every job has some behind-the-scenes aspects that not everyone is aware of.

As far as nurses go, one such aspect is the Board of Nursing.

Read on to find out more about this entity in Illinois!

What Does the Board Do?

All the states across the US have an institution overseeing various professionals.

In Illinois, unlike in many other states, the Board of Nursing is under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

The Board of Nursing is in charge of:

• Ensuring the integrity of the public health, safety, and welfare
• Issuing licenses
• Renewing the credentials
• Ensuring the candidates meet the requirements
• Imposing disciplinary actions
• Promulgating the rules and regulations
• Maintaining accurate records

In Illinois, the following professionals need a license from the Board of Nursing:

• Registered Professional Nurse (RN)
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
• Advanced Practice Nurse (APN)
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurse- Full Practice Authority (APRN-FPA)

Getting Approval to Take the NCLEX

Future nurses get licensed if they pass the exam the National Council of State Boards of Nursing provides.

This is the NCLEX that has recognition across:

• The USA
• Canada
• Australia

In the US, this exam is organized at the Pearson Vue testing centers across the state.

You have to sign up for the exam and pay the appropriate fees.

For this, you’ll need to:

• Graduate from a training program
• Apply for the license with the Board, at the same time
• Fill out the online application
• Have a clean criminal record
• Provide a copy of your fingerprints

Applying for a nursing license with the Board involves additional fees.

Almost none of the fees is refundable, and candidates have up to 365 days to take the exam once they get approved.

Renewing Your License

If you had become a nurse, you might already know that your license has to be renewed.

For this, you’ll have to continue your education with appropriate and approved classes.

In Illinois, by law, you’ll have to answer several questions found on the online application form.

These include one related to child support, even if you don’t have to pay it.

The license renewal application form is also where you can update the following details:

• Change of address
• Change of name

These changes must be accompanied by the appropriate documents.

Make sure to sign the document and also provide your email address.

It can take up to 4 business days for the status of your license to be updated in the system.

Individuals can check the license renewal page at https://www.idfpr.com/Renewals/defaultSSL.asp if they want to see if they must renew theirs or not.

The professions that require this action are listed there some 2 to 3 months before the expiration date.

Be aware that practicing without active credentials can be seen as a violation of the law and the person could face charges.

How To Do A License Lookup

If you need to look up the license of any nurse, including your own, you’ll have to visit https://online-dfpr.micropact.com/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx.

Through this page, you’ll also be able to find out if the license exists, is active, expired, or is in need of renewal.

These are the details you’ll have to provide on the new page that appears:

• License Type
• License Status
• License Number
• Legal Business Name
• Doing Business As
• First Name
• Last Name
• City
• State
• County
• Zip

Each of this information has its own field to fill out.

The only exception is the first one where you must choose the type of license from many options available.

You’ll have to fill the form as correctly as you can for the most accurate results.

Illinois Board of Nursing Contact Information

The Board of Nursing in Illinois has 2 physical addresses:

• IDFPR/Nursing Unit
  320 W. Washington St., 3rd Floor
  Springfield, IL 62786
• IDFPR/Nursing Unit
  555 West Monroe.,5th Floor
  Chicago, IL 60661

However, when you need to mail it stuff, you must use the address in Springfield.

You can also contact the institution at these numbers:

• All Inquiries: 1-888-473-4858
• Professional Licensing: 1-800-560-6420
• TTY Line: 1-866-325-4949

If you prefer electronic communication, there’s a “Contact Us” page at this link:

• https://www.idfpr.com/profs/Email/prfGrp09.asp

There are 3 mandatory fields, as this page is common for all the boards overseen by the Department.

The fields are:

• Profession
• Licensee or Applicant’s Name
• Your Email Address

Conclusion

Of course, the internet has more resources for you to check out, especially as far as the Nursing Board in Illinois is concerned.