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When deciding upon a certain occupation, you also have some rules to follow.
As far as nurses go, they’re overseen by the Board of Nursing in the state they work.
It’s important for future professionals to be somewhat accustomed to the Board they’ll be overseen by.
Table of Contents
What Does the Board Do?
The Board of Nursing has many duties to complete.
These include:
- 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 Kansas, the Board of Nursing licenses the following:
- RNs (or professional nurses)
- LPNs (or practical nurses)
- RNAs (or Registered Nurse Anesthetists)
- APRNs (or Advanced Practice Registered Nurses)
- Mental Health Technicians
- Mental Health Technician Programs
The last two are not part of our presentation.
Getting Approval to Take the NCLEX
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing provides the licensing exam for nurses.
The exam is called NCLEX, which is short for National Council Licensure Examination.
The following countries recognize this exam, despite it being “national:”
- The USA
- Canada
- Australia
Across the States, this exam is only available through the Pearson Vue testing centers.
Everyone who wants to become a nurse has to sign up with Pearson Vue at the same time as applying for a license.
These processes involve some non-refundable fees as well.
Here are some of the requirements you must complete before doing so:
- 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
If you get approved to take the test, you’ll receive a letter called “Approval to Test.”
After that, you have no more than 365 days to take and pass the exam.
Renewing Your License
Nurses in all the states have to renew their credentials periodically.
In Kansas, the renewal period is 2 years.
The process involves:
- Continuing your education
- Paying some fees
- Submitting an application
You’ll need to complete the following number of classes:
- RNs – 30 contact hours of approved continuing nursing education
- LPNs – 30 contact hours of approved continuing nursing education
- APRNs – 30 contact hours of approved continuing nursing education
The fees you need to pay are as follows:
- RNs – $85
- LPNs – $85
- RNAs – $55
- APRNs – $55
If your license is inactive or exempt, the fees differ.
APRNs have 2 licenses, and these must be renewed separately.
If you got licensed 30 months or less from the renewal date, you will not have to continue your education.
How To Do A License Lookup
Looking up a license allows you to verify you have a valid and active credential.
Like in other states, you can perform this process online.
Some folks may have to keep track of multiple licenses.
They can sign up for the E-Notify service that sends reminders of when their credentials are about to expire.
As far as the nurse license lookup goes, you can search the database of Kansas or you can use the Nursys system.
When using the database, a new tab or window will open.
The new page will ask you to enter either only:
- The middle digits of the license number, or
- The name and license type of the person
- The name includes their last, middle, and first names, in different fields.
- You’ll have to choose the license type from a list.
You can also verify the license of a person through a written request.
This request must contain these details:
- Kansas license number
- Date of issue and expiration
- Legal and/or disciplinary action (if any)
Kansas Board of Nursing Contact Information
If you want to contact the Board of Nursing in Kansas, you can do so at the following address:
- 900 SW Jackson St # 1051, Topeka, KS 66612
This place is inside the Landon State Office Building, on the 10th floor.
Other ways of contacting the Board include:
- By phone at 785-296-4929
- By fax at 785-296-3929
The office hours are from Monday through Friday, starting at 8 am till 4:30 pm.
The exceptions are the holidays recognized at the state level.
Your options are to contact either the staff or the Board’s members.
The Board offers more useful information at the following URL:
- https://ksbn.kansas.gov/
Conclusion
The Board has the best information for future nurses in Kansas, however, other resources also exist.