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If you decided to become a nurse in Tennessee, you should learn more about the Board of Nursing.
This article will give out the contact information of the Board, but not only, so read on!
Table of Contents
What Does the Board Do?
In Tennessee, the Board of Nursing is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health.
Just like in other states, the Board has the following duties:
- Ensuring the integrity of the public health, safety, and welfare
- Issuing licenses
- Approving nursing training programs
- Renewing the credentials
- Ensuring the candidates meet the requirements
- Imposing disciplinary actions
- Promulgating the rules and regulations
- Maintaining accurate records
- Registering advanced practice nurses
- Offering APRN practice information
In this state, the Board will license these professionals:
- RNs
- APRNs
- LPNs
Getting Approval to Take the NCLEX
To obtain a license in Tennessee, you’ll have to pass the National Council Licensure Examination.
Usually, nurses shorten the name of the exam to NCLEX.
The organizer of the exam is the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, at the Pearson Vue testing centers.
This exam is recognized abroad too, in these countries:
- Australia
- Canada
The candidates must sign up with the Pearson Vue while also applying for a license with the Board.
Everyone has to send some documents both to the Board and to the testing center.
This paperwork has to be accompanied by some fees.
The most common documents asked are:
- An application form
- A clean criminal background
- Official school transcripts
- Some other documents
- Passport-style photo
- Proof of citizenship
Nobody can become a nurse without having trained first.
The school you graduate from the training program will have to send the transcripts directly to the Board.
Depending on how complete your application is or isn’t, the processing time can be shorter or longer.
On the exam day, you’ll need to show a code you receive if you’re cleared to take the test.
You’ll have to attempt to pass this test within 2 years of graduating and you have 1 year to pass it after you apply.
It’s pretty normal not to pass on the first try, however, you’ll have to wait 45 days until you can retry.
Based on the processing time, you could attempt to pass the exam up to 8 times.
During all your retries, you must resign up with Pearson Vue, but not with the Board.
Renewing Your License
In Tennesse, like most other states, you can renew your nurse credential online.
You’ll first have to visit https://lars.tn.gov/datamart/login.do;jsessionid=xe7jSkqJHqn7Aeq1bmK3hGDZ, without the comma.
Here you need to either make a new account or sign up in your account if you already have one.
Then you’ll have to provide the documentation and follow the instructions.
Individuals can also send all the needed documents by mail.
The address is:
- Division of Health Licensure and Regulation
665 Mainstream Drive, Second Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
Nurses will have to follow these instructions as well when trying to renew their licenses:
- https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/ContinuedCompetenceRequirements.pdf
You have to complete this process every 2 years and up to 60 days before the license expiry date.
The renewal process will also cost you $60.
How to do a Licence Lookup
There are times when you need to look up or verify the license of a nurse.
This includes wanting to see if the license is renewed, thus being active.
You have 2 options to do this:
- The Nursys system
- https://apps.health.tn.gov/Licensure/default.aspx
The Board, however, recommends people to use the Nursys system instead.
The official Nursys site offers 3 search options:
- Get updates for you or your nurses, including renewal notifications
- See the licensure and discipline status information for any nurse
- Verify a license as part of licensure by endorsement process
All these options will require you to provide some basic information, such as your full name and license number.
Tennessee Board of Nursing Contact Information
You’ll sometimes need to contact the Board of Nursing in Tennessee.
The Board can be found at 665 Mainstream Drive, 2nd Floor, Nashville, TN 37243.
You can also call the Board at the following numbers:
- Local: 615-532-5166
- Nationwide: 1-800-778-4123
Electronic mail can be sent to this address: Nursing.Health@tn.gov.
Conclusion
Nurses with physical, mental, emotional, and/or chemical dependency issues can receive a lot of help from the Tennessee Nurses Foundation.