Rn/Lpn Licensure By Endorsement

(1) Application - The required application for RN or LPN, whichever is applicable, for licensure by endorsement shall be completed in part by the applicant and signed by the applicant under penalty of perjury. (a) The name as signed on the application shall be the name carried in the records of the Board, absent a change of name. (b) The application may include a satisfactory reference. (c) The application shall include an official verification of the applicant’s licensure for nursing practice in another jurisdiction. (d) Only a person who has filed the required application and paid the fee will be eligible for licensure by endorsement. (e) This application shall include the result of a biometric criminal background check that the applicant has caused to be submitted to the Board’s administrative office directly from the vendor identified in the Board’s licensure application materials. (f) Explanation and supporting documentation regarding the applicant’s background and information contained in the application may be required. (g) Every applicant must be a United States citizen, a “qualified alien” or a non-immigrant who meets the requirements set out at 8 U.S.C. 1621. Applicants claiming qualified alien status must provide two forms of documentation of identity and immigration status as determined by the United States Department of Homeland Security. (h) Applicants may be required to submit to an evaluation by a qualified expert as determined by the Board. (2) Qualifications - The applicant must either be a graduate of an approved school of nursing, or the approved school must certify to the Board that the applicant has met all requirements for a diploma, degree, or certificate and been licensed by examination in the other U.S. jurisdiction. GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING NURSING CHAPTER 1000-01 (a) An applicant shall have had substantially the same course of study as set by the Board for Tennessee schools of nursing at the time the applicant was accepted for licensure by examination in the other jurisdiction. (b) An applicant shall have general education equivalent to that required for Tennessee’s licensure by examination at the time the candidate was accepted for licensure in the other jurisdiction. An applicant holding a college or university degree meets the general education equivalent. (c) An applicant who does not have evidence of satisfactory general or nursing education may be required to take an additional course of study or examination to establish education equivalent to Tennessee’s requirements at the time the applicant was accepted for licensure in the other jurisdiction (d) The Board may request submission of evidence of satisfactory mental and physical health. (e) An internationally educated applicant shall cause the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) to submit a CES professional report. (f) When the Board has reasonable doubt of an applicant’s ability to comprehend the English language to a degree sufficient to permit the applicant to discharge the applicant’s duties as a nurse in this state with safety to the public, the Board may require the passing of an examination to demonstrate such ability.