Code of Virginia — Title 54.1 (Professions and Occupations), Chapter 30 (NURSING)
§ 54.1-3001. Exemptions.
A. This chapter shall not apply to the following:

1. The furnishing of nursing assistance in an emergency;

2. The practice of nursing, which is prescribed as part of a study program, by nursing students enrolled in nursing education programs approved by the Board or by graduates of approved nursing education programs for a period not to exceed ninety days following successful completion of the nursing education program pending the results of the licensing examination, provided proper application and fee for licensure have been submitted to the Board and unless the graduate fails the licensing examination within the 90-day period;

3. The practice of any legally qualified nurse of another state who is employed by the United States government while in the discharge of his official duties;

4. The practice of nursing by a nurse who holds a current unrestricted license in another state, the District of Columbia, a United States possession or territory, or who holds a current unrestricted license in Canada and whose training was obtained in a nursing school in Canada where English was the primary language, for a period of 30 days pending licensure in Virginia, if the nurse, upon employment, has furnished the employer satisfactory evidence of current licensure and submits proper application and fees to the Board for licensure before, or within 10 days after, employment. At the discretion of the Board, additional time may be allowed for nurses currently licensed in another state, the District of Columbia, a United States possession or territory, or Canada who are in the process of attaining the qualification for licensure in this Commonwealth;

5. The practice of nursing by any registered nurse who holds a current unrestricted license in another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States possession or territory, or a nurse who holds an equivalent credential in a foreign country, while enrolled in an advanced professional nursing program requiring clinical practice. This exemption extends only to clinical practice required by the curriculum;

6. The practice of nursing by any nurse who holds a current unrestricted license in another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States possession or territory and is employed to provide care to any private individual while such private individual is traveling through or temporarily staying, as defined in the Board's regulations, in the Commonwealth;

7. General care of the sick by nursing assistants, companions or domestic servants that does not constitute the practice of nursing as defined in this chapter;

8. The care of the sick when done solely in connection with the practice of religious beliefs by the adherents and which is not held out to the public to be licensed practical or professional nursing;

9. Any employee of a school board, authorized by a prescriber and trained in the administration of insulin and glucagon, when, upon the authorization of a prescriber and the written request of the parents as defined in § 22.1-1, assisting with the administration of insulin or administrating glucagon to a student diagnosed as having diabetes and who requires insulin injections during the school day or for whom glucagon has been prescribed for the emergency treatment of hypoglycemia;

10. The practice of nursing by any nurse who is a graduate of a foreign nursing school and has met the credential, language, and academic testing requirements of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools for a period not to exceed ninety days from the date of approval of an application submitted to the Board when such nurse is working as a nonsupervisory staff nurse in a licensed nursing home or certified nursing facility. During such ninety-day period, such nurse shall take and pass the licensing examination to remain eligible to practice nursing in Virginia; no exemption granted under this subdivision shall be extended;

11. The practice of nursing by any nurse rendering free health care to an underserved population in Virginia who (i) does not regularly practice nursing in Virginia, (ii) holds a current valid license or certification to practice nursing in another state, territory, district or possession of the United States, (iii) volunteers to provide free health care to an underserved area of this Commonwealth under the auspices of a publicly supported all volunteer, nonprofit organization that sponsors the provision of health care to populations of underserved people, (iv) files a copy of the license or certification issued in such other jurisdiction with the Board, (v) notifies the Board at least five business days prior to the voluntary provision of services of the dates and location of such service, and (vi) acknowledges, in writing, that such licensure exemption shall only be valid, in compliance with the Board's regulations, during the limited period that such free health care is made available through the volunteer, nonprofit organization on the dates and at the location filed with the Board. The Board may deny the right to practice in Virginia to any nurse whose license or certificate has been previously suspended or revoked, who has been convicted of a felony or who is otherwise found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations. However, the Board shall allow a nurse who meets the above criteria to provide volunteer services without prior notice for a period of up to three days, provided the nonprofit organization verifies that the practitioner has a valid, unrestricted license in another state;

12. Any person performing state or federally funded health care tasks directed by the consumer, which are typically self-performed, for an individual who lives in a private residence and who, by reason of disability, is unable to perform such tasks but who is capable of directing the appropriate performance of such tasks;

13. The practice of nursing by any nurse who holds a current unrestricted license from another state, the District of Columbia or a United States possession or territory, while such nurse is in the Commonwealth temporarily and is practicing nursing in a summer camp or in conjunction with clients who are participating in specified recreational or educational activities;

14. The practice of massage therapy that is an integral part of a program of study by a student enrolled in a massage therapy educational program under the direction of a licensed massage therapist. Any student enrolled in a massage therapy educational program shall be identified as a "Student Massage Therapist" and shall deliver massage therapy under the supervision of an appropriate clinical instructor recognized by the educational program;

15. The practice of massage therapy by a massage therapist licensed or certified in good standing in another state, the District of Columbia, or another country, while such massage therapist is volunteering at a sporting or recreational event or activity, is responding to a disaster or emergency declared by the appropriate authority, is travelling with an out-of-state athletic team or an athlete for the duration of the athletic tournament, game, or event in which the team or athlete is competing, or is engaged in educational seminars;

16. Any person providing services related to the domestic care of any family member or household member so long as that person does not offer, hold out, or claim to be a massage therapist;

17. Any health care professional licensed or certified under this title for which massage therapy is a component of his practice; or

18. Any individual who provides stroking of the hands, feet, or ears or the use of touch, words, and directed movement, including healing touch, therapeutic touch, mind-body centering, orthobionomy, traeger therapy, reflexology, polarity therapy, reiki, qigong, muscle activation techniques, or practices with the primary purpose of affecting energy systems of the human body.

B. Notwithstanding any provision of law or regulation to the contrary, military medical personnel, as defined in § 2.2-2001.4, while participating in a program established by the Department of Veterans Services pursuant to § 2.2-2001.4, may practice under the supervision of a licensed physician or podiatrist or the chief medical officer of an organization participating in such program. The chief medical officer of an organization participating in a program established pursuant to § 2.2-2001.4 may, in consultation with the chief nursing officer of such organization, designate a registered nurse licensed by the Board or practicing with a multistate licensure privilege to supervise military personnel participating in a program established pursuant to § 2.2-2001.4 in the practice of nursing.

Code 1950, § 54-362; 1970, c. 116; 1982, c. 598, § 54-367.36; 1988, c. 765; 1994, cc. 58, 103; 1996, c. 388; 1999, c. 570; 2001, cc. 244, 251; 2002, cc. 713, 740; 2008, c. 674; 2010, c. 245; 2012, cc. 117, 178; 2016, c. 324; 2018, cc. 69, 338.