Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 73 - PROFESSIONS AND VOCATIONS (§§ 73-1-1 — 73-79-1) › Chapter 15 - NURSES (§§ 73-15-1 — 73-15-202) › Article 1 - REGULATION OF PRACTICE OF NURSING (§§ 73-15-1 — 73-15-37) › Section 73-15-19 - Registered nurse

(1)
Registered nurse applicant qualifications. Any applicant for a license to practice as a registered nurse shall submit to the board:
(a)
An attested written application on a Board of Nursing form;
(b)
Written official evidence of completion of a nursing program approved by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, or one approved by a legal accrediting agency of another state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or a foreign country which is satisfactory to this board;
(c)
Evidence of competence in English related to nursing, provided the first language is not English;
(d)
Any other official records required by the board.
In addition to the requirements specified in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this subsection, in order to qualify for a license to practice as a registered nurse, an applicant must have successfully been cleared for licensure through an investigation that shall consist of a determination as to good moral character and verification that the prospective licensee is not guilty of or in violation of any statutory ground for denial of licensure as set forth in Section
73-15-29
or guilty of any offense specified in Section
73-15-33
. To assist the board in conducting its licensure investigation, all applicants shall undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant shall submit a full set of his or her fingerprints in a form and manner prescribed by the board, which shall be forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (department) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division for this purpose.
Any and all state or national criminal history records information obtained by the board that is not already a matter of public record shall be deemed nonpublic and confidential information restricted to the exclusive use of the board, its members, officers, investigators, agents and attorneys in evaluating the applicant's eligibility or disqualification for licensure, and shall be exempt from the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983. Except when introduced into evidence in a hearing before the board to determine licensure, no such information or records related thereto shall, except with the written consent of the applicant or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, be released or otherwise disclosed by the board to any other person or agency.
The board shall provide to the department the fingerprints of the applicant, any additional information that may be required by the department, and a form signed by the applicant consenting to the check of the criminal records and to the use of the fingerprints and other identifying information required by the state or national repositories.
The board shall charge and collect from the applicant, in addition to all other applicable fees and costs, such amount as may be incurred by the board in requesting and obtaining state and national criminal history records information on the applicant.
The board may, in its discretion, refuse to accept the application of any person who has been convicted of a criminal offense under any provision of Title 97 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, as now or hereafter amended, or any provision of this article.
(2)
Licensure by examination.
(a)
Upon the board being satisfied that an applicant for a license as a registered nurse has met the qualifications set forth in subsection (1) of this section, the board shall proceed to examine such applicant in such subjects as the board shall, in its discretion, determine. The subjects in which applicants shall be examined shall be in conformity with curricula in schools of nursing approved by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, or one approved by a legal accrediting agency of another state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or a foreign country which is satisfactory to the board.
(b)
The applicant shall be required to pass the written examination as selected by the board.
(c)
Upon successful completion of such examination, the board shall issue to the applicant a license to practice as a registered nurse.
(d)
The board may use any part or all of the state board test pool examination for registered nurse licensure, its successor examination, or any other nationally standardized examination identified by the board in its rules. The passing score shall be established by the board in its rules.
(3)
Licensure by endorsement.
The board may issue a license to practice nursing as a registered nurse without examination to an applicant who has been duly licensed as a registered nurse under the laws of another state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or a foreign country if, in the opinion of the board, the applicant meets the qualifications required of licensed registered nurses in this state and has previously achieved the passing score or scores on the licensing examination required by this state, at the time of his or her graduation. The issuance of a license by endorsement to a military-trained applicant, military spouse or person who establishes residence in this state shall be subject to the provisions of Section
73-50-1
or
73-50-2
, as applicable.
(4)
Requirements for rewriting the examination.
The board shall establish in its rules the requirements for rewriting the examination for those persons failing the examination on the first writing or subsequent rewriting.
(5)
Fee.
The applicant applying for a license by examination or by endorsement to practice as a registered nurse shall pay a fee not to exceed One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) to the board.
(6)
Temporary permit.
(a)
The board may issue a temporary permit to practice nursing to a graduate of an approved school of nursing pending the results of the examination in Mississippi, and to a qualified applicant from another state, territory or possession of the United States, or District of Columbia, or pending licensure procedures as provided for elsewhere in this article. The fee shall not exceed Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00).
(b)
The board may issue a temporary permit for a period of ninety (90) days to a registered nurse who is currently licensed in another state, territory or possession of the United States or the District of Columbia and who is an applicant for licensure by endorsement. Such permit is not renewable except by board action. The issuance of a temporary permit to a military-trained applicant, military spouse or person who establishes residence in this state shall be subject to the provisions of Section
73-50-1
or
73-50-2
, as applicable.
(c)
The board may issue a temporary permit to a graduate of an approved school of nursing pending the results of the first licensing examination scheduled after application. Such permit is not renewable except by board action.
(d)
The board may issue a temporary permit for a period of thirty (30) days to any registered nurse during the time enrolled in a nursing reorientation program. This time period may be extended by board action. The fee shall not exceed Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00).
(e)
The board may adopt such regulations as are necessary to limit the practice of persons to whom temporary permits are issued.
(7)
Temporary license.
The board may issue a temporary license to practice nursing at a youth camp licensed by the State Board of Health to nonresident registered nurses and retired resident registered nurses under the provisions of Section
75-74-8
.
(8)
Title and abbreviation.
Any person who holds a license or holds the privilege to practice as a registered nurse in this state shall have the right to use the title "registered nurse" and the abbreviation "R.N." No other person shall assume such title or use such abbreviation, or any words, letters, signs or devices to indicate that the person using the same is a registered nurse.
(9)
Registered nurses licensed under a previous law.
Any person holding a license to practice nursing as a registered nurse issued by this board which is valid on July 1, 1981, shall thereafter be deemed to be licensed as a registered nurse under the provisions of this article upon payment of the fee provided in Section
73-15-27
.
(10)
Each application or filing made under this section shall include the social security number(s) of the applicant in accordance with Section
93-11-64
.
Codes, 1942, § 8806-10; Laws, 1970, ch. 420, § 10; Laws, 1976, ch. 356, § 4; Laws, 1977, ch. 353, § 1; Laws, 1981, ch. 428, § 2; Laws, 1981, ch. 449, § 9; Laws, 1983, ch. 485, § 10; reenacted, Laws, 1991, ch. 465, § 10; Laws, 1997, ch. 588, § 42; Laws, 2000, ch. 482, § 6; Laws, 2010, ch. 464, § 1, eff. 7/1/2010.
Amended by Laws, 2021, ch. 398, HB 1263,§ 14, eff. 7/1/2021.
Amended by Laws, 2013, ch. 350, SB 2419, 16, eff. 7/1/2013.