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General Information
2016 Board Statement on the Multi-State Nurse Licensure Compact
Enhanced Compact - Areas for Consideration
Click Here for Licensure by Exam and Endorsement Forms
Click Here for Licensure Renewal, Reinstatement Forms
Click Here for the Ohio Licensure Verification Page
The Board is now part of a comprehensive professional regulatory license system used by the majority of Ohio’s licensing boards. The system includes several new features and upgrades that should help the Board better serve our licensees and the public. The system will for the first time allow all licensure and certification applications to be entered and processed online, including renewals. The Board continues to be committed and invested in ways that provide the best public protection and customer service possible. Thank you for your anticipated patience and cooperation as we use the new system. Please continue to visit this site for updates. |
FAQs
Accommodations for the NCLEX Examination
The Eight Steps of the NCLEX
Link to NCSBN's NCLEX Candidate FAQs
Click Here for the Criminal History Fact Sheet located on the Discipline and Compliance Page
Click Here for the Momentum Article about Criminal History located on the Discipline and Compliance Page
Other Useful Links
Link to National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Website
Link to National Council National State Board Directory
1. If you are a first time user, then register on the Board’s new portal:
2. Log in to your account and click on the link “Manage” found in the License box.
5. Press “Submit”. Requests received online are processed in 2-3 business days. |
1. If you are a first time user, then register on the Board’s new portal:
2. Log in to your account at https://elicense.ohio.gov and |
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Nursing Education Program Completion Letters
The Ohio Board of Nursing accepts Program Completion Letters by email. For your reference, a guidance document and samples of Completion Letters are provided below. If you have questions, please email education@nursing.ohio.gov.
Completion Letter Guidelines
RN Sample Letter Format
PN Sample Letter Format
Nursing Graduates and all Licensure and Certification Applications Online
- All license and certificate applications must be submitted online.
- You will be required to register with a new user account profile the first time you apply for a license or certificate in Ohio.
- If you currently hold a license with the Nursing Board or have applied with us previously you may already exist in our system. Click "I Have a License" when creating a new user account.
- If you have never applied for a license or certificate with the Nursing Board or any of the Ohio board's and commissions listed here, you should click "I Don't Have a License" when creating a new user account.
- We highly recommend that you download and review these registration instructions. Click Here for Instructions on Creating a New Account / Registration
Find Your Correct Nursing School Code Here
Click Here to Register (Create a New Account) and then Apply for a License or Certificate
CHECKING THE STATUS OF YOUR APPLICATION: Check the status of your application on the Board’s web site at http://www.nursing.ohio.gov/Verification.htm. Click on ''verification" and you will be directed to the license and certificate verification site. Refer to the instructions on the web page regarding recommended browsers. Once we have started processing your application, your name will appear as “pending” until your license is issued.
PAYMENTS: Fees must be paid online. Use Master Card, VISA or Discover credit or debit cards. If you do not have this type of personal credit or debit card, you can obtain these pre-paid cards at local stores to use for renewal.
ALL APPLICANTS: If you are mailing a licensure related form to the Board of Nursing, please send to ATTENTION: LICENSURE UNIT. This will facilitate the processing of your request.
CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKS: Click Here For More Information
We are committed to issuing licenses as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.
Information About Required Criminal Records Checks for Licensure and Certification
Click Here to find out how the Criminal Records Check may affect your future
employment as a nurse or certificate holder in Ohio. Or go to the Discipline
& Compliance Page.
LPN Authorization to Administer Medications and Limited IV Therapy in Ohio
Verification of your nursing license is available at the License & Certificate page of the Board website. Your name, license number and expiration date is public information and may be viewed by anyone. Please note that when calling the Board office with questions about your license that Board staff generally will not use social security numbers as a primary means to verify licensure information. In December, the licensure designation for LPNs who are authorized to administer medications and to perform limited IV Therapy changed from “LPN IV” to LPN M-IV. License designations for LPNs are as follows:
An LPN who is authorized to administer medications, but not perform limited IV Therapy, will have a license designation of “LPN Meds”.
An LPN who is authorized to administer medications and to perform limited IV Therapy procedures will have a license designation of “LPN M-IV”.
If an LPN is NOT authorized to administer medications or to perform limited IV therapy procedures, they will have a license designation of “LPN”.
The Eight Steps of the NCLEX
The process of taking the NCLEX exam can be broken down into eight steps. These steps cover registration and scheduling, eligibility,
identification requirements, and results processing.
The Eight Steps of the NCLEX:
1. Apply for licensure with one board of nursing (BON).
2. Register and pay $200 with Pearson VUE via the Internet, telephone or by U.S. mail.
3. Receive an Acknowledgement of Receipt of Registration from Pearson VUE.
4. Receive eligibility from the BON.
5. Receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) letter from Pearson VUE. Candidates must test within the validity dates. There are no
extensions.
6. Schedule an exam appointment via the Internet (by accessing your online account) or by telephone (telephone only for
international scheduling).
7. Arrive for exam appointment and present your ATT letter and acceptable identification (ID). The only acceptable forms of ID for
test centers in the U.S., American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands are:
U.S. driver's license (Department of Motor Vehicle-issued; if expired, a renewal slip that includes a photograph and a
signature must be presented as well);
U.S. state identification (Department of Motor Vehicle-issued);
U.S. military identification; or
Passport. The only acceptable form of ID for international test centers is a passport.
8. Receive results from the BON approximately four weeks after the exam.
Discover the NCLEX Webinar Series
NCSBN’s Examinations department has developed a valuable resource for the public, nurse educators and candidates alike. The NCLEX Webinar Series is a four-part public resource with detailed descriptions of exam development processes such as practice analysis, test plan development, item writing and item review as well as processes that eliminate the introduction of unintentional item bias. Available 24-hours a day, the webinars provide a venue to learn about the processes NCSBN takes to develop and maintain the validity and reliability of the NCLEX.
All recorded webinars presented by NCSBN staff and members can be found online.
Scheduling or Rescheduling Your NCLEX Exam
Once a candidate receives their Authorization to Test (ATT), they may schedule an appointment to take their examination. Test centers may fill up quickly because of high testing volumes and previously scheduled special events. Waiting to schedule a testing appointment may significantly limit the selection of dates from which a candidate can choose. A candidate must test within the validity dates of their ATT. If they cannot schedule an exam appointment within those dates, they will be required to pay for a new registration.
First-time test takers will be offered an appointment within 30 days to schedule, and repeat candidates will be offered an appointment within 45 days.
Examination appointments can be scheduled through the NCLEX candidate website or by calling Pearson VUE NCLEX Candidate Services. Candidates may take the exam at any NCLEX approved testing center. If a candidate chooses to schedule their examination at an international test center, they will be charged an additional, non-refundable scheduling fee.
If a candidate needs to reschedule their appointment, they must do so within 24 business hours of their scheduled exam time. They can do this either through the NCLEX candidate website or by calling Pearson VUE NCLEX candidate services.
For example:
- For examinations scheduled on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, a candidate must call or go online at least 24 hours prior to the day and time of their appointment, local standard time.
- For examinations scheduled on Saturday, Sunday or Monday, a candidate must call or go online no later than Friday at least 24 hours in advance of their appointment time, local standard time.
For more information on scheduling and rescheduling exam appointments, please check out the NCLEX Candidate Bulletin.
Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) Explained
The NCLEX is administered using computerized adaptive testing (CAT). CAT is a type of assessment that merges computer technology with modern measurement theory to increase the efficiency of the exam process.
With CAT, each candidate’s test is built uniquely. As the candidate answers each question, the computer calculates an ability estimate based on all earlier answers. The CAT algorithm then identifies the content area for the next item. Next, the algorithm scans through available items within the identified content area for an item that has a degree of difficulty sufficient to give the candidate approximately a 50 percent chance of answering it correctly. This item is selected and presented to the candidate. This process is repeated for each item, creating an examination tailored to the individual’s ability level while fulfilling all NCLEX test plan requirements. The examination continues in this way until a pass-fail decision can be determined.
For more information, visit the Computerized Adaptive Testing page of the NCSBN website.
2017 NCLEX-PN Test Plan Now Available
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing reviews the NCLEX-PN Test Plan every three years to ensure that the examination continues to be reflective of entry-level licensed practical nurse/licensed vocational nurse (LPN/VN) practice. The NCLEX-PN Test Plan provides a concise summary of the content and scope of the licensing examination and serves as a guide for candidates preparing to sit for the examination. The 2017 NCLEX-PN Test Plan will become effective April 1, 2017 and can be found on the NCLEX Test Plans page of the NCSBN website.
The 2017 NCLEX-PN Detailed Test Plan will be posted to the NCSBN website in December 2016. This document offers a more thorough and comprehensive listing of content for each client needs category and subcategory as outlined in the test plan. The 2017 NCLEX-PN Detailed Test Plan will exist in two versions, a candidate version and an item writer/item reviewer/nurse educator version. The versions are identical in content except the item writer/item reviewer/nurse educator version offers an item writing guide and a section with case scenarios.
NCSBN Board of Directors (BOD) Upholds Current Passing Standard for the NCLEX-RN Examination
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), www.ncsbn.org, voted on Dec. 9, 2015, to uphold the current passing standard for the NCLEX-RN Examination (the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses). The passing standard will remain at the current level of 0.00 logit that was instituted April 1, 2013. This passing standard will remain in effect through March 31, 2019.
After consideration of all available information, the NCSBN BOD determined the current passing standard was sufficient as a measure of safe and effective entry-level registered nurse (RN) practice. The BOD used multiple sources of information to guide its evaluation and discussion of the passing standard. As part of this process, NCSBN convened an expert panel of 11 nurses to perform a criterion-referenced standard-setting procedure. The panel's findings supported retaining the current passing standard. NCSBN also considered the results of national surveys of nursing professionals, including nursing educators, directors of nursing in acute care settings and administrators of long-term care facilities.
In accordance with a motion adopted by the 1989 NCSBN Delegate Assembly, the NCSBN BOD evaluates the passing standard for the NCLEX-RN Examination every three years to protect the public by ensuring minimal competence for entry-level RNs. NCSBN coordinates the passing standard analysis with the three-year cycle of test plan evaluation. This three-year cycle was developed to keep the test plan and passing standard current.
A PDF of the 2016 NCLEX-RN Test Plan is available free of charge from the NCSBN website.
About NCSBN:
Founded March 15, 1978, as an independent not-for-profit organization, NCSBN was created to lessen the burdens of state governments and bring together boards of nursing (BONs) to act and counsel together on matters of common interest. NCSBN’s membership is comprised of the BONs in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories — American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. There are also 24 associate members that are either nursing regulatory bodies or empowered regulatory authorities from other countries or territories.
NCSBN Member Boards protect the public by ensuring that safe and competent nursing care is provided by licensed nurses. These BONs regulate more than 4.5 million licensed nurses.
Mission: NCSBN provides education, service and research through collaborative leadership to promote evidence-based regulatory excellence for patient safety and public protection.
Pearson VUE delivers the RN and LPN NCLEX examination for the the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). These two examinations are used to test entry-level nursing competence of candidates for licensure as RNs and LPNs. Licensure candidates can visit www.pearsonvue.com/nclex to register for the NCLEX® and obtain detailed instructions. A candidate may also register for the NCLEX® by contacting Pearson VUE at 1-866-496-2539.
