Do I need to keep RN license active?

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My RN and NP license are to expire in a couple weeks and I don't know the answer. Do I need to keep my RN license active anymore now that I'm practicing as an NP?

I'm not planning on doing an per diem work as an RN.

Thanks

Alicia777 ..

which makes me wonder why can't we have a separate licensing board for nurse practitioners? Besides, I see nothing in common between RN and NP professions, and keeping a valid RN license along with NP license is a nuisance & pain for NP.

NPs are more closer to MDs within scope of their practice. Also it has been explained and discussed previously in this nursing forum, NP professional liabilities are much higher than RN since NP treat and diagnose the patients independently.

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Alicia777 ..

which makes me wonder why can't we have a separate licensing board for nurse practitioners? Besides, I see nothing in common between RN and NP professions, and keeping a valid RN license along with NP license is a nuisance & pain for NP.

NPs are more closer to MDs within scope of their practice. Also it has been explained and discussed previously in this nursing forum, NP professional liabilities are much higher than RN since NP treat and diagnose the patients independently.

Be careful what you wish. I 'm an advocate of NPs being regulated under the board of nursing and think this is the ideal solution. The alternative in some states is oversight by the medical board or a joint effort between the boards of nursing and medicine. I am no expert in healthcare politics or policy but believe that much of the advancement in scope of practice by NPs has been by lobbying to have oversight by boards of nursing without medical involvement. In my state there is no difference in scope of practice between a PA and NP due to involvement by the medical board.

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Be careful what you wish. I 'm an advocate of NPs being regulated under the board of nursing and think this is the ideal solution. The alternative in some states is oversight by the medical board or a joint effort between the boards of nursing and medicine. I am no expert in healthcare politics or policy but believe that much of the advancement in scope of practice by NPs has been by lobbying to have oversight by boards of nursing without medical involvement. In my state there is no difference in scope of practice between a PA and NP due to involvement by the medical board.

Agreed - the negatives of being regulated under the BON pale in comparision to what the Board of Medicine would do to NP's. I'm sure if they AMA had there way NP's would have an even more narrow scope then PA's.

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Specializes in family practice.

Well Alicia, I don't know what state you are in, but in Az after you pay for your NP license once you don't have to pay again. When it's time to renew, you renew just your RN license and your NP license is automatically renewed (therefore you don't pay twice). NP license expires when RN does.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

California is the same way as Arizona. Once you're an NP, you only renew with a one time fee which includes both RN and NP licensing renewal fees rolled into one application.

Nebraska has a separate Board of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. But even there an active RN license is required.

I personally don't get ticked off by the need to renew both. The fees are not astronomical relative to NP pay. Besides, there's other fees such as national certification and DEA that are more expensive. Nurses with specialty certification (CCRN, CEN, etc) have to renew those too.

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Specializes in Family Practice.

I know based on California's scope of practice for an advanced practice nurse, it specifies his or her role doesn't go beyond a registered nurse. Advanced training and credentialing gives NPs the right to practice and perform duties that overlap. With that being said you have to keep your RN license active. :yes:

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Specializes in psychiatric nursing.

It is my understanding that the license is RN, and the NP is from getting a certification, not another license.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
It is my understanding that the license is RN, and the NP is from getting a certification, not another license.

Not where I am. NP is a license...the specific type would be the certification. There is an NP license.

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Specializes in Emergency.

My state issues two licenses, one for your RN and one for your NP, both need to be renewed.

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