Letting Multiple Licenses Expire?

[westieluv]

I am in the process of leaving a job that required me to be licensed in multiple states where I do not live nor will ever move to (telephone triage job that required me to handle calls in those states remotely). Right now, I have no plans to return to this job anytime soon.

I am fine for right now, but when these licenses (four of them) come up for renewal in 2017, what do I need to do if I do not wish to renew them? Do I just let them expire? Do I contact the BONs in each state and let them know I do not wish to renew? Do I put them on inactive status?

I just don't want to leave a trail of "lapsed" licenses on my nursing record, I think it looks really bad, like I didn't care and just forgot to renew or something.

[kiszi, RN]

Your gut feeling is right. Not only does it look bad, if you ever wanted to reactivate a lapsed license, you would have a ton of hoops to jump through. Fewer hoops involved to reactivate an inactive license. Every state is different. I suggest looking on each board's website for how to place on inactive status, probably in the renewal section. To place my Ohio license on inactive, I just had to send an email.

[westieluv]

Thanks for reminding me of what a pain it would be if I let these licenses lapse and then did decide in the future to return to this company! I will put them on inactive status when the time comes.