North Carolina RN license certificate

[MistaT33]

I'm a new grad and recently passed the NCLEX. I finally got my official license in the mail. I was expecting a card of some sort. I've talked to friends in other states (I applied out of state) and they said their state gave them a card. NC gave me a certificate (piece of paper with a NCBON seal on it). Is this normal to get a certificate instead of a card (a driver's license type card)?

[elkpark]

Welcome to allnurses! :balloons:

North Carolina, like a growing number of states, has gone to a "paperless" license system. When you initially get licensed, they send you a certificate suitable for framing, in case you want (or need) to display a license in an office, etc. But there are no more "wallet cards," and haven't been for several years. CMS and the states no longer consider a photocopy of a physical license to be adequate verification of a person's license -- hospitals and other healthcare employers are expected to verify licensure directly with the BON via the BON website. So, there's really no need to have a paper or plastic license.

Physical, paper or plastic, licenses can be altered or forged. The trend is toward doing away with them entirely, for greater security, and NC was one of the earlier states to do this. There are still some states that issue "physical" licenses, but, eventually, I expect, they will all go "paperless."