Over the years I've known several nurses who allowed their nursing licensure to temporarily lapse due to not paying the renewal fee on time. This phenomenon has always interested me for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the renewal fee in the state where I live is $67 once every two years. In other words, it is $33.50 annually when broken down. This amount of money would not seem like a steep economic hurdle to climb for most middle-income nurses.
Secondly, these nurses are taken off the schedule by HR or management until the moment that their licensure reflects active status. Therefore, they are not earning any money while their licensure is lapsed or delinquent, sometimes for several weeks.
Finally, the majority of the nurses I've known who have failed to pay their renewal fees on time appear to use very expensive phones, drive late model cars, and eat fast food or carry-out restaurant meals regularly.
Paying my license renewal fee is a priority for me because, without my licensure, I can no longer generate the income to pay for anything else. If I ever found myself in such a bind that I had to choose which bill to pay, I would always pay the renewal fee first or, at the very least, borrow the money to pay the renewal fee. After all, without an active license, payments for the top-of-the-line phone, nice car, or restaurant food would soon cease to occur.
