With mild winters and a growing economy, North Carolina is becoming an increasingly popular destination to live and work. To make things even better, the state offers a diverse landscape, from its awe-inspiring mountains to the beautiful coastline. If you are a registered nurse (RN), the state’s excellent healthcare facilities and plenty of job opportunities make it a terrific place for you.
Like the rest of the country, North Carolina also has a staffing shortage of nurses across all specializations, especially registered nurses. According to researchers, North Carolina expects to see a shortage of almost 12,500 registered nurses in the next decade. The scarcity can put more pressure on the state’s healthcare system. The North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON) is encouraging qualified nurses to join the ranks and support the state’s healthcare system.
If you are already practicing as a registered nurse in North Carolina, you also have an important role in fighting the growing shortage by maintaining your RN license. Granted, a lack of adequate staffing means a busier schedule, however, Fast CE for Less offers convenient nursing CEU courses for registered nurse license in North Carolina to help them meet the states nursing continuing education requirement.
Nursing boards across the country issue licenses that expire every two to three years. Each state’s nursing board sets its own continuing competency requirements. To ensure you retain your license and continue practicing legally, you must understand the nursing board requirements for license renewal in North Carolina.
Fast CE For Less has created this guide to explain the license renewal process for registered nurses in North Carolina. By reading this guide, you will know exactly how to renew your credentials on time.
How to Renew Your Registered Nurse License in North Carolina
Knowing what to do is the real key to renewing your license and continue practicing as a registered nurse in North Carolina. The NCBON requires registered nurses in the state to renew their credentials to ensure they are competent in the delivery of patient care.
To renew your license, you must do more than file an application. You must also fulfill continuing competency requirements for the state’s nursing board to consider you eligible for license renewal in North Carolina. You must also ensure you do not miss the deadline to complete your application with NCBON.
Let’s take a closer look at the steps to renew your registered nurse license in North Carolina.
Step 1: Identify the Last Day to Submit Your License Renewal Application
Each state defines the renewal period for license holders practicing within its jurisdiction. In North Carolina, NCBON has set a two-year renewal period. Since the expiry date is tied to a license holder’s birthday, it is very easy to determine the date for your license renewal.
A registered nurse’s license in North Carolina expires on the last day of their birth month every two years. If you receive your license in an even-numbered year, it will expire at the end of your birthday month every even-numbered year. Similarly, it will end on the last day of your birth month every odd-numbered year if you received yours in an odd-numbered year.
That said, your initial license renewal period might be longer or shorter based on when you receive yours in correspondence to your birth month. You can begin the renewal process within 90 days of the deadline. Failing to renew your license before the deadline means it can expire. If that happens, you must apply with the state board to reinstate your license, which is more expensive than renewing it on time.
Step 2: Fulfill the Continuing Competency Requirements
Completing your continuing competency requirements is critical to renew your license. Each state’s nursing board defines the prerequisites a license holder must meet to qualify for renewal. Completing a required number of contact hours through nursing continuing education courses is a crucial part of a license holder’s competency requirement.
In North Carolina, the NCBON requires registered nurse license holders to complete at least 30 contact hours of nursing continuing education courses. While the board does not define specific courses registered nurses must complete, it is mandatory to take courses from a state board-approved resource, like www.fastceforless.com.
Step 3: Complete the Application for License Renewal
After fulfilling your competency requirements, you can begin applying for license renewal in North Carolina. To complete the application online, you should head to NCBON’s Nurse Gateway. After accessing the portal, you must click the option to renew. Next, follow the prompts and answer all the questions. Once you complete the application, you can complete registration by submitting the fees and application online.
Understand Continuing Competency Requirements
While completing 30 contact hours of nursing continuing education courses from a state board-approved resource can qualify you for license renewal, you can explore more options. Besides completing 30 contact hours during your 24-month renewal period, a few other avenues to explore include:
- Completing 15 contact hours of nursing continuing education courses and 640 hours of active practice as a registered nurse during the renewal period.
- Getting recertified by a national credentialing body.
- Completing at least two semester hours of post-licensure academic education relevant to your role as a nurse.
- Completing 15 contact hours of nursing continuing education courses and a nursing project as a co-investigator or principal investigator.
- Finishing 15 contact hours of nursing continuing education alongside authoring or co-authoring a book, chapter, paper, or article related to nursing.
- Completing 15 contact hours of nursing continuing education courses and conducting presentations related to continuing education amounting to at least five hours total.
To learn more about the competency requirements to renew your registered nurse license in North Carolina, visit www.fastceforless.com/nursing-ce-/north-carolina.
If you want access to convenient, affordable, and flexible bundles of continuing education courses, online nursing CEUs like those by Fast CE For Less are available at www.fastceforless.com.
