12.3 Obtaining Your Nursing License
Licensure is the process by which a State Board of Nursing (SBON) grants permission to an individual to engage in nursing practice after verifying the applicant has attained the competency necessary to perform the scope of practice of a registered nurse (RN).[1] The SBON verifies these three components:
- Verification of graduation from an approved prelicensure practical nursing education program
- Verification of successful completion of NCLEX-PN examination
- A criminal background check (in some states)[2]
Requirements for licensure renewal vary from state to state. Some states require continued education credits (CEUs), along with the payment of fees. In Wisconsin the nursing license is renewed every two years. See Figure 12.2[3] for an image of a simulated nursing license.
Use this map for contact information for the State Boards of Nursing.
Read more details on obtaining a Wisconsin LPN license at DSPS’s Licensed Practical Nurse web page.
Nurse Licensure Compact
When applying for your nursing license from your State Board of Nursing (SBON), you may also be eligible to apply for a multistate license. The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) allows nurses to practice in other NLC states with their original state’s practical nursing license without having to obtain additional licenses, contingent upon remaining a resident of that state. Currently, 41 states have enacted the NLC. Read more information about the NLC using the information in the following box.
View the current Nurse Licensure Compact Map.
Read this algorithm on how to Navigate the Nurse Licensure Compact.
Watch a video[4] from the NCSBN for nursing students on the Nurse Licensure Compact: Guide to NLC for Nursing Students.
- NCSBN. https://www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm ↵
- NCSBN. https://www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm ↵
- “3277658479_86d3d7d61c_o.jpg” by Vernon Dutton is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 ↵
- NCSBN. (2020). Guide to NLC for nursing students [Video]. All rights reserved. https://www.ncsbn.org/video/nclex-using-cat ↵
The process by which a State Board of Nursing (SBON) grants permission to an individual to engage in nursing practice after verifying the applicant has attained the competency necessary to perform the scope of practice of a registered nurse (RN).
Allows nurses to practice in other NLC states with their original state’s practical nursing license without having to obtain additional licenses, contingent upon remaining a resident of that state.