Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 11, August 30, 2024
(1)
License Periods:
(a) The Alabama single state
registered nurse license shall be valid for two years beginning January 1 of
each odd-numbered year and expiring December 31 of each even-numbered
year.
(b) The Alabama multistate
registered nurse license shall be valid for two years beginning January 1 of
each even-numbered year and expiring December 31 of each odd-numbered
year.
(c) All practical nurse
licenses shall be valid for two years beginning January 1 of each even-numbered
year and expiring December 31 of each odd-numbered year.
(2) Continuing Education Earning Period:
Period of time during which contact hours shall be accrued. Begins upon initial
licensure or renewal of an individual nurse's license during the renewal period
and ends upon renewal of the individual nurse's license during the next renewal
period.
(3) Renewal of License
(a) Beginning in 2022, the renewal period
shall be from 8:00 a.m. on September 1 to 4:30 p.m. on December 31 of the year
the license expires.
(b) Renewal
notices may be transmitted electronically.
(c) To be eligible for renewal, the applicant
shall:
1. Hold a valid, active Alabama
license.
2. Submit a completed
electronic renewal application and required fee(s).
3. Meet continuing education requirements.
(i) A licensed nurse shall, for the first
license renewal, earn four contact hours of Board-provided continuing education
related to statutory and administrative frameworks for nursing regulation,
scope of practice, and standards of practice and one contact hour for each
calendar month remaining in the earning period up to a maximum of 24 contact
hours including the four hours of Board-provided continuing education
referenced in the section.
(ii) A
licensed nurse shall earn in each earning period not less than 24 contact hours
of Board-approved or Board-recognized continuing education as a condition for
renewal of license for the subsequent license period.
(iii) Failure to meet the continuing
education requirement shall be cause for the license to lapse.
(4) An active
license is required to practice nursing. The licensee shall have evidence of
the active license available for employer inspection by January 1 of the new
license period.
(5) Failure to
receive the renewal application or notice shall not relieve the licensee of the
responsibility of renewing the license by the expiration date.
(6) Any license not renewed as of December 31
of the renewal period shall lapse. Any individual who practices with a lapsed
license shall be subject to penalties established under 610-X-8.
(7) Advanced practice nurses holding Alabama
RN licenses shall renew approval to practice at the time of license renewal.
Advanced practice nurses holding multistate RN licenses issued by party states
shall renew approval to practice between September 1 and December 31 of
odd-numbered years. Failure to meet the requirements of Chapter 610-X-5 or
Chapter 610-X-9, as applicable, shall result in lapse of the advanced practice
approval. The advanced practice approval shall expire prior to the RN license
if the advanced practice nurse's national certification expires during the
license period.
(a) Alabama-licensed Certified
Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNP) and Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) with
prescriptive authority shall earn, as part of the required twenty-four (24)
Board-approved or Board-recognized continuing education contact hours for
license renewal, six contact hours of pharmacology content specific to
prescriptive practice in the approved area for collaborative practice. Graduate
pharmacology academic credit earned during the nurse practitioner or nurse
midwife educational program prior to initial approval as a CRNP or CNM does not
qualify as pharmacology continuing education for renewal of approval as a CRNP
or CNM.
(b) Alabama-licensed
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) shall earn, as part of the
required twenty-four (24) Board-approved or Board-recognized continuing
education contact hours for license renewal, six contact hours of pharmacology.
Graduate pharmacology academic credit earned during the nurse anesthetist
educational program prior to initial approval as a CRNA does not qualify as
pharmacology continuing education for renewal of approval as a CRNA.
(c) Alabama-licensed Clinical Nurse
Specialists (CNSs) shall earn, as part of the required twenty-four (24)
Board-approved or Board-recognized continuing education contact hours for
license renewal, six contact hours of pharmacology. Graduate pharmacology
academic credit earned during the clinical nurse specialist program prior to
initial approval as a CNS does not qualify as pharmacology continuing education
for renewal of approval as a CNS.
(d) If one year or less remains in the
license period at the time of initial approval, continuing education contact
hours specific to pharmacology are not required for the first advanced practice
renewal.
(e) If the applicant for
advanced practice approval holding an Alabama single state RN license is
granted approval during the renewal period for single state licensed registered
nurses, the approval will expire at the end of the next even-numbered year
license period or the national certification period, whichever comes
first.
(f) If the applicant for
advanced practice approval holding a multistate registered nurse license is
granted approval during the renewal period for multistate licensed registered
nurses, the approval will expire at the end of the next odd-numbered year
license period or the national certification period, whichever comes
first.
(8) No later than
June 30, 2020, Alabama-approved advanced practice nurses holding multistate
licenses issued by party states other than Alabama shall notify the Board of
their home state licensure status. Such nurses shall not be required to renew
advanced practice approval in 2020; advanced practice approval must be renewed
between September 1 and December 31 of every odd-numbered year
thereafter.
(9) If an advanced
practice nurse holding a multistate registered nurse license issued by a party
state other than Alabama fails to maintain RN licensure in his or her home
state, the advanced practice approval shall immediately lapse.
(10) Beginning January 1, 2020, and ending
July 1, 2020, any eligible licensed practical nurse holding an Alabama single
state license may elect to pay a one-time fee to convert the single state
license to a multistate license. Following conversion, the multistate license
shall be subject to all conditions of multistate licensure. Conversion from
single state to multistate licensure shall not occur after July 1,
2020.
(11) A licensed nurse may
apply to convert his or her single state license to a multistate license during
the single state license renewal period; however, the conversion application is
not complete until all elements of the application are received by the Board,
including, but not limited to, the criminal history record information report
and required continuing education. If the application for conversion to a
multistate license filed during the single state license renewal period is not
complete prior to the end of the single state license renewal period, but the
nurse's application otherwise satisfies all requirements for renewal of the
nurse's single state license, the single state license may be renewed, at the
discretion of the Board, pending completion of the conversion
process.
Author: Alabama Board of Nursing
Statutory Authority:
Code of Ala.
1975, §
34-21-23; Act 89-243.
