If a Licensee Fails to Renew License and Continues to Practice
When you finally become a nurse after years of studying and hard work; the thought of never having to open a textbook is refreshing. However, in every nurse's journey, there are continuing education and renewal requirements they need to meet. Your nursing licensure must not only be achieved to practice but also maintained through these CE credentials. When nurses do not maintain their licensure through renewals and CE requirements; this leads to an inactive or expired license. An expired license can have both a direct and indirect effect on your daily nursing practice and overall career.
You Can Not Practice Nursing
In most states, you are not allowed to legally practice nursing if you do not renew your registration and your license expires. This affects your life directly especially since nursing is most likely your full-time career. Not being able to practice in the career you have chosen can affect your mental health, finances, and hinder your professional development as a nurse.?
This also affects patients who have become accustomed to your care and with whom you have established a rapport.?
Additionally, travel nurses may find unique challenges in maintaining a consistent practice in different states if their licensure expires.
You May Have To Pay A Fee, Take a Re-entry exam, or both
This particular detail depends on which state you live in. Therefore, it is best to consult your State's Board of Nursing about maintaining nursing credentials, expired vs. inactive licensing, etc. Most states have a renewal fee and continuing education requirements to reinstate your license. In Florida for example, renewing your license can range anywhere between $120.00 to $240.00 depending on whether it was and will be inactive or active. These fees are in addition to the continuing education requirements for renewal. As a nurse, you may have a lot to worry about in both your professional and personal life.?
It is best to prevent adding these fees to your list of worries.
You May Fall Behind On Best Practices
Healthcare is always evolving as new evidence-based research can both validate or disqualify our current understanding of different illnesses and conditions. One example mentioned in this site involved the writer, Kathy Quan, having to supervise an LVN. The visit included administering an IM injection. The writer was shocked and horrified to see that the LVN chose the dorsogluteal area, which had already been designated an unsafe site for years due to sciatic nerve damage issues. However, the LVN insisted that was what she was taught many years before and held onto what she already knew. Kathy then had to intervene and counsel her later.
In this example, the LVN was badly in need of continuing education to learn about the updates and best practices in her methods of care. This may be one example, but it is an important lesson to us all that education and growth is a lifelong process. Clinical guidelines and healthcare practices change rapidly in response to evidence-based research that comes out. Falling behind on updates in healthcare can cause potential harm to your patients; affecting both their well-being and your rapport, as well as have potential legal implications for you as an individual nurse. It is always best to refresh your knowledge with CEs and license renewal every couple of years or so (timeline depending on your state).
Proper license maintenance and continuity of education also benefit your professional development. Adding CE credentials to your practice makes you appear more valuable as a healthcare employee to your current employer, future employer(s), and your patients.
So basically: Don't Let Your License Expire
Expired Licensure and the lack of continuity in your nursing education can cause delays in your daily life as a nurse because you will not be able to practice. Reinstating an expired license can cost you both financially and your limited time. Additionally, your quality of care can be affected because the science of healthcare practice always evolves.
Source: https://www.nursingce.com/blog/what-happens-if-you-let-your-nursing-license-expire/
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