Section 1000-02-.01 - LICENSURE BY EXAMINATION(1) Application - The application form provided by the Board is to be completed in part by the applicant, signed by him, and attested by a notary public. (a) The name as signed by the applicant will be the name carried in the records of the Board. (See 1000-02-03(3) for name change regulation.)(b) Part of this application is to be completed by an official of the school of practical nursing from which the applicant graduated.(c) The completed application, accompanied by the statutory fee, shall be submitted to the Board. A filing date for the application is set by the Board for each scheduled examination.(d) Part of this application shall be one (1) recent photograph signed by the applicant and the director of the program. Date photograph was taken must not be more than six (6) months from the filing date of the examination.(e) Part of this application shall be the result of a criminal background check which the applicant has caused to be submitted to the Board's administrative office directly from the vendor identified in the Board's licensure application materials.(f) Only a person who has filed the required application, paid the fee, and been notified of acceptance by the Board shall be permitted to write the examination.(2) Qualifications. (b) An applicant for examination who graduated from a school approved by a Board of Nursing in another jurisdiction shall have had substantially the same course of study as stated in the minimum curriculum requirements for Tennessee approved schools of practical nursing at the time of his application or make up the deficiencies by the Tennessee Board.(c) Applicants who completed the course of study more than ten (10) years prior to the date of application to write the examination shall be considered for eligibility to initially apply to write the examination in Tennessee only on an individual basis.(3) Examination and Re-examination - The Board Shall determine the time, location, and schedule of examinations and conduct them according to policies and procedures which protect examination security. (a) The licensure examination may be prepared by the Board or by others delegated to do so by the Board.(b) The passing score for each form of the Tennessee Licensure Examination shall be determined by the Board.(c) Prior to the examination date, each accepted applicant will be sent an admission card which shall be presented by the applicant for admission to the examination center.(d) An applicant who has failed the licensure examination may rewrite the examination a second time by notifying the Board and paying the required fee.(e) The statutory re-examination fee shall apply to each re-examination.(f) Examination Failure. 1. An applicant who fails to qualify for licensure on the second and subsequent examinations may be requested to meet recommendations of the Board before writing subsequent examinations. Each applicant shall be considered on an individual basis.2. After an applicant for licensure by examination fails to qualify for licensure within a three year period following graduation from an approved program of nursing, the applicant must, prior to retaking the examination, complete a board approved or National League for Nursing accredited program of nursing.(g) The score reported to the applicant shall remain as the permanent score unless it is challenged within four (4) months following date of examination.(h) An applicant whose scores meet the requirements set by the Board will receive an official report and a license to practice as a nurse in Tennessee.Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1000-02-.01
Original rule certified May 10, 1974. Amendment filed June 1, 1982; effective July 16, 1982. Amendment filed February 28, 1983; effective March 30, 1983. Amendment filed January 31, 1985; effective March 2. 1985. Amendment filed January 30, 1987; effective March 16, 1987. Amendment filed April 12, 1996; effective June 26, 1996. Amendment filed March 14, 2006; effective May 28, 2006. Amendment filed March 23, 2007; effective June 6, 2007.Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-202, 4-5-204, 63-7-110, and 63-7-207.