Overview
The Board’s top priorities are to efficiently license the nursing workforce and remove dangerous practitioners from practice in a timely manner to protect Ohio patients. Public protection is critical, as nursing touches virtually every citizen of Ohio. The mission of the Ohio Board of Nursing is to actively safeguard the health of the public through the effective regulation of nursing care.
Registered Nursing (RN) & Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensure by Examination
Applicants Must Meet the Following Requirements:
- Submit completed application.
- Submit a $75.00 non-refundable fee payable to “Treasurer, State of Ohio”. Personal checks or cash will not be accepted. Send a certified check, cashier’s check or money order. Business checks from government entities, corporations, and education or training programs will be accepted. Payments must be drawn on a United States (U.S.) bank and payable in U.S. dollars.
Note: If the submitted fee does not meet the requirements, the entire application will be returned to you.
- Register with the testing agency before or just after submitting the licensure application to take the licensure test, NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination). You may use any of the following ways to complete the registration:
- Register online. The registration fee of $200 can be paid via American Express, Visa, or MasterCard. OR
- By mail: You may request the Board of Nursing office to send an NCLEX registration form. Provide essential details in the form and include an appropriate fee of $200.00 in the form of a money order or cashiers check made payable to the NCSBN (National Council of State Boards of Nursing). Mail it to the following address:
NCLEX Operations
Post Office Box 64950
St. Paul, Minnesota- 55164-0950
- When all your essential documents are approved, the Board will inform the testing agency, Pearson VUE, making you eligible to take the licensure exam.
- Pearson VUE will send you an ATT (Authorization to Test) via email or on the address provided by you during the registration process.
- Upon receiving the ATT, schedule the licensure exam
- Complete a criminal background record check.
- Submit required documentation for education:
Graduates of Approved Ohio Nursing Education Programs:
- The director of the program must submit directly to the Board, a program completion letter certifying: the applicant completed a nursing education program; the date the applicant entered the program; the date of program completion (not graduation); and the type of certificate/diploma awarded. The name on your completion letter must match the name on the application.
LPN Ohio Graduates:
- All licensed practical nurse applicants who have graduated from an approved Ohio nursing education program must have an Intravenous (IV) Therapy designation on their program completion letter in order to be authorized to administer IV Therapy in Ohio.
Graduates of Non-Ohio Nursing Education Programs:
The nursing education program must send a signed and sealed transcript directly to the Board. The diploma, certificate or degree, and the date of completion must be indicated on the transcript. Form B may be used to obtain this transcript.
- Note: Copies of transcripts sent by applicants will not be accepted.
Foreign Educated Applicants:
- Contact the CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) and request the CES (Credentials Evaluation Service) Professional Report, which must be sent directly to the Ohio Board of Nursing. The report must be sent directly from CGFNS to the Board.
- Foreign educated applicants are also required to provide proof of English proficiency, which may be met by passing the TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with a minimum passing score of 83 or above. The test scores of the exam must be submitted directly to the Ohio Board from the testing group. Contact ETS (Educational Testing Services) at: 609-771-7100. This requirement does not apply for those applicants who have completed their graduation from a college, university, or any other professional education program situated in Australia, Barbados, Jamaica, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Tobago, and Trinidad or Canada (except Quebec, unless the person has completed graduation from McGill University, Vanier College in St. Laurent, Dawson College in Montreal, Heritage College in Gatineau or John Abbot College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue).
- Return your complete, signed and notarized application with a $75.00 non-refundable fee to:
Ohio Board of Nursing
Attention: Licensure Unit
17 South High Street, Suite 400
Columbus, Ohio 43215 -7410
For more information about the examination process, click here.
Click here to view the exam application completion check list.
Registered Nursing (RN) & Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensure by Endorsement
Applicants Must Meet the Following Requirements:
- Submit completed application.
- Submit a $75.00 non-refundable fee payable to “Treasurer, State of Ohio”. Personal checks or cash will not be accepted. Send a certified check, cashier’s check or money order. Business checks from government entities, corporations, and education or training programs will be accepted. Payments must be drawn on a United States (U.S.) bank and payable in U.S. dollars.
Note: If the submitted fee does not meet the requirements, the entire application will be returned to you.
- Complete a criminal background record check.
- Submit required documentation for education:
LPN IV Therapy:
- All licensed practical nurse graduates of non-Ohio nursing education programs must provide evidence of successful completion of a course in medication administration in order to be authorized to administer medications or evidence of successful completion of an IV course in order to be authorized to perform limited IV Therapy. For IV Therapy, you must submit a syllabus and/or course curriculum demonstrating successful completion of a course in the administration of IV Therapy. If it is determined that your coursework meets Ohio criteria for IV Therapy, you will be required to take a one hour module related to Ohio law and rules.
Foreign Educated Applicants:
- Have an official transcript (English translation) submitted directly from your nursing education program, or a Credentialing Evaluation Service (CES) Professional Report from The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). You may contact CGFNS at (215) 349-8767 to request the report. The report must be sent directly from CGFNS to the Board. Education documents must be sufficient for the Board to determine whether the program has educational content and requirements that are substantially similar to Ohio requirements.
- Provide evidence satisfactory to the Board of possessing a working knowledge of the English language. Refer to the application for a list of acceptable English Proficiency tests and passing scores. This requirement does not apply to a foreign educated nurse graduate who graduated from a college, university, or professional education program located in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, or Canada (except Quebec unless the individual graduated from McGill University, Dawson College in Montreal, Vanier College in St. Laurent, John Abbot College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue or Heritage College in Gatineau).
- Verification of licensure by examination as a registered nurse or practical nurse must be sent directly from the jurisdiction of your original licensure by examination; or electronically by NURSYS; and
- Proof of a current, valid and unrestricted license as a registered nurse or practical nurse must be sent directly from any jurisdiction, or electronically by NURSYS. If you do not have a current, valid, license in any jurisdiction of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, you will need to meet the reactivation requirements in the jurisdiction in which you are licensed prior to being endorsed by Ohio.
Note: If you hold a license in a NURSYS state, you must request verification on-line. If you do not know if your state is part of the NURSYS system, you can view this information on the NURSYS website. Only complete Form A (enclosed) if your state does not provide data to the NURSYS system.
- Provide a certificate showing completion of two contact hours of continuing education directly related to Chapter 4723., ORC and the rules of the Board. The continuing education must be approved by the Board, an OBN approver, or offered by an OBN approved provider unit headquartered in the State of Ohio.
- Return your complete, signed and notarized application with a $75.00 non-refundable fee to:
Ohio Board of Nursing
Attention: Licensure Unit
17 South High Street, Suite 400
Columbus, Ohio 43215 -7410
For more information about the examination process, click here.
Click here to view the endorsement application completion check list.
For more information visit the official Ohio Board of Nursing website.