Section 1300.20  Application for Examination or Licensure

a)         Each applicant shall file, with the Division or the testing service designated by the Division, a completed, signed application, on forms supplied by the Division, that includes:

1)         proof of graduation from a nursing education program that meets the requirements of Section 1300.40 of this Part;

2)        a complete work history within the last 5 years from a practical nurse education program or a professional nurse education program, whichever came first;

3)         verification of fingerprint processing from the Illinois Department of State Police, or its designated agent.  (Practical nurses licensed in Illinois are not required to be fingerprinted when applying for a license as a registered professional nurse.)  Applicants shall contact the Illinois Department of State Police, or its designated agent, for fingerprint processing.  Out-of-state residents unable to utilize the State Police fingerprint process may submit to the Division one set of fingerprint cards issued by the Illinois Department of State Police and one set of fingerprint cards issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, accompanied by the specified processing fee pursuant to Section 1300.15.  Fingerprints shall be taken within the 60 days prior to application;

4)         the required fees set forth in Section 1300.15 of this Part;

5)         for applicants educated outside the United States or its territories, the following:

A)        a credentials evaluation report of the applicant's foreign nursing education from one of the following Division-approved credentialing services:

i)          Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) Credentials Evaluation Service (CES);

ii)         Educational Records Evaluation Service; or

iii)         International Education Research Foundation;

B)        if the applicant's first language is not English, certification of passage of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  The minimum passing score on the paper-based test is 560, computer-based test is 220, and internet-based test is 83.  The Division may, upon recommendation from an approved credentials evaluation service, waive the requirement that the applicant pass the TOEFL examination if the applicant submits verification of the successful completion of a nursing education program conducted in English or the passage of an approved licensing examination given in English;

6)         official transcripts of theory and clinical education prepared by an official of the military for a practical nurse applicant who has received practical nursing education in the military service.  This education must meet the standards set forth in Section 1300.40; and

7)         verification from the jurisdictions in which the applicant was originally licensed, current state of licensure and any other jurisdiction in which the applicant has been actively practicing within the last 5 years, if applicable, stating:

A)        the time during which the applicant was licensed in that jurisdiction, including the date of original issuance of the license; and

B)        whether the file on the applicant contains any record of disciplinary actions taken or pending.

b)         Any applicant who fails to demonstrate fulfillment of the education requirements shall be notified in writing and must satisfy the deficiency before being granted temporary authority to practice nursing, as permitted under Section 5-15(g) or (i) of the Act, or being admitted to the examination.  Deficiencies in nursing theory and/or clinical practice may be removed by taking the required courses in an approved nursing education program.

c)         When the applicant has completed the nursing education program in less than the usual length of time through advanced standing or transfer of credits from one institution to another, the Director of nursing education shall include an explanation in the certification.

d)         Pursuant to Section 10-35 of the Act, when an applicant has completed a nonapproved program that is a correspondence course or a program of nursing that does not require coordinated or concurrent theory and clinical practice, the Division may grant a license to an applicant who has applied in accordance with subsection (a) and who has received an advanced graduate degree in nursing from an approved program with concurrent theory and clinical practice or who is currently licensed in another state and has been actively practicing in clinical nursing for a minimum of 2 years.  Clinical practice for purposes of this Section means nursing practice that involves direct physical (psychomotor and psychosocial) patient (client) care with an acute care facility.

1)         Clinical practice areas that would meet the requirements for clinical practice include the following:

A)        Adult Medical Surgical Nursing

B)        Pediatric Nursing

C)        Maternity Nursing

D)        Emergency Nursing

E)         Critical Care Nursing

F)         Post-Anesthesia Care Nursing

2)         Clinical practice shall not include:

A)        Telephone or Triage Nursing

B)        Patient Education (i.e., diabetic education)

C)        Patient Counseling

3)         A year of clinical practice consists of not less than 1500 hours of direct patient care.

4)         The Board of Nursing will review clinical practice documentation that does not meet the requirements of this subsection (d).

e)         Credentials of education and licensure, if not in English, shall be accompanied by a certified translation.

f)          After filing the original application, any change of name must be supported by an affidavit satisfactory to the Division.

g)         If an applicant has taken and passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) in accordance with Section 1300.25 of this Part, the applicant shall file an application in accordance with subsection (a) and shall have the examination scores submitted to the Division directly from the testing entity or from the state of original licensure.

(Source:  Amended at 30 Ill. Reg. 8582, effective April 21, 2006)