Virginia Law

Article 2. Licensure of Registered Nurses.

Any person who holds a license or a multistate licensure privilege to practice professional nursing in Virginia shall have the right to use the title "registered nurse" and the abbreviation "R.N." No other person shall assume such title or use such abbreviation or any other words, letters, signs or devices to indicate that the person using the same is a registered nurse.

1970, c. 116, § 54-367.17; 1988, c. 765; 2004, c. 49.

Licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses may practice as correctional health assistants pursuant to § 54.1-2901.

1997, c. 720; 2023, c. 183.

A. An applicant for a license to practice professional nursing shall submit evidence satisfactory to the Board that such applicant:

1. Has completed an approved four-year high school course of study or the equivalent as determined by the appropriate educational agency;

2. Has received a diploma or degree from an approved professional nursing education program;

3. Has passed a written examination as required by the Board; and

4. Has committed no acts which are grounds for disciplinary action as set forth in this chapter.

B. The Board shall consider and may accept relevant practical experience and didactic and clinical components of education and training completed by an applicant for licensure as a registered nurse during his service as a member of any branch of the armed forces of the United States as evidence of the satisfaction of the educational requirements for licensure.

C. An applicant who graduated from a nursing education program in a foreign country shall be required to:

1. Have (i) graduated or be eligible to graduate from a licensing board-approved RN or LPN/VN prelicensure education program or (ii) graduated from a foreign RN or LPN/VN prelicensure education program that has been approved by the authorized accrediting body in the applicable country and has been verified by an independent credentials review agency recognized by the Board to be comparable to a U.S. licensing board-approved RN or LPN/VN prelicensure education program; and

2. Have, if a graduate of a foreign RN or LPN/VN prelicensure education program not taught in English or if English is not the individual's native language, successfully passed an English proficiency examination that includes reading, speaking, writing, and listening components.

The Board shall identify multiple approved entities to provide language examinations and multiple approved entities to evaluate and verify credentials earned from a nursing education program in a foreign country. The Board shall make the list of approved entities publicly available on its website.

Code 1950, § 54-346; 1970, c. 116; 1979, c. 5, § 54-367.13; 1982, c. 598; 1988, c. 765; 2011, c. 390; 2023, c. 579.

The Board may issue a provisional license to an applicant for licensure as a registered nurse who has met the educational and examination requirements for licensure, in order to allow the applicant to obtain clinical experience, as specified by the Board in regulation. A person practicing under a provisional license shall only practice under the supervision of a licensed registered nurse, in accordance with regulations established by the Board.

2011, c. 712.

A. The Board may issue a license by endorsement to an applicant to practice professional nursing if the applicant has been licensed as a professional or registered nurse under the laws of another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States possession or territory, and, in the opinion of the Board, the applicant meets the qualifications required of registered nurses in this Commonwealth.

B. The Board shall also endorse for licensure nurses who hold an unrestricted license in Canada and whose training was obtained in a nursing school in Canada where English was the primary language and who have passed the Canadian Registered Nurses Examination (CRNE).

Code 1950, § 54-350; 1970, c. 116; 1982, c. 598, § 54-367.14; 1988, c. 765; 2002, c. 713.

Repealed by Acts 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 157, cl. 2, effective July 1, 2021.

Any person licensed by the Board as a registered nurse who wishes to provide sexual assault survivor treatment services or sexual assault survivor transfer services, as defined in § 32.1-162.15:2, to pediatric survivors of sexual assault, as defined in § 32.1-162.15:2, shall comply with the provisions of Article 8 (§ 32.1-162.15:2 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 32.1 applicable to pediatric medical care facilities.

2020, c. 725.