Texas

The Texas Board of Nursing protects and promotes the welfare of the people of Texas through the regulation of the practice of nursing and the approval of nursing education programs.

The Texas Board of Nursing ensures that each person licensed as a nurse through examination or endorsement from other states is competent to practice safely. It also approves qualified RN to enter practice as advanced practice nurses (APN), including clinical nurse specialists (CNS), nurse anesthetists (CRNA), nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives. The board approves schools of nursing which prepare nurses for initial entry into nursing practice, conducts an annual review of approval status of all nursing education programs and conducts on-site surveys of programs.

It enforces the Nursing Practice Act as well as rules and regulations by setting minimum standards for nursing practice and nursing education, conducting investigations of complaints against nurses and adjudicating complaints. The Texas Board of Nursing implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact on January 1, 2000. The Nurse Licensure Compact provides for states to recognize a license from another state. In Texas, nurses are required to renew their license every two years and provide evidence of required continuing education.