A Guide to Nursing Licenses and Renewals in Tennessee

Career Resources / Nursing Licensure / Tennessee

Obtaining and applying for a nursing license in Tennessee is easy if you know the proper steps. Whether you’re an experienced nurse relocating to Tennessee or you’ve just completed your nursing education, this guide will provide all of the information you need.

In this article, we will cover:

• How to get your Tennesse nursing license by exam
• How to get your license by endorsement
• How to renew your Tennessee nursing license
• Licensing fees
• Continuing education requirements
• How to contact the Tennessee Board of Nursing

How to get your Tennessee nursing license by examination

Step 1: Education

Being able to provide appropriate, knowledgeable care begins with earning your nursing degree from an accredited nursing school. Whether you choose a two-year program that leads to quick entry to the profession or opt for a baccalaureate degree, your education is the key to safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of patients in the state.

• Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) 
• Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing for those who have achieved a bachelor’s degree and who take the additional classes necessary to become a registered nurse.

Step 2: Apply

Tennessee provides those approaching their nursing program graduation with a straightforward, simple-to-follow timeline for applying for a new registered nursing license: 

• 6 weeks before graduation log on here to complete your fingerprint criminal background check. 
• 4 weeks before graduation log on here to complete the Tennessee licensure application.
• 2 weeks before graduation log on here to register for the NCLEX-RN and to pay the required $200 fee.
• Immediately after graduation, request that your official transcript be sent to the Board directly by your school.
• Upload a current photograph signed and dated on the front
• Upload a declaration of citizenship
• Upload a copy of your current unexpired Tennessee driver’s license 

Step 3: Transcripts

When completing the Tennessee application process, you’ll be asked to submit an official transcript from the institution where you completed your education. The transcript must be mailed directly from the educational institution to the Tennessee Board of Nursing office:

Tennessee Board of Nursing
665 Mainstream Drive
Nashville, TN 37243

Step 4: Criminal Record Check 

Tennessee works with IdentoGO for fingerprinting criminal background checks. New license applicants who live in the state should go to the company’s website 6 weeks before their graduation from nursing school to schedule a new appointment and pay the required fee. Out-of-state residents will follow a process to register to send their fingerprints through the mail. You can also check the status of your fingerprint background check on the website.

Step 5: Take the NCLEX

Passing the NCLEX-RN exam is the key to getting your registered license. In order to take the exam, register online at www.pearsonvue.com/nclex or call 1-866-496-2539. Once you’ve registered and paid your $200 fee, Pearson VUE will notify the Tennessee Board of Nursing. Upon completion of all of the state requirements, the Board will notify Pearson to send you an Authorization to Test and you can schedule your examination.

Topics that may be included on the exam are:

• Safe and Effective Care Environment
• Management of Care  
• Safety and Infection Control 
• Health Promotion and Maintenance 
• Psychosocial Integrity 
• Physiological Integrity 
• Basic Care and Comfort 
• Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies 
• Physiological Adaptation 

Tennessee’s Board of Nursing allows students who do not pass the NCLEX the first time to retake the exam. You can take it eight times per year but there must be 45 test-free days between each examination and you must pass within three years of graduation.

Licensing by endorsement (already have RN licensure)

The process of applying to and being approved for licensing by endorsement will take approximately 6 weeks. Residents of Tennessee or non-compact states may apply immediately for licensure by endorsement but if your legal residence is in another compact state you will not be eligible until you declare Tennessee as your primary state of residence using this form.

You will be required to submit to a criminal background check. Instructions can be found here.

Submit verification of your licensure from the state where you were originally licensed. Most states provide this information through the NURSYS website. If your license was from Alabama, California, Hawaii, Louisiana-PN, Oklahoma, or Pennsylvania, please contact the state’s board for information on submission of verification documents. 

You will also need to submit a $115 payment and upload the online application and the following documents here.

• Passport-type photograph signed and dated on the front by the applicant.
• Copy of nursing diploma or transcript from initial nursing education. This can be mailed directly from the institution or uploaded
• Declaration of Citizenship Form

To check on the status of your application, click on this link.

How to renew your Tennessee nursing license

Step 1: Know when to submit your renewal application

Tennessee requires registered nurses to renew their licenses every two years. Renewal notices are mailed from the administrative office 45 days before the license expires. Licensees are responsible for renewing on time and keeping the board apprised of current contact information. The renewal application can be submitted online up to 60  days before expiration. 

Step 2: Fulfill continuing competency requirements

When you fill out your renewal application, you will be asked to confirm that you have met Tennessee’s continued competence requirements. Registered nurses are required to maintain evidence of two items from the following list:

1. Copy of a satisfactory employer evaluation
2. Letter from a peer providing a satisfactory evaluation of your nursing performance
3. Letter from a patient or family member giving evidence of a satisfactory nurse/patient relationship
4. Copy of a contract of renewal or re-appointment to a nursing position
5. Written self-evaluation based on the standards of competence listed in the rules
6. Evidence of current national certification
7. A document that identifies two nursing goals and how you met these goals
8. A letter from the agency where you volunteered as a nurse
9. Documentation from a school of nursing stating that you participated in the education of nursing students 
10. Certificate/evidence of 5 contact hours of continuing education (for RNs who are not practicing, 10 contact hours will fulfill the competency requirement)
11. Copy of a published article relevant to nursing written by the licensee
12. Letter of satisfactory completion of a nursing refresher course
13. Letter of satisfactory completion of a comprehensive nursing orientation program
14. Official transcript (may be student issued) demonstrating 2 hours of nursing credit
15. Evidence of  having successfully retaken the NCLEX

If you choose to include item 10 (5 contact hours of continuing education), visit Incredible Health to take free CE units and to immediately be provided with certification of completion. This evidence must be kept for 4 years after completion and produced for inspection and verification within 30 days of a written request from the board.

Step 3: Submit your renewal application

To submit your renewal application and pay the renewal fee online, use this link.

Licensing fees

Below are the fees for becoming a nurse in Tennessee whether you are a first-time nurse or are moving to Tennessee from another state. For more information visit the Tennessee licensing page.

Licensing fees by examination (first-time nurses)

• NCLEX exam fee: $200
• Application fee: fee eliminated as of 08/05/19
• Criminal background check fee: $35.15

Licensing fees by endorsement (already have RN licensure):

• Application fee: $115 (RN/LPN)
• APRN license verifications: $25
• Criminal background check fee: $35.15

License renewal fees:

• Application fee: $100 (RN/LPN); $110 (APRN)

Tennessee is a nursing compact state, which allows nurses to hold multi-state licenses.

*Fees are subject to change.

Continuing education requirements

Registered Nurse (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

RNs and LPNs will need to renew their licenses every two years. These nurses are required to have a combination of two of the following requirements:

• Five hours of continuing education and 10 hours if not practicing
• Copy of satisfactory employer evaluation
• Documentation from a school of nursing that shows participation in the education of nursing students (RNs only)
• Evidence of successfully retaken NCLEX
• Evidence of current national certification
• Transcript to demonstrate two hours of nursing credit
• Letter of satisfactory completion of a comprehensive nursing orientation program
• Letter of completion of a nursing refresher course
• A published article relevant to nursing published by the licensee
• Proof of two nursing goals and how you met them
• A letter from an agency where you volunteered as a nurse
• Letter from a patient to show great patient/nurse relationship
• Letter from a peer evaluating your professional performance
• Written self-evaluation based on the set standards
• Contract of re-appointment or renewal to a nursing position

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)

APRNs must renew their licenses every two years.

APRN With Certificate of Fitness (CF)
Verify your license and CF at https://apps.health.tn.gov/Licensure/default.aspx

• Five hours of continuing education and 10 hours if not practicing
• Current national certification (NOT state license; example: from ANCC, AANP, NBCRNA)
• ONE item from the Registered Nurse proof of competence above (in addition to national certification)
• TWO contact hours of continuing education designed specifically to address controlled substance prescribing practices including the Tennessee Chronic Pain Guidelines http://tn.gov/health/article/nursing-coedu
• Copy of current collaborative Request/APRN Supervisory Request (formerly Notice and Formulary) if prescribing https://lars.tn.gov/datamart/mainMenu.do

APRN Without Certificate of Fitness (CF)

• Current national certification (NOT state license; example: from ANCC, AANP, NBCRNA)
• ONE item from the Registered Nurse proof of competence above (in addition to national certification)

Incredible Health offers ANCC-accredited continuing education courses for nurses in all 50 states, 100% free and online. The Tennessee Board of Nursing accepts courses that are ANCC accredited.  

How to contact the Tennessee Board of Nursing

Tennessee Board of Nursing
Phone: (615) 532-5166 or (800) 778-4123

Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/health-professional-boards/nursing-board/nursing-board/about.html

665 Mainstream Drive
2nd Floor
Nashville, TN 37243