Healthy Communities

ASBN - Licensing

The Nurse Practice Act requires that any person practicing as a registered nurse, advanced practice nurse, registered nurse practitioner, practical nurse, or psychiatric technician nurse in this state shall be licensed by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing. The Nurse Practice Act requires biennial license renewal for practicing nurses. Nurses who allow their licenses to lapse and who have not practiced nursing during the preceding licensure period may be reinstated upon request, payment of the renewal fee, late penalty, and after meeting the continuing education requirements.Nurses who do not renew are in good standing as long as they do not practice nursing in Arkansas, but must meet all requirements when reactivating license.  

Temporary permits may be issued to Arkansas licensed nurses who are graduates of a nursing program. This permit allows a nurse to practice between graduation and receipt of results of the first examination for which the licensee is eligible. Temporary permits may be issued to qualified RN and LPN endorsement applicants holding current licensure in other states.  

RNs and LPNs holding an active license from a compact multistate which is their primary state of residence may practice nursing in Arkansas.

Resources
License Verification Information
e-Notify
Fees
Continuing Education Information
Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) 
Workforce Expansion Act of 2021
Application Information
APRN Licensure by Endorsement
APRN Licensure by Examination
Licensure by Endorsement for LPNs and RNs
Licensure by Examination for LPNs and RNs
Renewal of Arkansas License
Criminal Background Checks

Public Health Accrediation Board
Arkansas Department of Health
© 2017 Arkansas Department of Health. All Rights Reserved. www.healthy.arkansas.gov
4815 W. Markham, Little Rock, AR 72205-3867
1-800-462-0599