Section 1300.300  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;

2)         Verification of fingerprint processing from ISP 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 an Illinois-licensed fingerprint vendor for fingerprint processing.  Out-of-state residents may have their fingerprints taken by an out-of-state vendor but the fingerprints must be processed by an Illinois Livescan Vendor.  Fingerprints shall be taken within the 60 days prior to application;

3)         The fees required by Section 1300.30(a)(1);

4)         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 either the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) Credentials Evaluation Service (CES), the Educational Records Evaluation Service (ERES), or another credentialing service approved by the Division.  To be accepted, the report must:

i)          Verify that the applicant has successfully completed nursing education equivalent to education received in a US state or territory as determined by the Department, based upon receipt and review of official transcripts from the nursing education program bearing the school seal;

            ii)         Indicate any subject matter deficiencies; and

iii)        Be in a form and manner acceptable to the Division.  The Division will not accept a credential report until it receives all relevant information required by this Section; and

B)        If the applicant's first language is not English, certification of passage of either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Module.  For TOEFL the minimum passing score on the paper-based test is 560, computer-based test is 220, and internet-based test is 83.  For the IELTS Academic Module, the minimum passing score shall be 6.5 (overall score) and 7.0 (spoken band).  The Division may, upon recommendation from an approved credentials evaluation service, waive the requirement that the applicant pass the TOEFL or IELTS examination if the applicant submits verification of the successful completion of a nursing education program conducted in English.

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 by Section 60-10 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 50-70 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 within 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

G)        Psychiatric Nursing

H)        Medicare/Skilled Nursing in a Long-Term Care Facility

2)         Clinical practice shall not include:

A)        Telephone or Triage Nursing

B)        Case Management

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 1300.310, 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 45 Ill. Reg. 228, effective January 4, 2021)