COVID-19 APRN Licensing
Please be sure to check the TBON website and Facebook page often for updates and announcements during this dynamic situation.
APRN Licensing in Response to COVID-19 - Recorded Presentation - 4/20/20
Governor Abbott temporarily suspends the initial national certification examination requirement for new APRN graduates - 4/21/20 (Due to low demand and resumed certification testing, graduate APRN approvals are no longer being issued)
Information for Employers Regarding the Licensure Waiver During the COVID-19 Disaster
COVID-19 Disaster Licensing for Out-of-State Nurses - 3/14/20 (updated 6/9/20)
COVID - 19 CHANGES TO THE APRN APPLICATION/LICENSURE PROCESS
Due to recent events surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) has been working diligently to operationalize changes to the APRN licensure application process.
To ensure timely processing of APRN applications, APRN Department staff will now allow exceptions to the submission requirements of the Verification of Completion (Part II) form and graduate level transcripts.
The APRN Department strongly encourages electronic submission of application requirements when applicable. While forms submitted by mail will still be accepted, processing timeframes may be delayed for documents sent by postal mail.
VERIFICATION OF COMPLETION (Part II): The APRN Department will now accept electronic versions of the Part II form. As a courtesy, APRN Department staff has reached out to various APRN programs throughout the state to provide an interactive PDF of the Verification of Completion form. Programs have been advised that the form must still be filled out in its entirety, but we are allowing the following waivers:
An original (“wet”) signature is not required
An embossed school seal is not required
Please note, if your program chooses to submit the Part II via email, it must be submitted directly to aprn@bon.texas.gov from the program official’s institution email address. We will not accept applicant submissions of the document and will not accept the form from a personal email account. Please note, if authentication of the form cannot be confirmed, it is possible the APRN Department will reject the electronic version and default to the original submission requirements.
You can access the original Part II form here.
You can access the interactive Part II PDF here.
***The waivers outlined above only apply to the electronic submission of the Verification of Completion form. If your program chooses to mail an original hard copy to the Board’s physical address, it must comply with all instructions outlined on the form (i.e. original “wet” signature and school seal are required).
TRANSCRIPTS: The APRN Department will now accept electronic transcripts (e-transcripts) from one of the following sources:
National Student Clearinghouse
Official E-Transcripts requested by the graduate and made directly accessible by APRN Department staff via the school’s registrar
Please contact your academic institution for directions on initiating this process, if applicable
Please request the e-transcript be sent to aprn@bon.texas.gov. APRN Department staff will access the e-transcripts in the order in which they are received, and will add them in date-order to the mail queue for processing.
Students are not permitted to submit personal copies (.pdfs) of transcripts. The transcript must be emailed directly from one of the sources listed above.
The accommodations outlined above were agreed upon by BON staff to assist with the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Although these accommodations will be in place for the foreseeable future, the changes in policies are not permanent. The APRN Department will continue to monitor the efficiency of the APRN application process and make adjustments as necessary. Please continue checking the COVID-19 page on the BON website for updates.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as processing timeframes may increase. You can email questions and concerns to aprn@bon.texas.gov or call 512-305-6843.
