                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

QUALIFICATIONS OF APPLICANT FOR REGISTERED NURSE&#8217;S LICENSE; EXAMINATION;
GRADUATES OF FOREIGN NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAMS (§ 54.1-3017)

A. An applicant for a license to practice professional nursing shall submit
evidence satisfactory to the Board that such applicant:

   1. Has completed an approved four-year high school course of study or the
   equivalent as determined by the appropriate educational agency;

   2. Has received a diploma or degree from an approved professional nursing
   education program;

   3. Has passed a written examination as required by the Board; and

   4. Has committed no acts which are grounds for disciplinary action as set
   forth in this chapter.

B. The Board shall consider and may accept relevant practical experience and
didactic and clinical components of education and training completed by an
applicant for licensure as a registered nurse during his service as a member of
any branch of the armed forces of the United States as evidence of the
satisfaction of the educational requirements for licensure.

C. An applicant who graduated from a nursing education program in a foreign
country shall be required to:

   1. Have (i) graduated or be eligible to graduate from a licensing
   board-approved RN or LPN/VN prelicensure education program or (ii) graduated
   from a foreign RN or LPN/VN prelicensure education program that has been
   approved by the authorized accrediting body in the applicable country and has
   been verified by an independent credentials review agency recognized by the
   Board to be comparable to a U.S. licensing board-approved RN or LPN/VN
   prelicensure education program; and

   2. Have, if a graduate of a foreign RN or LPN/VN prelicensure education
   program not taught in English or if English is not the individual&#8217;s
   native language, successfully passed an English proficiency examination that
   includes reading, speaking, writing, and listening components.
   				The Board shall identify multiple approved entities to provide language
   examinations and multiple approved entities to evaluate and verify credentials
   earned from a nursing education program in a foreign country. The Board shall
   make the list of approved entities publicly available on its website.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 54-346; 1970, c. 116; 1979, c. 5, § 54-367.13; 1982, c.
598; 1988, c. 765; 2011, c. 390; 2023, c. 579.