HJNO Sep/Oct 2021

42 SEP / OCT 2021 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS COLUMN NURSING THE Louisiana State Board of Nursing’s (LSBN) Registered Nurse (RN) and Ad- vanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license renewal season begins October 1, 2021. The active renewal season ends on December 31, 2021. Applications submitted January 1, 2022 through January 31, 2022 are considered late and subject to a late fee. Renewed licenses are issued for a 2-year period, thus renewal of licenses is biennial. The expiration date for licenses renewed this year will be January 31, 2024. The renewal process is electronic through the online LSBN nurse portal. Pa- per renewal applications are not available. RNs and APRNs who choose not to renew or otherwise wish to voluntarily inactivate, including retire, their active license(s) may do so by submitting an application online through their nurse portal account. Licensees who have a Louisiana license that expires on January 31, 2022 and who elect to maintain active licensure in Lou- isiana must renew before the expiration free service that sends data directly to em- ployers and individuals that are enrolled. The system assists employers to main- tain compliance with current regulations and guidelines by remaining informed about RNs and APRNs whose licenses have expired or reflect discipline. More information is at Nursys E-Notify (http:// www.lsbn.state.la.us/Licensure ,Renewals/ Verifications.aspx). RNs and APRNs may also enroll in the Nursys e-Notify system as individuals in order to receive alerts regarding their li- cense status. The Nursys e-Notify system emails and texts enrolled individuals prior to license expiration and after their license becomes inactive, including inactivation due to expiration of the license which may occur due to non-renewal of a license. Louisiana is a member of the Nurse Li- censure Compact (NLC), which means that LSBN can issue multistate licenses (MSLs) to RNs whomeet certain eligibility require- ments. RNs are eligible to apply for anMSL date. If the license is not renewed prior to this expiration date, the license will lapse at midnight Central Standard Time (CST) on January 31, 2022, which is also when the renewal season ends and renewal applica- tions are no longer available. Licensees, employers and any member of the public can verify a license through LSBN’s Licen- sure Verification service at License Look- up (boardsofnursing.org) in addition to accessing the license verification services available through Nursys.com. RNs and APRNs can also confirm the status and ex- piration date of their licenses through their personal nurse portal account. Employers should track the expiration date, license status and discipline of RNs and APRNs through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing nurse licensure notification system, Nursys e-Notify. All healthcare entities licensed by the Health Standards Section of the Louisiana De- partment of Health are required to register with Nursys e-Notify. Nursys e-Notify is a RN AND APRN LICENSURE RENEWAL 2022