CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - December 11, 2008) - Founded in 1978 as an independent not-for
profit-organization, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc.
(NCSBN®),
www.ncsbn.org, marked the milestone of reaching its 30th
anniversary this year.
NCSBN's membership is comprised of the boards of nursing in the 50 states,
the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories -- American Samoa,
Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. These boards of
nursing protect the public by ensuring that safe and competent nursing care
is provided by licensed nurses and NCSBN is the vehicle through which the
boards act and counsel together on matters of common interest.
NCSBN member boards are charged with the responsibility of providing
regulatory excellence for public health, safety and welfare. They recognize
that the best way to guard the safety of the public is to ensure that
nurses entering the workforce have the necessary knowledge and skills to
practice. U.S. boards of nursing regulate more than 2.9 million licensed
nurses, the second largest group of licensed professionals in the U.S.
"NCSBN had humble beginnings when it opened its doors in Madison, Wisconsin
with one employee and a $10,000 budget," remarks Laura Rhodes, MSN, RN,
NCSBN board of director's president, "but it had very lofty ideals." NCSBN
can trace its roots to the American Nurses Association (ANA) Council on
State Boards of Nursing. The reason for its creation arose out of
recognition that in order to guard the safety of the public, the regulation
needed to be a separate entity from the organization representing
professional nurses.
NCSBN recognizes that it is imperative that nurses entering the workforce
have the necessary knowledge and skills to practice. One of NCSBN's primary
objectives is devoted to developing a psychometrically sound and legally
defensible nurse licensure examination consistent with current nursing
practice. The NCLEX-RN® and NCLEX-PN® Examinations developed and
administered by NCSBN are constantly and rigorously evaluated to keep pace
with the rapidly evolving health care environment.
A very significant moment in NCSBN history came on April 1, 1994, when
NCSBN became the first organization to implement computerized adaptive
testing (CAT) for nationwide licensure examination. Since then, more than
2.4 million U.S. candidates for nurse licensure have taken the NCLEX exam
via CAT.
The increasing global nature of the world and influx of internationally
educated nurses into U.S. nursing practice led NCSBN to the decision to
offer NCLEX testing abroad for the first time in 2005. Since then, nearly
63,000 international nurse licensure candidates have taken the NCLEX in the
10 countries where it is now offered.
With help from the nursing education community, NCSBN created the Learning
Extension to help students, nurses and nurse educators meet their
educational goals. The Learning Extension currently offers 35 online
courses covering a wide range of topics for nurses and nurse regulators.
Since its inception in 1998, the Learning Extension has reached over
134,000 nurses in 120 countries.
NCSBN recognizes that health care is a constantly evolving field. In order
for nursing regulation to keep pace in this rapidly changing environment,
NCSBN has adopted numerous position statements, guiding principles and
model acts and rules for use by member boards of nursing. In recent years,
these include: the approval of the NCSBN Model Practice Act, which includes
the authority to conduct criminal background checks; the adoption of the
proposed standard for drug screening results; approving position papers,
"Working with Others: Delegation and Other Health Care Interfaces" and
"Nursing Education Clinical Instruction In Pre-licensure Nursing Programs;"
and enacting the Model Act and Rules For Delegation, the Nursing Assistant
Regulatory Model and the Model Process for Criminal Background Checks.
In 2008 NCSBN welcomed its first international associate member. This new
membership category is designed to provide a forum by which nursing
regulatory bodies from around the globe can join in a dialogue regarding
issues of common concern. Additionally, all members are able to share
information and knowledge in a multicultural exchange of thoughts and
ideas.
NCSBN works collaboratively with other nursing and health care
organizations as well as local, state, national and international
government agencies aiming toward realizing its vision of building
regulatory expertise worldwide.
"We always have been and always will be proud to be on the forefront of
nursing regulation," concludes Rhodes.
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN) is a
not-for-profit organization whose membership comprises the boards of
nursing in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S.
territories.
Mission: The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), composed
of Member Boards, provides leadership to advance regulatory excellence for
public protection.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.
111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2900
Chicago, IL 60601-4277
Contact Information: Contact:
Dawn M. Kappel
Director, Marketing and Communications
312.525.3667 direct
312.279.1034 fax