Nursing Requirements In Texas

Getting a registered nurse (RN) license in Texas involves several steps. Find out the requirements set by the Texas Board of Nursing to get, transfer, and renew your license.

The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) regulates standards for nursing license and practice for the following positions:

The BON issues nursing licenses, renews licenses, approves nursing education programs, and regulates nursing education and practice, according to the Nursing Practice Act.

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

The BON requires you to earn a nursing degree from an accredited program before issuing a nursing license. You can complete these educational requirements with an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN).

An ADN focuses on building practical nursing skills, so you can practice ethically, legally, and safely. If you’d like to get a nursing degree that costs less and requires about half the credits of a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN), consider choosing an ADN program.

A BSN provides an in-depth nursing education with classes in nursing informatics, leadership, and research and statistics. Many healthcare settings require or prefer BSN-prepared nurses. It is also the minimum education requirement for leadership positions in nursing. If you already have an RN or LVN license, you can also complete a bridge program to get your BSN.

Your Texas RN license remains active for 6-29 months, depending on the month and year you were born. After your initial renewal, you’ll need to renew your license approximately every two years.

The BON will send a renewal reminder to your last known address sixty days before your license expires. You’ll have sixty days to complete any continuing education requirements and renew your license online.

To renew your license, you’ll need to:

You do not need to complete any continuing education requirements to renew your Texas nursing license the first time unless you collect forensic evidence in your nursing practice. If you do, you’ll need to complete a one-time required course in forensic evidence collection.

It takes about 3-5 years to get your Texas RN license. You’ll spend most of your time in school earning either a two-year ADN or four-year BSN. After graduation, you’ll have up to a year after starting your application to pay the application fee, submit the necessary paperwork, and pass the NCLEX-RN and nursing jurisprudence exam.

To become an RN in Texas, you’ll need to earn an ADN or BSN, complete a background check, pay the application fee, and pass the NCLEX-RN and nursing jurisprudence exam.

As an RN working in Texas, you can earn an average of $84,320 per year or $40.54 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

After your first renewal, you’ll renew your Texas nursing license every two years according to the last day of your birth month. If you were born in an odd-numbered year, you must renew your license every odd-numbered year. If you were born in an even-numbered year, you must renew your license every even-numbered year. Your initial license is active for 6-29 months, depending on what month and year you were born.