Licensing Information

Establishing a Nurse Portal account is the first step for initial licensure by exam, license by endorsement, and renewals of all license types. 

If you have questions about the Nurse Portal, contact the Board office at: HP-Licensing@dopl.idaho.gov

*As a member of the U.S. Armed Forced, an honorably discharged veteran, or the spouse of an active member or veteran, you are entitled to application expediting.

License Practical Nurse (LPN)

An individual who has completed a state-approved practical or vocational nursing program, passed the NCLEX-PN Examination, and is licensed by a state board of nursing to provide patient care.

LPNs provide nursing care at the delegation of a licensed registered nurse, licensed physician, or licensed dentist pursuant to rules established by the Board. The stability of the patient’s environment, the patient’s clinical state, and the predictability of the outcome determine the degree of direction and supervision that must be provided to the licensed practical nurse.

Registered Nurse (RN)

An individual who has graduated from a state-approved school of nursing, passed the NCLEX-RN Examination, and is licensed by a state board of nursing to provide patient care.

RNs work and serve in a broad range of capacities including, but not limited to, hands-on nursing care, regulation, delegation, management, administration, teaching, and case management. RNs are expected to exercise competency in judgment, decision making, implementation of nursing interventions, delegation of functions or responsibilities, and administration of medications and treatments prescribed by legally authorized persons.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)

An RN who has gained additional specialized knowledge, skills, and experience through a graduate or post-graduate program of study and is authorized to perform advanced nursing practice, which may include acts of diagnosis and treatment, and the prescribing, administering and dispensing of therapeutic pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic agents.

Advanced practice registered nurses, when functioning within the recognized scope of practice, assume primary responsibility for the care of their patients in diverse settings. This practice incorporates the use of professional judgment in the assessment and management of wellness and conditions appropriate to the advanced practice registered nurse’s role, population focus, and area of specialization.

There are four categories of APRNs: Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP) or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is a national compact adopted in Idaho on July 1, 2001, which allows nurses who reside in and hold a multi-state license in a compact state, the privilege of practicing nursing in other compact states, without holding additional licenses in those states. Under terms of the compact, nurses may hold a valid multi-state license in only one compact state – their primary state of residence.

To view the actual language of the Nurse Licensure Compact, please visit:  https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title54/T54CH14/SECT54-1418/

If you declare Idaho as your primary state of residence, you will be issued an Idaho multi-state license, and licenses that you currently hold in other compact states will become invalid. You are granted the privilege to practice in other compact states and are required to adhere to the practice laws of each respective state in which you practice.

If you change your state of residence to another state, you are directed to contact that state’s Board of Nursing and request a new license. If your new state of residence is a member of the Compact, your Idaho license will become invalid upon issuance of your new multi-state license. If your new state of residence is not a member of the Compact and you choose to continue practicing in Idaho, you will be issued an Idaho license designated as valid only for practice in Idaho.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s Website provides the most up-to-date information on states that have implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact at https://www.ncsbn.org/

The Nurse Aide Registry is maintained by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. If you are requesting the registry status of a nurse aide, applications for placement on the registry, test schedules, test sites, qualifications for testing, or other questions related to the registry, please contact the Idaho State Nurse Aide Registry at (800) 748-2480 (locally at 208-334-6620) or IDNAP@dhw.idaho.gov.

To check if a nurse aide is on the Registry, you can access their Prometric’s website