Minnesota Administrative Rules

6310.2800 REGISTRATION RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS.

Subpart 1.

Registration renewal application.

A.

The board shall provide a registration renewal notice at least three full calendar months before a licensee's registration expiration date using the last contact information provided by the licensee which constitutes official notification. Failure to receive the registration renewal notice sent by the board does not relieve the licensee of the obligation to renew registration by the expiration date.

B.

A licensee shall submit the completed registration renewal application, fee, and continuing education report to the board in time for the application to be received in the board office by the registration expiration date. The board shall return an application that is received without a fee or an application that is incomplete. The licensee must resubmit the application and fee by the licensee's registration expiration date.

C.

A licensee shall respond to questions on the application that relate to the grounds for disciplinary action listed in Minnesota Statutes, section 148.261. The licensee shall submit true information. Falsification or omission of information provides grounds for disciplinary action. The board may require further information of the licensee to determine whether the licensee has engaged in conduct warranting disciplinary action listed in Minnesota Statutes, section 148.261.

Subp. 2.

Fee.

The licensee shall submit the fee with the application for renewal by the registration expiration date. The fee must be made payable to the Minnesota Board of Nursing. The board shall return a fee that is received without an application or is made out incorrectly. The licensee shall resubmit the fee with an application by the licensee's registration expiration date. The fee is not refundable.

Subp. 3.

[Repealed, 12 SR 102]

Subp. 3.

Continuing education.

A registered nurse shall participate in the ratio of at least one contact hour of acceptable continuing education for each month of registration. A licensed practical nurse shall participate in the ratio of at least one contact hour of acceptable continuing education for each two months of registration.

For a continuing education activity to be acceptable for renewal of registration, the criteria in items A to G must be met.

A.

The content must be designed to enhance the licensee's ability to practice nursing. The content may include such topics as those included in a nursing curriculum. For licensees who are not engaged in direct patient care but who are required to be licensed as a nurse in their employment, the content may include topics that may assist the licensees in the performance of their responsibilities. Unacceptable content includes subject matter that is inaccurate, outdated, or not generally accepted within the health care community.

B.

The activity must last at least one contact hour. Licensees may report an activity that lasts more than one contact hour but less than an additional contact hour. Licensees shall not claim contact hours in which they did not participate, for example, if they arrived late or left early.

C.

There must be written objectives which describe what a licensee can expect to learn.

D.

The activity must be completed during the licensee's continuing education participation period.

E.

The activity must be taught by someone other than the licensee.

F.

The instructor must be qualified to teach the content. Qualifications include education, preparation of information related to the objectives for the activity, or experience.

G.

The following information regarding the continuing education activity must be obtainable by the licensee:

(1)

the written objectives;

(2)

the name and qualifications of the instructor;

(3)

the contact hours or their equivalent assigned to the activity;

(4)

the dates of the activity;

(5)

the title of the activity; and

(6)

an attendance statement that verifies that the licensee was present at or participated in the activity.

Subp. 4.

Exceptions.

If the continuing education activity has been approved by another health licensing board or association or if the licensee is currently certified by a national professional nursing organization, only the criteria for acceptability in item A or B must be met.

A.

If the activity has been approved by another health licensing board or association, the criteria in subitems (1) to (5) must be met.

(1)

The activity must last at least one contact hour. Licensees may report an activity that lasts more than one contact hour but less than an additional contact hour. Licensees shall not claim contact hours in which they did not participate, for example, if they arrived late or left early.

(2)

The activity must be completed during the licensee's continuing education participation period.

(3)

The activity must be taught by someone other than the licensee.

(4)

The instructor must be qualified to teach the content. Qualifications include education, preparation of information related to the objectives for the activity, or experience.

(5)

The following information regarding the continuing education activity must be obtainable by the licensee:

(a)

the name and qualifications of the instructor;

(b)

the contact hours or their equivalent assigned to the activity;

(c)

the dates of the activity;

(d)

the title of the activity; and

(e)

an attendance statement that verifies that the licensee was present at or participated in the activity.

B.

If the licensee has a current certificate from a national professional nursing organization, the criteria in subitems (1) to (5) must be met.

(1)

The initial certification must be based on predetermined standards for specialty certification assuring that the licensee has acquired knowledge and skill in the specialty.

(2)

If the current specialty certificate is a recertification certificate, it must be based on meeting periodic continuing education or other current competency certification requirements.

(3)

The certificate must be issued by a national nursing or medical organization.

(4)

A copy of the certificate must be submitted and it must be current at the time of submission.

(5)

The licensee shall not use the practice specialty certificate as a substitute for any previously deferred contact hours.

Subp. 5.

Other acceptable continuing education activities.

A licensee may do one of the following within the licensee's participation period and apply up to ten contact hours to the activity:

A.

publish an article or book on nursing or health care related issues;

B.

deliver a professional paper related to nursing or health care;

C.

participate on a professional panel that addresses nursing or health care related issues;

D.

participate in quality assurance or risk management studies; or

E.

engage in nursing or health care related research.

Subp. 5a.

Continuing education report.

Confirmation of continuing education shall be a part of the renewal of registration application. Each licensee shall verify that the continuing education activities used to meet the licensee's renewal requirements meet all the criteria in subparts 3, 4, and 5, and that the information is true in every respect.

Subp. 6.

[Repealed, 18 SR 468]

Subp. 6a.

Application deadline.

The registration renewal application, registration renewal fee, and continuing education report must be received in the board office by the licensee's registration expiration date.

If the licensee's registration renewal application, registration renewal fee, and continuing education report are received in the board office after the registration expiration date, the applicant is not eligible for renewal of registration. The board shall return the application and fee to the licensee. The board shall provide a reregistration application to the licensee. The licensee may not practice nursing after the registration expiration date until reregistration requirements have been met as specified in part 6310.3100.

Subp. 6b.

Incomplete application notice.

If the board receives an incomplete renewal application and fee by the registration expiration date, the board shall notify the licensee of any deficiency. On the deficiency notice, the board shall note if the application, the continuing education report, or the fee submitted by a licensee is incomplete, incorrect, or not in compliance with this part. The licensee may not practice nursing after the registration expiration date until registration requirements have been met. The registration renewal application, fee, and other documents will be retained by the board whenever possible.

Subp. 6c.

Insufficient hours.

If a licensee does not have enough contact hours of acceptable continuing education, the licensee has the options listed in items A and B.

A.

Defer the number of contact hours that the licensee is lacking. The deferred hours shall be added to the contact hours required in the immediately succeeding continuing education participation period. Contact hours may be deferred if there are no current deferred contact hours required of the licensee. If the licensee is deferring a fraction of a contact hour, a whole contact hour must be deferred. If the licensee does not renew for the continuing education participation period that included the deferred hours, the deferred hours shall be required for reregistration.

B.

Allow registration to expire and reregister.

Subp. 6d.

Noncompliance with continuing education requirement.

A licensee provides grounds for disciplinary action if the licensee does not meet one of the options for insufficient hours in subpart 6c or fails an audit and is not eligible to defer.

Subp. 7.

True information.

The licensee shall submit true, complete, and accurate information. Falsification of any evidence for any registration period or falsification or omission of information provides grounds for disciplinary action.

Subp. 8.

Retention of information.

Each licensee shall keep information documenting each continuing education activity submitted to meet registration renewal requirements. The licensee shall retain the information for two years after the continuing education activities are reported to the board.

Subp. 9.

Variance.

On presentation of convincing evidence by a registration or reregistration applicant, the board shall grant a variance from the following requirements:

A.

for a receipt deadline, evidence of mail delay;

B.

for a fee, evidence of financial hardship;

C.

for document submission, evidence of loss of records through fire or other disaster; and

D.

for the required number of continuing education contact hours, evidence of unexpected illness or personal tragedy.

Subp. 10.

Exemption from renewal of registration.

Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 326.56, a licensee who is in the armed forces of the United States or is employed outside the United States in employment which is essential to the prosecution of any war or the national defense, and whose registration was in effect at the time of entry into the armed forces or engagement in employment outside the United States, is not obligated to renew registration. The board must be notified in writing by the licensee regarding the qualifications for this exemption. The exemption ceases six months after discharge from active duty or termination of the aforementioned employment. A registration renewal notice shall be sent to the licensee at the time that a registration renewal notice would normally be sent to the licensee. The licensee may be requested to reconfirm exempt status. If the licensee no longer qualifies for the exemption, the requirements for registration renewal must be met. The required number of contact hours are calculated based on the number of months since the exemption ceased to the month of the registration renewal expiration date and according to the ratio specified in subpart 3.

Subp. 11.

Nullification of incomplete registration renewal.

The board shall nullify incomplete registration renewal applications that are not completed, returned, and received by the board within 30 days following notification of the deficiency or by the licensee's registration expiration date, whichever is later. For a nullified application, the fee shall be forfeited and the application and other documents may be destroyed according to Minnesota Statutes, section 138.17, subdivision 7.

Subp. 12.

Removal of name from list.

The name of a licensee who does not return the complete renewal application and fees by the registration expiration date shall be removed from the list of individuals authorized to practice professional or practical nursing.

Statutory Authority:

MS s 16A.128; 148.191; 148.211; 148.231; 214.06; 214.12

History:

11 SR 1331; 12 SR 102; 15 SR 838; 18 SR 468; 22 SR 973; 24 SR 1884; 37 SR 403

Published Electronically:

October 3, 2012