A. Applicants for licensure by examination shall be required to pass the national licensing examination for registered nurses. The applicant who successfully passes the examination may be issued by the board a license to practice as a registered nurse.
B. The board may issue a license to practice professional registered nursing without an examination to an applicant who has been duly licensed by taking the national licensing examination for registered nurses under the laws of another state if the applicant meets the qualifications required of registered nurses in this state. From July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2019, upon a determination by the board that an application is complete and approved, the board shall expedite the issuance of a license pursuant to this subsection within five business days.
C. The board may issue a license to practice as a registered nurse to an applicant licensed under the laws of another territory or foreign country if the applicant meets the qualifications required of registered nurses in this state, is proficient in English and passes the national licensing examination for registered nurses.
History: 1953 Comp., § 67-2-11, enacted by Laws 1968, ch. 44, § 11; 1977, ch. 220, § 6; 1979, ch. 379, § 6; 1982, ch. 108, § 1; 1991, ch. 190, § 8; 2014, ch. 3, § 1.
ANNOTATIONSCross references. — For the Parental Responsibility Act, see 40-5A-1 NMSA 1978 et seq.
The 2014 amendment, effective July 1, 2014, provided for the expedited licensure for nurses licensed in other states; in the catchline, added "expedited licensure"; in Subsection B, in the first sentence, after "license to practice", deleted "as a" and added "professional" and after "professional registered", changed "nurse" to "nursing", and added the second sentence.
The 1991 amendment, effective June 14, 1991, inserted "is proficient in English" and made a minor stylistic change in Subsection C.
Successful passing of examination prerequisite for license. — The qualifications referred to in Subsection B clearly include the successful passing of the test pool examination or the equivalent; if the applicant's examination or mark elsewhere do not meet the equivalent standards in New Mexico, the application for licensure should be denied and the applicant required to qualify by examination. 1968 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 68-112.
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 70 C.J.S. Physicians, Surgeons, and Other Health-Care Providers § 20.