I plan to become licensed in the state of New Hampshire. New Hampshire is a compact state and is included in the Nurse Licensure Compact.

To register to take the NLCEX in NH all of the following needs to be included:

  • Copy of a state issued drivers license uploaded into the online application
  • Official transcriptions need to be submitted from the degree institution to nursing@oplc.nh.gov
  • RN Comparable Education Verification Form – completed by Nursing Director and sent to nursing@oplc.nh.gov
  • Criminal background check
  • Pre-register with Pearson Vue (NCLEX), https://home.pearsonvue.com

It is the responsibility of nurses and nurse managers to report all suspected abuse or impairment of any kind. Many of these nurses who are impaired or have substance abuse problems go unnoticed. It is important to recognize that healthcare workers are not immune to developing or having substance use disorder. These substance use disorders do not discriminate against who they will affect. A nurse can enter an alternative to discipline program that is designed to help get the nurse treatment, monitoring, and recovery recommendations. There are resources available, and nurses should be familiar with them as well as behavior changes, physical signs and signals of drug diversion that can help them, their peers, and patients. In April of 2019, New Hampshire developed a program to encourage self-reporting, when they do self-report, they will be referred to treatment programs and monitored through their transition to return to duty. This program is designed to treat the issue without penalty to preserve the nurse’s license. The goal of this program is to remove the stigma, provide resources for care and treatment, and keep nurses in the workforce. This program is called an alternative recovery monitoring program. 

I will protect my license from the legal issues listed above by always living by the standards and guidelines put before me. If I have a question about something I will review the process and what should be done before I do it. At first, I will also consult my preceptor or my experienced peers before being involved/doing tasks related to these issues. I understand that I cannot possibly know everything so knowing that there are resources and people out there for me to consult. I also know that having a general idea of these issues before transitioning to practice is very important because at that point I will know what is right and wrong and what involves further follow-up or action.