Gov. Laura Kelly urged Kansas nurses to renew their licensing requirements by the Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021 deadline.
The Kansas State Board of Nursing announced the notice for Kansas nurses, and employers of Kansas nurses, who were working under the professional licensing waivers issued via the COVID-19 disaster declaration Executive Order 21-09. Licensed nursing professionals impacted by the ending of these waivers are urged to renew their l icense as soon as possible.
“Since COVID-19 invaded Kansas, our nurses have been on-call around the clock to keep Kansans safe and healthy and I can’t thank them enough for their life-saving work,” Gov. Laura Kelly said. “Right now, we need our Kansas nurses more than ever. I urge all Kansas nurses to renew their licensing, so we can continue to care for patients.
“To all the unvaccinated Kansans – we owe it to our nurses to get vaccinated now. We must reduce the strain on our hospital system and our healthcare workers. We all need to step up and do our part to protect each other,” Gov. Kelly said.
The Board of Nursing began sending multiple electronic and postcard mail renewal notices to licensees and stakeholders about the expiring waivers in the weeks and months leading up to the ending of these waivers. The board has also continued to release public notices via social media, the agency newsletter and the KSBN website throughout the COVID pandemic emergency.
Without a disaster declaration, the governor and Board of Nursing cannot further extend the waivers. Legislative action is necessary to extend any waiver beyond Aug. 28.
The nurses affected by these waivers are those who had a Kansas nursing license with a normal expiration date of March 31, 2020, through July 31, 2021, and who have not yet renewed their licensure.
Any of these licensees that are not renewed by Aug. 28, 2021, will begin to lapse on Aug. 29, 2021, according to officials.
A nurse with a lapsed Kansas nursing license can no longer work until their license is reinstated, officials stated.
Kansas nurses or those who employ a Kansas nurse and are unsure of when the nursing license expires, may check the status of your license at the Nursing License Verification Database. This is a free service offered to the public and nurses.
Renewing a Kansas nursing license is a simple process that takes only minutes to complete.
• To renew your license, simply visit the “Getting Started” section of the Board of Nursing website.
• Read and follow all applicable instructions.
• Then, log into the Kansas Nursing License Portal to complete your renewal and pay applicable fees.
• To confirm your renewal has been completed, the nurse may do so via the same portal or by checking the Nursing License Verification Database. (Please allow up to two hours for the public verification database to update prior to checking.)
For more information or to renew a nursing license, visit the Board of Nursing’s website at https://ksbn.kansas.gov/