If you desire to practice nursing in Florida, you will need to become licensed through the Florida Board of Nursing. Law requires licensing through the Florida Board of Nursing for both Registered Nurses (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN). You will also need to be prepared to fill out an application and pay an application fee to begin the licensing process. You will mail in your application and it will take roughly 30 days before hearing whether or not the Florida Board of Nursing received all of the information that they needed. You will also need to send transcripts from nursing school, complete a fingerprint check, and agree to a national background criminal check before being licensed by the Florida Board of Nursing.

It’s important to realize that when applying for licensing with the Florida Board of Nursing, you will need to supply information regarding any criminal history that you have. This includes both misdemeanors and felony crimes. Many people worry that if they have a felony they won’t be licensed, but that isn’t necessarily the truth. The Florida Board of Nursing will look at each case individually and on a case-by-case manner. You will be required to submit official court documents of all criminal history, even if you were on probation or charges were dismissed.

If you have any history of being dismissed from a job, you will also need to provide that information and explain your side of the incident. If you have a history of criminal activity or have received disciplinary action on a former job, you will need to bear the burden of proof to explain your position. The emphasis should be on proving that you are rehabilitated and are ready to live up to the commitments of being a nurse. You can best do this by showing proof of the positive works that you have accomplished since the questionable activities took place.