Welcome to Alaska: The Last Frontier!
The Alaska Board of Nursing is committed to protecting the health of Alaska’s citizens. Registered nurse licenses are handled through the Professional Licensing division of Alaska’s Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Alaska is not a compact state, so it is important to know what the Board’s licensing requirements are when seeking endorsement of your nursing license.
Application for license endorsement is required for nurses who received their license in another state. The requirements for endorsement are listed below.
Note: Your license must be current when applying for application and by the time your permanent license is issued by the board.
Canadian nurses who have not taken the NCLEX exam should click herefor exam requirements.
A Department provided form documenting 320 hours of employment as a nursing is required. The documented hours must be within two years of the Board of Nursing reception of the application. If 320 hours cannot be documented, a Board approved refresher course may be taken. Similarly, a refresher course is required for those who have not practiced nursing within the last five years. Refresher courses can be found at www.nursing.alaska.gov.
Graduates from a registered nurse or practical nurse program outside the US and Canada (except Quebec) or anywhere English is not the primary language, Canada, where English is not the primary must pass either the International English Language Testing System or the Test of English as a Foreign Language satisfactory scores. Minimum score requirements can be found here.
Applicants must be aware of continuing education (CE) requirements. RN’s must complete at least two of the methods listed below in order to maintain continuing competency.
Continuing education (30 contact hours With not more than 10 of the contact hours earned through in-service nursing education offered by a licensed health care facility)
Unpaid or non-compensated professional activities (30 hours)
Employment as a registered nurse (320 hours)
Guidelines governing these methods or alternatives can be found in article six of the Statutes and Regulations for Nursing.
Click hereto locate documentation forms for CE or professional activities.
The following areas should fulfill CE requirements:
Practice areas for nursing and special health care problems
Science coursework (biology, behavioral sciences, or physical sciences)
Legal or ethical coursework in health care
Health Management or health administration focusing on patient care or personnel
Subjects that are both board approved by the board required for completion of an advanced, formal nursing program. This does not include courses taken for an initial license.
Keep in mind that contact hours do not necessarily equate to semester hours. Each semester credit hour equals fifteen contact hours. Each quarter credit hour equals ten contact hours.
Please Mail Written Correspondence for the Juneau Location to:
P.O. Box 110806 Juneau, AK 99811-0806
The Physical Address Physical Address to the Juneau Location is:
333 Willoughby Avenue 9th Floor Juneau, AK 99801-1770
Phone and Fax Numbers for the Juneau Location are:
Main Phone: (907) 465-2550
FAX: (907) 465-2974
Mailing and Physical Address for the Anchorage Location is:
550 West Seventh Avenue Suite 1500 Anchorage, AK 99501-3567
Phone and Fax Numbers for the Anchorage Location are:
Main Phone: (907) 269-8160
FAX: (907) 269-8156
Alaska Board of Nursing website address: https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardofNursing.aspx
Lisa Maroney Records & Licensing Supervisor
lisa.maroney@alaska.gov
Phone: (907) 268-8892
Fax: (907) 269-8196
Click here to view the Alaska Board of Nursing’s most frequently asked questions page.