The Kansas Nurse Practice Act, found at K.S.A. 65-1113 through 65-1165, is the state law that decides who can practice nursing in Kansas, what each type of nurse is allowed to do, and what happens when a nurse breaks the rules.1Kansas State Legislature. Kansas Code 65-1113 – Definitions It also creates the Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN), which licenses nurses, sets education standards, investigates complaints, and imposes discipline.
What the Act Covers and Who Enforces It
The Act recognizes three categories of nurse: the licensed practical nurse (LPN), the registered nurse (RN), and the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). K.S.A. 65-1113 draws the boundaries between them, and the KSBN fills in the details through administrative regulations. The Board handles applications, renewals, audits, investigations, and disciplinary hearings, and it publishes the fee schedule and continuing education rules that carry out the statute.
Kansas is also part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, which is not spelled out in the Act itself but runs alongside it and gives Kansas nurses a multistate licensing option.2Kansas State Board of Nursing. Nurse Licensure Compact
Who Can Practice: RN, LPN, and APRN Scope
Professional nursing, or RN practice, is defined as applying specialized knowledge from the biological, physical, and behavioral sciences to diagnose, treat, counsel, and teach people experiencing changes in health. RNs also administer, supervise, and teach those processes, and carry out medical orders from a physician or dentist.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1113 – Definitions In practice, that means an RN can independently assess patients, build care plans, and evaluate outcomes.
Practical nursing covers the same general tasks within a narrower frame. LPNs provide supportive and restorative care under the direction of an RN, physician, or dentist. They do not independently assess, plan, or evaluate care; they carry out plans that someone else has established.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1113 – Definitions An LPN cannot practice without appropriate supervision.
An APRN is an RN who holds an additional license from the KSBN to function in an expanded role. The statute keeps the definition broad and directs the Board to spell out the specific roles, titles, and scope by regulation.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1113 – Definitions The Board recognizes certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and registered nurse anesthetists.
APRN Collaborative Practice and Prescribing
Kansas APRNs practice under what the national nursing community calls a reduced practice model rather than full practice authority. K.A.R. 60-11-101 says an APRN makes independent decisions about advanced nursing care but bases medical decisions on an authorization for collaborative practice, a written agreement signed jointly with one or more physicians. The APRN and physician review that agreement each year, and the APRN keeps a copy at the principal place of practice.4Kansas State Board of Nursing. Kansas Administrative Regulation 60-11-101 – Definition of Expanded Role
Prescribing has its own rules. Under K.S.A. 65-1130, an APRN may prescribe drugs only under a written protocol authorized by a responsible physician. That protocol has to contain a detailed medical plan of care for each type of condition the APRN treats, and it must list every drug the APRN is allowed to prescribe. Each prescription must include the responsible physician’s name, address, and phone number.5Kansas State Board of Nursing. Kansas Code 65-1130 – Advanced Practice Registered Nurse APRNs may distribute professional samples under the protocol, but they cannot dispense drugs directly.
An APRN who prescribes controlled substances must register with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and notify the KSBN of the responsible physician’s name and address.5Kansas State Board of Nursing. Kansas Code 65-1130 – Advanced Practice Registered Nurse DEA registration for mid-level practitioners is $888 for a three-year cycle.6Diversion Control Division. Registration APRN licensure itself requires a master’s degree or higher in one of the Board-approved advanced practice roles.
Getting Licensed in Kansas
To get an initial RN or LPN license, you must graduate from a Board-approved nursing program and pass the NCLEX for your category. The KSBN also runs a criminal background check, and criminal history can affect eligibility. A felony conviction for a crime against a person is a permanent bar to licensure. Other felonies or drug-related misdemeanors are not automatically disqualifying, but you have to show rehabilitation.7Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1120 – Grounds for Disciplinary Actions
Nurses already licensed in another state apply through endorsement, meeting all the Kansas requirements, including the background check. Endorsement applicants can choose between a single-state Kansas license and a multistate license under the compact.
The Board can also issue a temporary permit to practice as an RN for up to 120 days. That permit is aimed at graduates of foreign nursing programs after the Board verifies their international licensure and educational credentials. An exempt license is available for nurses who are not actively practicing in Kansas but want to volunteer or serve as charitable health care providers. Exempt licensees follow the same rules as active licensees, with one benefit: they do not have to complete continuing education for renewal.8Kansas State Legislature. Kansas Code 65-1115 – Licensure of Professional Nurses
Current Licensing Fees
These are the current KSBN fees, set under K.A.R. 60-4-101 and subject to change without a statutory amendment, so confirm before you apply:
- RN single-state license application: $100
- RN multistate license application: $125
- LPN single-state license application: $75
- LPN multistate license application: $125
- Biennial renewal (RN or LPN): $85
- APRN initial application: $50
- APRN biennial renewal: $55
- Reinstatement (RN or LPN): $150
- Exempt license: $50 initial, $50 renewal
Multistate Practice Under the Compact
If you hold a Kansas multistate license, you can practice in any other compact state without applying for a separate license there. To qualify, you must declare Kansas as your primary state of residence, meaning the state where you live and pay taxes. You also have to meet the compact’s uniform licensure requirements: passing the NCLEX, completing a fingerprint-based background check, no felony convictions, and no current participation in an alternative-to-discipline program.2Kansas State Board of Nursing. Nurse Licensure Compact
You can only hold one multistate license at a time. If you move to another compact state, you apply for a multistate license in your new home state, and the Kansas license deactivates once the new one is issued. If you move to a non-compact state, your multistate license converts to a single-state Kansas license.
Renewing Your License and Continuing Education
Kansas nursing licenses renew every two years. RNs and LPNs must complete 30 contact hours of approved continuing nursing education during each licensing period, and extra hours do not carry over.10Cornell Law School. Kansas Administrative Regulation 60-9-106 – Continuing Nursing Education for License Renewal APRNs also need 30 contact hours, but the education must relate to their specific advanced practice role.11Kansas State Board of Nursing. CNEs
There is a first-cycle exception. If your license expires within 30 months of your initial licensing exam, or within 9 months of reinstatement or endorsement, you are not required to complete the 30 hours for that first renewal.11Kansas State Board of Nursing. CNEs
The KSBN conducts random audits. If you are selected, you have to produce certificates or transcripts showing the offering name, provider, date, number of contact hours, and your license number. Keep those records for the full licensing period.11Kansas State Board of Nursing. CNEs
Reinstating a Lapsed or Revoked License
If your license lapses because you did not renew on time, reinstatement costs $150 for both RNs and LPNs, and you must submit 30 contact hours of continuing education. If you have been inactive for five years or more, the KSBN also requires a refresher course before you return to practice. Reinstatement applications expire after six months if you have not submitted all required documentation, and once an application expires you start over and pay the fee again.12Kansas State Board of Nursing. Reinstatement Application
The rules are tighter after disciplinary revocation. You cannot apply for reinstatement until three years after the revocation date, and you carry the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that you have been sufficiently rehabilitated. If the Board denies reinstatement, you must wait another three years before reapplying.12Kansas State Board of Nursing. Reinstatement Application
Grounds for Discipline and Penalties
K.S.A. 65-1120 lists the conduct that can trigger discipline against any Kansas nurse. The Board can deny, revoke, limit, or suspend a license, order additional continuing education, or issue a public or private censure. The main grounds are:
- Fraud or deceit in practice or on a license application.
- A felony conviction, a misdemeanor involving illegal drugs, or a nursing-related misdemeanor. Some felonies, particularly crimes against persons, permanently bar licensure.
- Professional incompetence — lacking the knowledge, skills, or judgment to practice safely.
- Being unable to practice safely because of current drug or alcohol abuse.
- Having been adjudged in need of a guardian or conservator without being restored to capacity.
- Unprofessional conduct as further defined by Board regulations.
- Willfully or repeatedly violating the Nurse Practice Act or Board rules.
- Discipline of your license by another state, a federal agency, or another country.
- A criminal conviction for assisting suicide.
Penalties scale with the offense. Lighter outcomes include a private censure or additional continuing education hours. More serious cases can bring probation, suspension, or revocation. Under K.S.A. 74-1110, the Board can also impose fines: up to $1,000 for a first offense, up to $2,000 for a second, and up to $3,000 for a third or later offense.13Kansas State Board of Nursing. Your Rights Before the Board
Your Rights in a Disciplinary Hearing
Disciplinary proceedings follow the Kansas Administrative Procedure Act. You receive written notice of the hearing with a date and instructions for requesting a continuance if you cannot appear. You can represent yourself or hire an attorney. Both sides can call witnesses, cross-examine the other side’s witnesses, and submit evidence. Testimony is given under oath and the proceeding is recorded.13Kansas State Board of Nursing. Your Rights Before the Board
After the hearing, the hearing officer issues a written order with findings of fact, legal conclusions, and any sanctions. You can ask the full Board to review the decision, and you can appeal a final Board decision to a Kansas District Court under the Kansas Judicial Review Act. The KSBN must acknowledge receipt of your application within 30 days, and any investigation must be completed within 90 days or as soon as practicable.13Kansas State Board of Nursing. Your Rights Before the Board
The Kansas Nurse Assistance Program
Not every nurse with substance use or mental health issues moves straight into the disciplinary process. The Kansas Nurse Assistance Program (KNAP) is a voluntary alternative-to-discipline program for nurses with substance abuse, mental health problems, or decreased cognitive functioning. It serves LPNs, RNs, APRNs, licensed mental health technicians, and CRNAs.14Kansas Nurse Assistance Program. Kansas Nurse Assistance Program Participation in an alternative-to-discipline program will prevent you from holding a multistate license under the compact for as long as you are in the program.15National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Substance Use Disorders and Accessing Alternative-to-Discipline Programs
Federal Reporting to the NPDB
Discipline does not stay inside Kansas. Under 42 U.S.C. § 1396r-2, every state must report adverse licensing actions to the National Practitioner Data Bank within 30 days.16eCFR. Title 45 Part 60 – National Practitioner Data Bank Reportable actions include revocation, suspension, reprimand, censure, probation, voluntary surrender while under investigation, and non-renewal for reasons other than simply not paying the fee or retiring.
An NPDB report follows you across state lines. If you apply for licensure in another state, that state’s board will likely query the NPDB and see the Kansas action. You can check your own record through the Self-Query service for $3, with results usually available within minutes once your identity is verified online.17National Practitioner Data Bank. Self-Query Basics