The Mississippi Board of Nursing licenses and regulates registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses in the state. It sets the qualifications for a license, runs the two-year renewal cycle, investigates complaints, and holds disciplinary hearings that can affect your right to practice. What follows walks through each of those functions and the deadlines attached to them.
Getting Licensed in Mississippi
RNs and LPNs applying for licensure by examination must finish an approved nursing education program and pass the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN. Applicants also complete a criminal background check with fingerprints submitted to state and federal databases, and the board can deny a license based on certain statutory grounds or criminal history.1Mississippi Secretary of State. 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2810, R. 1.8 The initial licensure-by-examination fee is $100 for RNs and $60 for LPNs.2Mississippi Secretary of State. 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2880, R. 1.1
APRNs face a longer list. They must hold an active RN license, complete an accredited graduate-level nursing program, and maintain current national certification in their specialty.3Mississippi Secretary of State. 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2840, R. 1.2 To prescribe, an APRN generally has to complete 1,000 or 2,000 monitored practice hours and enter into a collaborative agreement with a licensed physician. The APRN application fee is $100, with an additional $100 for controlled substance prescriptive authority.4Mississippi Board of Nursing. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Renewing Your License
Mississippi nursing licenses renew every two years.5Mississippi Code. Miss. Code § 73-15-27 RNs renew during even-numbered years and LPNs during odd-numbered years. For both, the renewal window runs September 1 through December 31. Applications filed in January are late and carry a $50 administrative fee.6Mississippi Board of Nursing. Applications and Forms The active renewal fee is $100 for RNs and LPNs alike.2Mississippi Secretary of State. 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2880, R. 1.1
Routine renewals do not require continuing education for most nurses. If you have been out of practice for more than five years, though, you must show competency by completing 20 contact hours of continuing education or three semester hours of nursing college credit.7Mississippi Board of Nursing. Continuing Education8Mississippi Secretary of State. 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2810, R. 4.7
APRNs have to keep their RN license active, document current national specialty certification, and complete at least five contact hours of continuing education on controlled substances during every renewal period.3Mississippi Secretary of State. 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2840, R. 1.2 The APRN renewal fee is $100, plus $100 for controlled substance prescriptive authority.4Mississippi Board of Nursing. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
How Complaints and Investigations Work
Anyone can file a complaint against a Mississippi nurse, including patients, family members, employers, and coworkers. Complaints are accepted in writing, by phone, or through the board’s online system, and anonymous reports are allowed, although contact information helps the investigation.9Mississippi Board of Nursing. File a Complaint
The board’s investigative division reviews each complaint to determine whether the board has legal authority to act.10Mississippi Secretary of State. 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2825, R. 1.311Mississippi Board of Nursing. Investigation Information12Mississippi Code. Miss. Code § 73-15-31 The nurse under investigation is notified and given the chance to respond. Investigations are confidential, but the results can become public if formal discipline follows.
Disciplinary Hearings
If the investigation supports a violation, the case moves to a formal hearing. The nurse receives written notice of the specific charges and the date and place of the hearing, typically at least 15 days out.12Mississippi Code. Miss. Code § 73-15-31
A three-member panel of the board hears the case. The nurse may be represented by an attorney and may present evidence. Witnesses testify under oath, and a verbatim transcript is made.12Mississippi Code. Miss. Code § 73-15-31 To impose discipline, the board must prove a violation of nursing laws or rules by clear and convincing evidence, a stricter standard than the ordinary civil burden.13Mississippi Court of Appeals. Breeden v. Miss. Bd. of Nursing
Appealing a Board Decision
A nurse who disagrees with a hearing panel’s decision can appeal internally to the full Board of Nursing within 30 days. If the board’s final action still stands against the nurse, the next step is an appeal to the chancery court in the nurse’s county of residence, also within 30 days.12Mississippi Code. Miss. Code § 73-15-31
The chancery court does not hold a new trial or hear new evidence. The judge reviews the transcript and record from the hearing and asks whether the board’s decision was supported by substantial evidence and whether it was arbitrary or capricious.13Mississippi Court of Appeals. Breeden v. Miss. Bd. of Nursing If the board followed the law and had enough evidence, the court affirms. If it did not, the court can reverse. The deadlines are strict, and many nurses work with an attorney once an appeal is on the table.