I intend to become licensed by examination in New Hampshire. I have accepted a job at Wentworth Douglass hospital in Dover with their critical care float pool with their start date being July 11th. I have been checking with their website, application and with NCSBN this weekend to determine if I can take their licensure by examination for New Hampshire despite my primary state of residence being Massachusetts. It looks as if I will be able to apply for licensure by exam in New Hampshire but will not be eligible for a compact license since I am from a noncompact state. I would only be eligible for the single state license in New Hampshire. I will be calling the new hampshire state board of nursing tomorrow (Monday) to confirm this information. If I cannot apply for licensure by exam in New Hampshire I will have to apply for licensure by endorsement after taking the exam in Mass which would delay my start date and I would have to follow up with my employer about that.  The application is completed and submitted in a web based format. The application seems to require official transcripts but not a sign off by the director of the progra. 

It does require a criminal background check and fingerprinting. This is to be done prior to submitting the application and must be done at the state police building in Concord New Hampshire. The forms must be notarized. It appears that the fingerprints expire in 30 days so I’m going to have to figure out how to coordinate that with obtaining my transcript on the day after graduation. Maybe I could go for the fingerprinting and background check the week prior to graduation as a solution so that my fingerprints don’t expire?

It is required for nurses in the state of New Hampshire to report any suspected abuse or impairment but does not provide immunity from civil suits against those who report impaired nurses in good faith. Every individual agency facility and institution that employs nursing personnel must report to the board within 30 days any alleged violations of the nurse practice act. Resources must be provided through the nurses place of employment. 

I will protect myself and my license from legal issues by always asking for permission to examine the patient and assess them or before touching them for any reason. I will always make sure the patient consents to the drugs, treatments or procedures that I am performing and contact the POA or decision maker for the client if they medically cannot make their own decisions. I will make sure that the consent is informed. I will ensure that I obtain my own malpractice insurance for as long as I am licensed. To ensure that the patient’s valuables are protected I will follow hospital protocol on items to be sent to security or if they need to be placed in unit lockboxes/personal belongings bags. I will always be sure to be aware of abuse and listen to my gut if I see something that I dont think is right and speak up about it. I will always keep in check with myself to ensure that I am not becoming too frustrated or distracted in the workplace. I will make sure to use the five rights of medication administration and if I do not know what the medication will do to my patient, I will need to do everything that I can to figure that out. I should always be careful and cautious when administering medications even in an emergency. An extra minute or two to go through the rights of medication administration in an emergency will pay off in the long run.