The New Jersey Board of Nursing under the Division of Consumer Affairs is the statutory regulatory body for nursing and its affiliates. The board of nursing (BON) is a fifteen-member committee comprising of Licensed vocational nurses/licensed practical nurses (LVN/LPN), Registered nurses, Advanced practical nurses (APN) and Public members. BON sets the scope of practice and rules and regulations which must be consistent with the Board’s guidelines regarding nursing practice for every nurse practicing in the state of New Jersey,and must be adhered to,by nursing institutions including hospitals,care homes,colleges and universities.
The NJ Board of Nursing in collaboration with New Jersey Commission on Higher Education recognized by United States Department of Education gives access to educational institutions to award a Bachelor of science in nursing, Associate Degree of Nursing or Diploma in Nursing to schools who are eligible and prepare them to write the NCLEX, to qualify as nurses. NJ is part of the compact states, which authorizes nurses to have multi-state license to practice in other compact states. The BON has set a limit of two (2) years for licenses to be renewed. The standard of practice set by the BON has helped in patient care by implementing and approving educational programs to get more knowledge to Assess, Diagnose, Plan, Implement and finally Evaluate the outcome of the care rendered. The BON is all about law and public safety. So, the laid down rules and regulations by the board, keep nurses in place as to how they can include safety practices to their field of work to protect their clients as well as themselves.
