Sec. 20-97. Licensure without examination. Temporary permit.

(a) Any person who is licensed at the time of application as a licensed practical nurse, or as a person entitled to perform similar services under a different designation, in another state of the United States, the District of Columbia or a commonwealth or territory subject to the laws of the United States whose requirements for licensure in such capacity are equivalent to or higher than those of this state, shall be eligible for licensure in this state and entitled to a license without examination upon payment of a fee of one hundred fifty dollars. If such other state, district, commonwealth or territory issues licenses based on completion of a practical nursing education program that is shorter in length than the minimum length for this state's practical nursing education programs or based on partial completion of a registered nursing education program, an applicant for licensure under this section may substitute licensed clinical work experience that: (1) Is performed under the supervision of a licensed registered nurse; (2) occurs following the completion of a nursing education program; and (3) when combined with the applicant's educational program, equals or exceeds the minimum program length for licensed practical nursing education programs approved in this state. No license shall be issued under this section to any applicant against whom professional disciplinary action is pending or who is the subject of an unresolved complaint. The department shall inform the board annually of the number of applications it receives for licenses under this section.

(b) The Department of Public Health may issue a temporary permit to an applicant for licensure without examination or to an applicant previously licensed in Connecticut whose license has become void pursuant to section 19a-88, upon receipt of a completed application form, accompanied by the appropriate fee for licensure without examination, a copy of a current license from another state of the United States, the District of Columbia or a commonwealth or territory subject to the laws of the United States and a notarized affidavit attesting that the license is valid and belongs to the person requesting notarization. Such temporary permit shall be valid for a period not to exceed one hundred twenty calendar days and shall not be renewable. No temporary permit shall be issued under this section to any applicant against whom professional disciplinary action is pending or who is the subject of an unresolved complaint.

(1949 Rev., S. 4432; 1949, 1953, 1955, S. 2221d; 1957, P.A. 200, S. 4; 1959, P.A. 616, S. 29; June, 1971, P.A. 8, S. 52; 1972, P.A. 223, S. 4; P.A. 80-484, S. 35, 176; P.A. 88-362, S. 17; P.A. 89-251, S. 86, 203; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 97-15, S. 3; P.A. 04-221, S. 9; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 199; P.A. 10-117, S. 68.)

History: 1959 act increased fee from $20 to $25; 1971 act raised fee to $30; 1972 act reduced fee to $25; P.A. 80-484 required that certification requirements from other state be “substantially similar to or higher than” those of this state rather than “equivalent to” them, required applicant to be currently practicing competent practitioner, replaced “certification” and “certificate” with “licensure” and “license” and added provisions prohibiting issuance of license to person involved in disciplinary action or unresolved complaint and requiring annual notification of board of number of applications; P.A. 88-362 added Subsec. (b) re issuance of temporary permits; P.A. 89-251 increased fee from $25 to $75; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-15 deleted requirement in Subsec. (a) that applicant be currently practicing; P.A. 04-221 amended Subsec. (a) by expanding eligible jurisdictions for licensure without examination and replacing provisions re certification with provisions re licensure, and amended Subsec. (b) by allowing temporary permits for applicants who do not renew licenses, making a conforming change re eligible jurisdictions and prohibiting issuance of temporary permits to applicants with pending disciplinary actions or unresolved complaints; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsec. (a) to increase fee from $75 to $150; P.A. 10-117 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “substantially similar” with “equivalent” and by adding provision permitting applicants who have completed practical nursing education program that is shorter in length than minimum standards of this state to substitute prescribed licensed clinical work experience in order to satisfy educational program requirements of this state.