Nurse License Renewal: ARD and Expungement Timing

Pursuant to § 21.29, the annual nursing license expiration and renewal occurs on (1) April 30 in the even-numbered years, (2) October 31 in the even-numbered years, (3) April 30 in the odd-numbered years, and (4) October 31 in the odd-numbered years.

Upon receipt of the notice of the renewal, and the time period within which the application need be completed, the applicant for license renewal may complete and submit an application online or may mail a completed application form to the board’s administrative office.

When applying for licensure renewal, a professional nurse shall disclose, among other things:

  • Any discipline imposed by a state licensing board on any nursing or allied health profession license or certificate in the previous biennial period, and
  • Any criminal charges pending or criminal conviction, plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or admission into a probation without verdict or accelerated rehabilitative disposition during the previous biennial period. (If the charges were expunged, then no reporting is required.)

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Timing of any ARD admission, completion of ARD and expungement of the ARD criminal record in conjunction with filing the renewal application is important. There are time lags when submitting any renewal application if the applicant must report being involved in the criminal justice system.

Attaching court documents of ARD completion and expungement orders are important. Speeding up a criminal case to get in and out of ARD before renewal is important. If the criminal case is not over by the time of renewal, it must be reported. If it ends after renewal, and you ARD is entered and completed prior to renewal, with an expungement possible, but not granted, it must be reported.

It is very important to file an expungement application just prior to completion of the ARD so that court dates may be coordinated just after ending ARD and having an expungement granted. We have experience filing the petitions very quickly with the appropriate averments addressing licensing complications.

While answering honestly and forthrightly in any renewal application is primary, there are always ways to minimize the impact of any criminal matter on a licensee’s future with ARD and expungements.

Nursing License Enforcement Mechanism

The strong enforcement mechanism of the Pennsylvania Nursing Board is found at 63 P.S. § 224. Under this provision, the board may refuse, suspend or revoke any license in any case where the board shall find that:

(1) The licensee is on repeated occasions negligent or incompetent in the practice of professional nursing or dietetics-nutrition;

(2) The licensee is unable to practice professional nursing with reasonable skill and safety to patients by reason of mental or physical illness or condition or physiological or psychological dependence upon alcohol, hallucinogenic or narcotic drugs or other drugs which tend to impair judgment or coordination, so long as such dependence shall continue;

(3) The licensee has willfully or repeatedly violated any of the provisions of this act or of the regulations of the board;

(4) The licensee has committed fraud or deceit in all aspects of practicing nursing.

Included in these enforcement powers is revoking a license if the licensee has been convicted, or has pleaded guilty, or entered a plea of nolo contendere, or has been found guilty by a judge or jury, of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude, or has received probation without verdict, disposition in lieu of trial or an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition in the disposition of felony charges, in the courts of this Commonwealth, the United States or any other state, territory, possession or country.

The catch-all provisions of acting in such a manner as to present an immediate and clear danger to the public health or safety and/or possessed, used, acquired or distributed a controlled substance or caution legend drug for other than an acceptable medical purpose will also get a licenses revoked.

If any of these major incidents occur, and there are others, the board may:

(1) Deny the application for a license;

(2) Administer a public reprimand;

(3) Revoke, suspend, limit or otherwise restrict a license as determined by the board;

(4) Require a licensee to submit to the care, counseling or treatment of a physician or a psychologist designated by the board;

(5) Suspend enforcement of its finding thereof and place a licensee on probation with the right to vacate the probationary order for noncompliance;

(6) Restore or reissue, at its discretion, a suspended license to practice professional or practical nursing or dietetics-nutrition and impose any disciplinary or corrective measure which it might originally have imposed. 63 P.S. § 224

A violation of any of these provisions does not have to be willful. Our Supreme Court has defined “willful” under § 14(3) as “an intentional, designed act and one without justifiable excuse.” However, no specific intent to violate the act or its rules and regulations is required to establish a willful violation. Commonwealth v. Rafferty, 508 Pa. 566, 572-574 (Pa. 1985)

The Supreme Court has stated that the pre-eminent interest of the board is for patient care. The board’s responsibility “[t]o assure safe standards of nursing practice through . . . the regulation of the practice of nursing in this Commonwealth.” 49 Pa. Code § 21.3(2). Commonwealth v. Rafferty, 508 Pa. 566, 572-574 (Pa. 1985). An interpretation of the term “willful” which incorporates an element of the nurse’s motivation would subordinate the interest in patient care to that of policing a nurse’s conduct.

Free Consultation With Richard Hark About Your Nursing License Renewal

If you are concerned your nursing license could be under threat, contact Hark and Hark online or call our 24-hour professional license hotline at 1-877-4-HARK-LAW (1-877-442-7552).

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