NCSBN

NCSBN stands for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, a nonprofit organization that represents the boards of nursing in the United States and its territories. Founded in 1978, the council provides leadership and coordination to advance regulatory excellence and protect the public by promoting safe nursing practice. Its members include executive and regulatory leaders from state boards of nursing who collaborate to establish common standards and guidance for nursing regulation.

Its core activities include developing and administering national licensure examinations for nurses, notably the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN, in partnership with Pearson VUE. Through the Practice Analysis program, NCSBN identifies the knowledge and competencies needed for entry-level practice and uses these results to shape the NCLEX test plans and the regulations adopted by boards. The organization maintains the Consensus Model for Licensure, Accreditation, and Registration of Nursing, a framework guiding licensure by examination, licensure by endorsement, and related regulatory approaches. It provides resources and model language for state boards, including model acts and rules, practice standards, and guidance for regulatory modernization. The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) and related policy work enable multistate licensure where states join the compact, subject to individual state adoption.

Beyond exam development and model laws, NCSBN conducts regulatory research, collects and disseminates data on licensure and practice trends, and offers educational materials and tools to support boards and regulators. The organization emphasizes public protection, regulatory uniformity, and mobility for nurses while preserving state-level licensure sovereignty.