History

The Texas Board of Nursing (TBON) was founded in 1909. At that time, the Board was in charge of approving nurses for licenses & making sure they had the necessary training.

The Board’s duties eventually included overseeing nursing courses and the State’s nursing training statute. The Board was renamed in 1999 and continues to serve a crucial role in safeguarding the public from harmful nursing training by establishing education in the State.

What the TBON does?

They play numerous important functions in controlling the Texas nursing industry. These comprise:

• Licensing: Licenses are granted by the Board to nurses who pass certain educational and testing criteria. Before being granted a license to practice, nurses must pass the NCLEX, a national licensing test, and other qualifying requirements.
• Standards and Requirements: To guarantee that nurses adhere to these requirements, the Board adopts rules and practices. Additionally, it creates rules and guidelines for examining and resolving nurse complaint cases.
• Discipline: Nurses who transgress nursing rules or behave improperly may be subject to disciplinary action by the Board.
• Public Protection: The Board is dedicated to defending the general public from dangerous or subpar nursing training. To ensure that nurses who endanger public safety are held responsible, it looks into complaints against them, conducts hearings, & investigations, & takes action.
• Advocacy: The Board supports laws that advance high-quality patient care & profession. It collaborates closely with other groups and interested parties to guarantee that nurses have the tools, resources, & support to provide patients with the best care possible.

Services and Resources

1. Services for obtaining licenses: They provide many types of licensing services, such as processing license applications, renewing licenses, and confirming licenses.

2. Nursing Professional Development: The Board provides a range of opportunities, such as conferences, seminars, and online courses. Nurses may maintain their professional abilities and keep current on industry advancements with the aid of these tools.

3. Investigation of Complaints: When appropriate, the Board will discipline nurses after looking into complaints. Additionally, it gives the public access to options for reporting nurses who they believe are acting negligently or dangerously.

4. Resources: The Board offers a number of resources for nurses, such as details on licensing and renewal, regulatory updates, and chances for professional growth. It provides direction on moral dilemmas and other challenges that could arise during nursing training.

5. Public Education: The Board reaches out to the general public to educate them about the value of high-quality patient care, the function of nursing, & the role of nurses in society. It also includes details on how to check a nurse’s license status and lodge a complaint against them.

Challenges Facing the Board

Like any regulatory body, they need help in fulfilling its mandate. Among the main obstacles the Board must overcome are the following:

• Workforce shortages: As in many other states, the lack of nurses in the State might greatly impact the healthcare system. Due to this shortfall, the Board needs help to guarantee that there are enough competent nurses to care for patients across the State. Existing nurses are also pressured to work longer shifts, take on more patients, and provide care in increasingly difficult and complicated circumstances.
• Healthcare Environment: New technology, treatments, & procedures are often introduced into the healthcare industry, which is always changing. The Board may find it challenging to guarantee that nurses are keeping up with the most recent advancements in the industry and delivering the best possible care to patients as a result.
• Balancing: The Board must strike a balance between protecting the public from harmful nursing training & ensuring that nurses are given a fair trial and are not subject to arbitrary or unjust disciplinary measures. It may be difficult to balance these conflicting interests. Therefore the Board must carefully evaluate each case’s facts and particulars.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Protection of the Public: The Board’s main duty is to safeguard the public by ensuring that all nurses adhere to strict criteria for training, skill, and moral conduct.
• Regulation: The Texas Board oversees nursing courses and makes sure they adhere to predetermined requirements.
• Practice Standards Enforcement: The Board upholds training standards & looks into complaints made against nurses who transgress them. The provision of safe and moral care is ensured by nurses acting within the limits of their training.
• Support for Nurses: Resources & support for nurses, including info on opportunities and requirements for continuing education, tools for managing drug misuse and other problems that might affect nursing training, & advocacy.
• Transparency: The Board is open and honest about how it operates and informs the public about nursing courses, licensing, and training in Texas.

Cons:

• Fees for Licensure: In Texas, licensed nurses pay licensing fees to support the Board. Certain may claim that the fees are excessive or that they would put certain nurses at a financial disadvantage.
• Lengthy Inquiry Process: It may take some time to look into complaints against nurses, which may be upsetting for the persons who make the complaints as well as for nurses who are the subject of an inquiry.
• Regulations: Those excessively tight or rigorous may impede a nurse’s capacity to practice in a manner that best serves the requirements of their patients.
• Lack of Diversity: Although the Board is dedicated to encouraging diversity and inclusion in the nursing profession, there may still be a need for more diversity among Board members and throughout the Texas nursing industry.
• Disciplinary Actions: Although important to safeguard the public, the Board’s actions against nurses may have substantial repercussions, such as license revocation or suspension, which may affect their ability to make a livelihood or practice in their chosen sector.

Texas Board of Nursing Cost List

In Texas, some instances of nursing courses and their approximate expenses are as follows:

• The cost of an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) at a community college in Texas normally ranges from $4,000 to $10,000 for full-time in-state students.
• BSN: Depending on the university and whether the student is an in-state or out-of-state resident, the cost of the BSN program may range from $20,000 to $60,000 for the whole program.
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs may cost between $25,000 and $60,000 for the complete course of study. Institutions primarily provide MSN programs.
• Doctor of Nursing Practise (DNP) Courses are for advanced training nurses, and the total cost may range from $30,000 to $100,000 or more, depending on the school and the particular program.

Course	Price
ADN	$4,000 to $10,000
BSN	$20,000 to $60,000
MSN	$25,000 and $60,000
DNP	$30,000 to $100,000

The real cost of nursing courses may vary greatly based on the institution, program, and individual circumstances. To assist in covering the expense of their education, students should carefully weigh their alternatives and take into account things like financial aid, scholarships, & other sources of income.

How to create an account with the Texas Board of Nursing (TBON) for the first time

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