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Arkansas State Board of Nursing outlines licensure scope, complaints and workforce outreach
Summary
The Arkansas State Board of Nursing told the legislative occupational licensing subcommittee it oversees about 72,000 nurses, fields roughly 2,200 complaints a year and is piloting a dialysis patient-care technician registry while supporting workforce outreach through grants to the Arkansas Center for Nursing.
Ashley Davis, director of the Arkansas State Board of Nursing, told the Occupational Licensing Review Committee subcommittee that the board "regulates 72,000 nurses" and oversees eight license types and multiple certification and registration levels.
Davis said the board was created in 1913, added LPN regulation in 1948 and advanced-practice regulation in 1995. She detailed current license counts: about 49,000 registered nurses, 14,000 licensed practical nurses and roughly 8,000 advanced practice registered nurses — including about 6,700 certified nurse practitioners and 1,100 CRNAs. Medication assistants must be CNAs first and complete a 115-hour course; Davis said the board is launching a registry for dialysis patient-care technicians and expects national numbers to be similar to state totals.
The director described the board’s enforcement workload: the board receives approximately 2,200 complaints annually, with common allegations including applicants with positive criminal backgrounds, fraud or misrepresentation, misappropriation and drug-abuse issues. Representative Bentley raised concerns that some investigations can take "up to 2 years sometimes" to resolve. Davis responded that the board’s calculated average case length is "191 days," explaining some matters remain open while awaiting criminal adjudication and that the board is working on documentation and process changes to avoid conflating those long, externally delayed files with typical case-processing time.
Committee members asked whether the board uses fund balances for outreach and training to address rural workforce shortages. Davis said the board supports nursing associations and provides grants to the Arkansas Center for Nursing, which conducts outreach and works to increase the number of actively practicing nurses. She said the board is evaluating ways to support nurse-led support groups in its alternative-to-discipline program and is examining administrative efficiencies in complaint processing.
After questions, the chair closed discussion and, without objection, the subcommittee allowed the Board of Nursing report to "stand as reviewed." The committee scheduled its next meeting for Feb. 19 at 1:30 p.m.
