I plan to become licensed in New Hampshire which is where I also plan to work for the beginning of my career. New Hampshire is a compact state so If I do choose to work somewhere else that is a compact state, such as Maine, I will be able to do so. The application process is a paper application that is 4 pages all together in which you send it to the NH Board of Nursing office with a 25 dollar fee. I will need to send in my transcripts from UNE as part of this process. Before I can apply, I will need to complete an FBI fingerprint and NH background check. NH board of Nursing cannot complete the application process until they have received and reviewed any criminal records. For fingerprinting, they will either use livescan or inked fingerprints, as both are acceptable. I will need to call the NH State Police in Concord and ask to be scheduled for licensee fingerprinting. The site states the process will take approximately 20 minutes. Once I get this done, I can continue with the application process. 

The NH Nurse Practice Act states that the Board may discipline a nurse for impairment of ability to provide safe nursing care or for testing positive on a drug test for a controlled substance. There is also mandatory reporting for suspected impairment. As a nurse I will have the responsibility to make sure patients are safe, so reporting an unfit employee would be the appropriate action to take. To protect myself from legal issues, I will try my hardest to always do right by the patient. This means to follow all protocols, document everything I do, see, and hear, and to hold myself accountable for my actions. Mistakes are sometimes made, but I will work diligently to avoid these mistakes and make a promise to keep all of my patients safe as that is my number one priority.