The Virginia General Assembly created the State Board of Examiners of Graduate Nurses with the enactment of the Nurse Practice Act in 1903 to provide for the registration of nurses. The act also provided for the inspection of the training schools. The purpose of the regulation of nursing by the state is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth. The name of the Board has changed several times and groups have been added to the registered nurses originally regulated.
Licensed attendants were added in 1918 and continued until 1946. Certified tuberculosis nurses were first regulated in 1926. None were added after an amendment to the law in 1970 after the educational programs had closed. In 1946, an amendment to the Nurse Practice Act established the regulation of licensed practical nurses. The categories of clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse aides were added in 1989. In 1996, the law was again amended to authorize the Board of Nursing to regulate massage therapists. Joint regulation of nurse practitioners by the Boards of Nursing and Medicine began in 1975 and prescriptive authority for nurse practitioners was initiated in 1992.
Members of the Virginia Board are appointed by the Governor to four-year terms. Composition of the Board has changed from the initial five registered nurse members to the current thirteen member Board comprised of seven registered nurses, three licensed practical nurses and three citizen members. The first licensed practical nurse member was appointed in 1947 and the first two citizen members in 1986.
Official Names
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1903-1946 | State Board of Examiners of Graduate Nurses |
| 1946-1970 | State Board of Examiners of Nurses |
| 1970-1988 | Virginia State Board of Nursing |
| 1989-Present | Virginia Board of Nursing |
Source : http://www.library.vcu.edu/tml/speccoll/nursing/board/
