Best bet
Board of Registration in Nursing
Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing (Board) protects the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth through the fair and consistent application of the statutes and regulations that govern nursing practice and nursing education. Includes information on:
Massachusetts laws
MGL c. 94C, § 9 Administering and dispensing of controlled substances in course of professional practice; records, inspection
MGL c. 111, § 72Y Nursing pool registrations
MGL c. 111, § 226 Mandatory overtime for nurses prohibited; exception for emergency situations
MGL c. 111, § 231 Limitation on patient assignments per nurse in intensive care units
Licensure and registration
MGL c. 112, §§ 74-81C Registration of certain professions—Nursing; includes:
- MGL c. 112, § 74E Fingerprint-based criminal background checks for nursing licensure
MGL c. 112A Nurse Licensure Compact
Not yet in effect in MA, however the Board's implementation target date is May 2027. Refer to the following page about the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) for more information.
Primary care
MGL c. 112, § 80E Nurse practitioners or psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialists; power to order therapeutics and tests; issuance of written prescriptions
MGL c. 176R Consumer choice of nurse practitioner services
Recognizes nurse practitioners as primary care providers.
Suspension, revocation or cancellation of license
MGL c. 30A, § 14 Judicial review
"[A]ny person or appointing authority aggrieved by a final decision of any agency in an adjudicatory proceeding, whether such decision is affirmative or negative in form, shall be entitled to a judicial review..."
MGL c. 112, § 61 Suspension, revocation or cancellation of certificate, registration, license or authority by boards; disciplinary measures
The general grant of authority a board of registration uses to discipline a licensee. It also bars a board from disciplining a licensee for providing or assisting in reproductive health care or gender-affirming health care services that would have been lawful in Massachusetts.
MGL c. 112, § 64 Review by Supreme Judicial Court of suspension, revocation or cancellation order
A nurse may petition the SJC to review and make a determination on the Board's action to suspend, revoke, or cancel their nursing license.
MGL c. 112, §§ 65-65F Practice during suspension, revocation or cancellation of license
Massachusetts regulations
101 CMR 345 Rates for temporary nursing services
244 CMR Board of Registration in Nursing
958 CMR 8 Patient assignment limits for registered nurses in intensive care units (ICUs) in acute hospitals
Web sources
Massachusetts Health Care Workforce Center (HCWC)
"The HCWC collects and provides data on the healthcare workforce, makes recommendations for policies and practices that strengthen the healthcare workforce, and administers programs which address health workforce shortages and support health providers."
MA Repay Program, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
"A student loan repayment program for health and human services professionals in Massachusetts." Contact MLRP@massleague.org if you have any questions about the program.
The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), Board of Registration in Nursing.
The NLC is not currently in effect, however the Board is targeting implementation for May 2027. This page answers frequently asked questions about the NLC.
Print sources
Administrative law and practice, 2nd ed. (Mass. Practice v.39), Thomson Reuters, 2016 with supplement.
Section 13:16: State licensing−The unlicensed practitioner.
Employment coordinator, Thomson/West, loose-leaf.
Part III, Chapter 21 (XXIII. Massachusetts), Section 21:92.50: Maximum hours for nurses.
Nursing malpractice, 4th ed., Lawyers and Judges Pub. Co., 2011.
Professional malpractice, (Mass. Practice v.51), Thomson/West, 2007 with supplement.
Sections 12.3-12.10: Nurses.
Contact
Online
| Last updated: | October 27, 2026 |
|---|