Registered nurses (RN) and advanced practice RN (APRNs) can be required to answer invasive questions about their mental health as part of their state licensure and advanced credentialing applications. The questions can be stigmatizing and could require nurses to submit letters from their healthcare providers addressing their mental health status.

Nursing licensing boards in 30 states ask questions about mental illness on their applications, including 22 boards that ask about past mental health diagnoses and require predictions of future impairment. To date, nursing boards in Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma have updated their applications to remove invasive questions about mental health. The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation has created a free toolkit to support their efforts.