Nursing competence--an evolving regulatory issue in Kentucky.

Competency validation for nursing licensure is an evolving regulatory issue in Kentucky. Societal and professional forces are driving the shift from mandatory continuing education requirements for relicensure to a competency-based evaluation paradigm. The Kentucky Board of Nursing has issued a working position paper, Accountability and Responsibility of Licensees to Assure Nursing Competence (October 1997), as the basis for a dialogue about shaping Kentucky nursing regulation in the twenty-first century. While the position paper explores new models for both initial and continuing licensure requirements, this article focuses on continued competence issue.