A common concern that many senior nursing students face is deciding which state they are going to get their nursing license in. I, for example, went to nursing school in one state, got my license in another, and ended up working in a completely different state. So does it matter where you get licensed?
There are 24 states in this country that are a part of the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) states. These states are: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. If you are licensed in any one of these you are able to work freely among the other compact states. This means that if you get your license in Maine, for example, you are able to work in any of the above states.
But what do you do if you want to work in California, for instance? My advice would be to take your boards in the state that you are currently residing in and then if you do land a job in California, then apply for a nursing license by endorsement within that state. This can be done by going on the state’s State Board of Nursing website, filling out some paperwork, and then submitting a small fee. This is a much better decision, in my opinion, then risking everything and getting licensed in a state you may not have a job in, yet. That way you may still work temporarily within the state you’re residing in, instead of being jobless while waiting to land your dream job.
I would love to hear some license experiences from other nurses going through this process. Did you find it easier to get licensed in the state you went to school in? Or did you take a leap of faith and get licensed in another state before landing a job?
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Nursing License Experiences
2 comments:
I would love to hear some license experiences from other nurses going through this process.
Moved from WA to NE;
Apply for RN license by endorsement. Pay fees to NE, fill out usual background check paperwork, have transcripts sent from graduating program, goto nursys.com and pay WA to verify my existence as a RN, in good standing. ....Wait....
...still waiting.
Been about 3 weeks now, nothing saying we have began your qualification...etc.
My Beef is this: It is 2010! Why is it we have a NCSBN to standardize our examination, but the states haven't followed suit for a Statewide License? Paying fees everywhere and waiting for snail-mail to complete licensing is ludicrous this day and age!
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