Vent! Mass. Board of Nursing ripoff

U.S.A. Massachusetts

Published

Specializes in Neuro, Cardiology, ICU, Med/Surg.

It's sort of a little thing, but when something strikes me as patently unfair it rankles me.

Something I recently learned....

Massachusetts RN licenses are renewed every 2 years, expiring on your birthday of the even years.

First time licensees: If your birthday occurs earlier than three months after the time you take the boards, your license expires on your birthday in the next even year. For example, if someone's birthday were on October 7 and they took the boards today on July 8, 2008, their birthday would be less than three months after the date of their test and their license would expire on October 7, 2010. If someone took the test the same day had a birthday of October 9, their birthday would be more than three months after the test date, and their license would expire on October 9, 2008... thus only lasting three months and one day.

Both people paid the same price for their license ($150.00 is what I paid, plus the Pearson Vue costs). Not only that, but the first time you renew your license, you don't need to earn continuing ed credits. You do from the second renewal onward. So the second person in my example would need to start earning CE credits three months after they first get a license, while the first person doesn't need to do it until over two years later.

My birthday is December 31 and I took the boards in June. I had no option to take them in October since I start my first RN job in August. All of my classmates who have already passed the test are fortunate enough to have birthdays such that their licenses don't expire until 2010 while mine expires on 12/31/2008.

Anyway, it is what it is and what can you do about it anyway? I just needed to vent about it.:banghead:

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It's sort of a little thing, but when something strikes me as patently unfair it rankles me.

Something I recently learned....

Massachusetts RN licenses are renewed every 2 years, expiring on your birthday of the even years.

First time licensees: If your birthday occurs earlier than three months after the time you take the boards, your license expires on your birthday in the next even year. For example, if someone's birthday were on October 7 and they took the boards today on July 8, 2008, their birthday would be less than three months after the date of their test and their license would expire on October 7, 2010. If someone took the test the same day had a birthday of October 9, their birthday would be more than three months after the test date, and their license would expire on October 9, 2008... thus only lasting three months and one day.

Both people paid the same price for their license ($150.00 is what I paid, plus the Pearson Vue costs). Not only that, but the first time you renew your license, you don't need to earn continuing ed credits. You do from the second renewal onward. So the second person in my example would need to start earning CE credits three months after they first get a license, while the first person doesn't need to do it until over two years later.

My birthday is December 31 and I took the boards in June. I had no option to take them in October since I start my first RN job in August. All of my classmates who have already passed the test are fortunate enough to have birthdays such that their licenses don't expire until 2010 while mine expires on 12/31/2008.

Anyway, it is what it is and what can you do about it anyway? I just needed to vent about it.:banghead:

ceu's are waived in that situation....but yes you do have to pay again..... however the fees are tax deductable....

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Specializes in Neuro, Cardiology, ICU, Med/Surg.

Thanks for that clarification. It still seems unfair, but I will get over it eventually. ;)

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Specializes in Neuro, Cardiology, ICU, Med/Surg.

In further conversation with someone at the Mass. BON, it seems that I still get screwed both in terms of pay and CEU's.

It is true that you don't have to show evidence of CEU's for your first renewal, but for me, that's later this year. For my classmates, it's not until 2010. So I need to start accumulating CEU's nearly right away (I don't want to put stuff like that off until the last minute), needing to submit them with my second renewal in 2010. On the other hand, my classmates first renewal isn't until 2010, so they don't have to start earning CEU's until then, showing evidence of them for the first time in 2012.

Sorry for perseverating on this. As I said, I will get over it and move on... but it just smacks me as arbitrary and unfair and every once in a while some little thing that's arbitrary and unfair takes on a lot more meaning... it becomes symbolic for all that is arbitrary and unfair in life and I get all hot under the collar about it. After I've renewed my license a few times it will be a distant memory. But for now, it just irks me. :angryfire

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Specializes in acute care.

It does seem a bit unfair. I took the NCLEX in February and because my birthday is 12/24, I have to renew at the end of this year as well. At least they don't make us cram in all those CEUs before the first renewal!!

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Specializes in Icu, ltac, stepdown.
It's sort of a little thing, but when something strikes me as patently unfair it rankles me.

Something I recently learned....

Massachusetts RN licenses are renewed every 2 years, expiring on your birthday of the even years.

First time licensees: If your birthday occurs earlier than three months after the time you take the boards, your license expires on your birthday in the next even year. For example, if someone's birthday were on October 7 and they took the boards today on July 8, 2008, their birthday would be less than three months after the date of their test and their license would expire on October 7, 2010. If someone took the test the same day had a birthday of October 9, their birthday would be more than three months after the test date, and their license would expire on October 9, 2008... thus only lasting three months and one day.

Both people paid the same price for their license ($150.00 is what I paid, plus the Pearson Vue costs). Not only that, but the first time you renew your license, you don't need to earn continuing ed credits. You do from the second renewal onward. So the second person in my example would need to start earning CE credits three months after they first get a license, while the first person doesn't need to do it until over two years later.

My birthday is December 31 and I took the boards in June. I had no option to take them in October since I start my first RN job in August. All of my classmates who have already passed the test are fortunate enough to have birthdays such that their licenses don't expire until 2010 while mine expires on 12/31/2008.

Anyway, it is what it is and what can you do about it anyway? I just needed to vent about it.:banghead:

the same is true of Oklahoma board of nursing and i suspect most states renew licenses the same way. it's just the way it is. bon's are rackets.

be glad you have an original license in a compact state... oklahoma is not a compact state and for me to get a license in a compact state for the purposes of travel the bon in ok is the worst at providing proof to compact states, it takes them months... the frustrating part of that is the letter is literaly a single paragraph that says so and so is licensed in oklahoma and has no restrictions....thats all!!

wish i had taken my NCLEX in texas........:cool:

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