CA to HI RN licensure

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I am a student nurse in my last semester of nursing school in California. My husband and I plan to move to Hawaii immediately after graduation for his schooling. Should I take the NCLEX in California or Hawaii?? Does it matter? We will likely return to California eventually, but not for at least 2 years. I have heard varying opinions and their state board websites haven't given me a clear answer. Comments appreciated!!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

NCLEX is a national exam; it doesn't matter where you take it. What matters is where you apply for licensure. It is a much quicker process to apply for licensure in the state in which you will be working than to apply for a state in which you won't be working and then having to go through the endorsement procedure. If you won't be working in CA at all after graduation, you have no need for a license from CA. If you're going to be applying for jobs in HI, you will need a HI license.

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Thank you for the clarification! That is logical advice. I won't bother with the CA BRN then. They are super backed-up anyway so it would probably take me 6+ months to get a license and subsequent endorsement. Thanks again!

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