Licensure question

Specialties Travel

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I'm a BSN student, planning to travel as soon as I get a couple of years of experience. It would be more convenient for me to take the NCLEX now, rather than wait until after I graduate this May, but is that going to stand in my way as a traveler (having a license that says "non-graduate")? I do want maximum flexibility in assignments.

Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

Having moved a number of times, and endorsed my license to 5 different states, I would recommend against this, unless you are absloutely willing to commit yourself to re-taking NCLEX as soon as you graduate so that the "non-graduate" wording will be removed from your license. If you don't do it immediately upon graduation, chances are that you never will.

While you may think that you will always live and work in CA, life has a way of changing unexpectedly. I never dreamed I would leave my home in Chicago, let alone live and work in 6 different states, some of which would probably not accept your non-grad license. If you think that passing NCLEX will be difficult at the completion of your BSN program, just imagine how difficult it would be 5 or 10 years from now, especially if you choose to work in a specialty area. I have 11 years of experience in OB/NICU, and although I have excellent skills and knowledge in that area, I doubt I could pass NCLEX right now without serious study.

Good luck and let us know what you decide. It is always interesting to learn how licensing practices differ from state to state.

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Thanks! That's exactly why I asked the question--I'm SURE I won't always live and work in CA, and I wanted to know how this licensure issue might affect my plans to travel.

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Specializes in ICU's,TELE,MED- SURG.

I know exactly what you are talking about but realize that you have zippo experience, you wouldn't be safe to walk into any hospital so soon without preceptorship and staff experience. All you'll do is get yourself in a heap of trouble.

Minimum experience after staff is 2 years in a like setting for most agencies. Be careful and don't do anything that can ruin your career for life.

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Yes, thank you, but I'm not planning to travel until I have experience--as I said in my first post, I'm looking long-range here.

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