corpsman to lpn

I know that in Texas you can not challenge the NCLEX but you can contact the board of nursing for you state to see if it is possible and what is required. Just search the web for you state board of nursing to find their website. There is link for the state board of nursing on this site as well

west virginia still allows for former service members, in some situations, to apply for either a license as a registered professional nurse or licensed practical nurse. the following was copied from the west virginia legislature's west virginia code: chapter 30, professions and occupations, article 24, qualifications of armed forces health technicians for civilian health occupations. you will need to contact the west virginia board of examiners for registered professional nurses to determine of your classification qualifies.

30-24-2. qualification for examination for license as a registered professional nurse: any person who has served on active duty in the medical corps of any of the armed forces of the united states and who has successfully completed the course of instruction required to qualify him for rating as a medical specialist advanced, medical service technician or advanced hospital corpsman technician, or other equivalent rating in his particular branch of the armed forces, and whose service in the armed forces was under honorable conditions, may submit to the west virginia board of examiners for registered professional nurses, a photostatic copy of the certificate issued to him certifying successful completion of such course of instruction, a photostatic copy of his discharge from the armed forces, an application for a license as a registered professional nurse and the prescribed license fee.

if the certificate and discharge, as evidenced by the photostatic copies thereof, the application and prescribed license fee are in order, and if the veteran meets all of the requirements of article seven of this chapter, except the requirement therein specified requiring an applicant to have completed an accredited program of registered professional nursing education and to hold a diploma from a school accredited by such board, the veteran shall be permitted, notwithstanding any provision of said article seven to the contrary, to take the same examination or examinations as are required under section six of said article seven for applicants who do not apply for a license under the provisions of this article twenty-four. if the veteran passes such examination or examinations, he shall be licensed as a registered professional nurse, and such veteran shall thereafter be subject to all of the provisions of said article seven. if the veteran does not pass such examination or examinations, the provisions of said article seven relating to reexaminations shall apply to such veteran the same as they apply to a person who does not apply for a license under the provisions of this article twenty-four.

30-24-3. qualification for examination for license as a licensed practical nurse.

any person who has served on active duty in the medical corps of any of the armed forces of the united states and who has successfully completed the course of instruction required to qualify him for rating as a medical specialist advanced, medical service technician, advanced hospital corpsman technician, medical corpsman, medical service specialist or class a hospital corpsman, or other equivalent rating in his particular branch of the armed forces, and whose service in the armed forces was under honorable conditions, may submit to the west virginia state board of examiners for licensed practical nurses, a photostatic copy of the certificate issued to him certifying successful completion of such course of instruction, a photostatic copy of his discharge from the armed forces, an application for license as a licensed practical nurse and the prescribed fee.

if the certificate and discharge, as evidenced by the photostatic copies thereof, the application and prescribed fee are in order, and if the veteran meets all of the requirements of article seven-a of this chapter, except the requirements therein specified requiring an applicant to have completed a course of study in an accredited school for practical nurses as defined by such board, to hold a diploma therefrom and to have completed such other general educational requirements as may be prescribed by such board, the veteran shall be permitted, notwithstanding any provision of said article seven-a to the contrary, to take the same examination or examinations as are required under section six of said article seven-a for applicants who do not apply for a license under the provisions of this article twenty- four. if the veteran passes such examination or examinations, he shall be licensed as a licensed practical nurse, and such veteran shall thereafter be subject to all of the provisions of said article seven-a. if the veteran does not pass such examination or examinations, the provisions of said article seven-a relating to reexaminations (by cross reference to section six, article one of this chapter) shall apply to such veteran the same as they apply to a person who does not apply for a license under the provisions of this article twenty-four.

if the link provided at the top of this post doesn't take you to this page, start at the west virginia board of examiners for registered professional nurses site. select the "law/scope" link on the left of the page. scroll down the page and select the "west virginia code/law " link. in the window on the left hand side of the page scroll down to section "24 - qualification of armed forces".

good luck in your future endeavors, and thank you for your service to our country.

semper fidelis!

It was so much easier applying for licensure in West Virginia than California. I didnt have to do the fingerprinting in WV like they require in CA. The whole process only took a few days for them to certify my eligibility to take the NCLEX at a pearson testing center. I know in CA it it takes weeks. I requested an official copy of my DD-214 to be sent to the board. They only want to see that you graduated "A" school and worked at least a year as a corpman, and that you got out with an Honorable discharge as shown on the DD-214. I am now scheduled to take my NCLEX-PN on December 22. Oh they also have a way you can challenge the NCLEX-RN, but you have to have like some kind of "C" school training or be and IDC, not really sure what kind of training.