Does it matter what state?

westieluv · Sep 18, 2011

It doesn't matter what state you get your degree in, but it matters very much which state you got your license to practice nursing in, because each state has their own independent licensing board. If you get your license in one state and then move to another state, you have to apply for and get your license in that state before you can work in that state. If you passed boards and are licensed in State A, then you can usually apply for and get your license in State B by applying by endorsement, meaning that you don't have to take boards again to get licensed there, they will accept your score from State A.

The exception to this rule is that there is also a group of states that make up the nurse compact states. What this means, in a nutshell, is that if you are licensed in one compact state, you can use your license from that state to work in another state, as long as it is also a compact state. Here is a list of the current compact states:

http://www.nursetogether.com/Career/Resource-Article/itemid/189/US-States-Participating-in-the-Nurse-Licensure-C.aspx

If you are licensed in a non-compact state (not on that list), you cannot use your license to work in another state, or if you are licensed in a compact state but want to work in a non-compact state, you cannot do it, you have to apply for and receive your license in that state first. IOW, if you are licensed in any of the states on this list and want to work in any of the other states on this list without having to apply for a license in that state, you can. It is only for a certain period of time, though, and I'm not sure how long that is. After that allotted time period is up, you do have to apply for a regular license in your new state.

Hope all of that made sense!