Experienced nurse wanting to go to Florida

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Canadian Nurse, working full time since 1995. What do I need to relocate to Florida with my family. Nurse managers are telling me I do not need to write the NCLEX, BON is telling me I need to be verified and then invited to write NCLEX.....and then I can apply to work in FL? Is my husband, who is an MBA able to work under my VISA....my son able to live in Florida.....??? What is the process, research is very confusing...help!!!!!

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

What visa are you looking at? If TN then no your husband can not work, he needs to get his own. If immigrant then you have several years wait. If H1b again no he can not work will need to gethis own

To be licensed you will for Florida have to meet requirements and pass NCLEX

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

All nurses that work in the USA now must have passed the NCLEX. About ten years, they did allow Canadian nurses to get licensed in some US states having passed the Canadian licensure tests. However, to my knowledge, that was never permitted in FL. But the issue is moot, because now all require the NCLEX.

Your spouse's ability to work stateside depends on the visa status that you hold.

And it is difficult to find jobs in FL, as their economy is quite poor.

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Specializes in Home Care.

I just left Florida and returned to Canada.

I lived in FL for almost 15 yrs and can tell you from personal experience that its a mess, the only good thing about FL these days is the winter weather.

The school system is a mess and there are few jobs. Employers, when they do hire, are hiring part-time and offering few if any benefits. I could not find a full-time job with benefits. So I was a nurse with no health insurance. Ironic.

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Hi; I graduated from canada in 1992 and applied to Fl by endosrement. I have worked here since 1993 at the same hospital. They work you like a dog and since it's a "right to work" state they can let you go for any reason. My hospital in St. Pete has a union, but it's new and we are still finding out about what they can do. The school system is not good. Right now housing is cheap because the economy is bad. Few good jobs though. HCA is hell to work for.

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Specializes in Home Care.

:) I can't tell you how happy I am to be working as an LPN in a union in Calgary. I love our nurse/patient ratios, love my pay and benefits.

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