"Reciprocity"??? Ya, sure

Nurses General Nursing

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Greetings and Happy Holidays to allnurses.comers. Just a FYI on applying to another state for license "reciprocity." I don't know why it's called "reciprocal" because, as I have just discovered, you have to jump through the same hoops all over again - collecting transcripts, paying the fees, all the forms, etc. Silly me, I thought "reciprocity" meant that the fifty states all agreed to honor licenses granted in another state. In fact, the process begins from scratch. If you need to do this, give yourself a lot of time! It took the NY BON three months to give me the ATT number to take the nclex. Fortunately, one thing you don't have to do is take the exam again! Bureaucracy never ceases to amaze me.

Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.

All states accept reciprocity, but some do it in slow motion. I had to apply for a Mass. license for a job I had and I felt like I was back in the dark ages. Thy wanted criminal investigation forms, credit checks, etc. That's why the Compact is so nice. Compact states have access to data from other compact states and don't need 15 forms in triplicate. All you have to give them is a license number, an in-state address, and money.....

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Specializes in ICU, CCU,Wound Care,LTC, Hospice, MDS.
All states accept reciprocity, but some do it in slow motion. I had to apply for a Mass. license for a job I had and I felt like I was back in the dark ages. Thy wanted criminal investigation forms, credit checks, etc. That's why the Compact is so nice. Compact states have access to data from other compact states and don't need 15 forms in triplicate. All you have to give them is a license number, an in-state address, and money.....

And possibly get fingerprinted (thanks to 9-11). If I hadn't had an AR license in the past, I would have had to do this when I moved back from NE- both Compact states.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
All states accept reciprocity, but some do it in slow motion. I had to apply for a Mass. license for a job I had and I felt like I was back in the dark ages. Thy wanted criminal investigation forms, credit checks, etc.

You are still referring to endorsement, not reciprocity. Again, reciprocity deals with NCLEX exam only. All states are reciprocal with the NCLEX exam. It is automatic.

Endorsement deals with each individual state's requirements for licensure.

Reciprocity=NCLEX exam accepted in all 50 states

Endorsement=licensure requirements for the individual states

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After reading all the reciprocity posts from back in 2007....it sounds like

the state I am coming from needs to send my NCLEX and graduation transcripts

to the state that I want to practice in. And I pay a few, of course. Then I wait and wait

and am given a License in the new state? Is that what happens?

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