Graduated, moving to vermont, but questions about registering for NCLEX.

[branandfox]

Hey yall,

So I just graduated with my RN from an associates program in georgia this past week and accepted a position at a hospital in burlington, vermont. Now I am attempting to register for my boards and have questions on how this works for new grads relocating after graduation and obtaining their license in a new state. Is it better to test in the state you completed your program and then transfer your license/ apply for another state by endorsement? or do you apply for the license of your new state and test in your current state?

The employer recommended that I take my boards in vermont but that doesn't much make sense to me as it shouldn't matter which state i take the NCLEX in. Anyone else have experience testing for their license in a new state or vermont specifically?

[chare]

In my opinion, if you have accepted a position in VT, and are not going to work in GA, it makes no sense to apply for licensure in GA. Applying for licensure in GA not only adds time to the licensure process, it is a additional cost as well, all for a license you don’t need.

Best wishes on the NCLEX, as well as your relocation and transition from student to graduate nurse.

[RNNPICU, BSN, RN]

If you have a job offer and are planning to work in Vermont, take the Boards for Vermont. You can still take the test in Georgia, but you want to apply for licensure in Vermont.

Good Luck and best wishes

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

You should have notified your school which state you are applying to. If they sent your packet to Georgia BON, then it might be easier to get a Ga license and then endorse your license to Vt.

[jfast]

The other responders have done a nice job of answering your question but just to summarize/clarify since it sounds like you had a bit of confusion:

You are 100% correct that it does not matter where you take your NCLEX. The exam is the same content for every state so you can test anywhere you want. The difference however is what Board of Nursing you actually submit your application to for initial licensure (i.e. "license by examination"). As the others have mentioned, if you submit to Georgia, your initial RN license will be from Georgia and you would then need to apply for "license by endorsement" for Vermont. That would be a separate application after you actually get licensed in Georgia (and thus would be additional cost and time). If you apply for "license by examination" to Vermont from the onset, you can save the additional step and get your initial RN license in Vermont itself.

If you haven't already applied for licensure in either state, I would say you might as well just apply directly to Vermont to save the extra step/time/money.