Maryland NCLEX

suzanne4, RN · Jan 14, 2009

There is no such thing as the Maryland NCLEX as a start. It is impossible to apply directly for it as it is for any other state. One applies for licensure as an RN and then they require approval to sit for the NCLEX exam.

You were the one that posted that if you could get the petitioning process started a few days earlier that it would make a favorable point in the nurse's favor. This is having to do with immigration, and not licensure. So I am sticking to what was being discussed. And the actual subject of this thread was going for licensure in Maryland and nothing to do with immigration or the retrogression as well.

Questions for you then:

1. CA does not issue a license without a SSN#.

2. CA sends results by mail and it takes upwards of one month to get results.

3. Maryland uses the CES report and takes less time to grant permission to sit for the NCLEX exam in most cases.

4. Results are available in just a couple of days.

Which route would you select based on only the above?

And it has nothing to do with retrogression or immigration at all. That was never brought into the equation at all by me from the start, but from your standpoint.

That is why it does not make any difference if one takes extra time to have to take the English exams first, they are still needed in the long run no matter which route the nurse takes, it is not something that is needed just for licensure purposes.

That is why going thru the state where one wishes to work is the route that one should always begin with when selecting a state, then go from there. Even more so if one has the idea that they may qualify for the H1-B visa, this visa actually requires a license in the state where one wishes to work, you cannot use another state and then plan to endorse later on, the actual license is needed right from the beginning. Another reason why state selection should be based on where one wishes to work.

And if CA is going to take longer in most cases, why should someone go thru there when extra steps are also needed to be able to get licensed in the new state since endorsement is out of the question since there is no license to be endorsed; just no benefit to it at all from any way that you look at it.

We are all entitled to our own opinions and this is why I have stated what I have. And any state is free to change their requirements at any time and we are seeing more and more change them, especially when one has become licensed first in another state and then wishes to get a license in the new state when they have trained in another country. VT has changed their requirements recently, and specific to those that went for licensure in CA, and Florida has instituted new changes as well. And no state is required to give advanced notice of any changes that are planned. Again this has nothing to do with what Maryland or any other state required in the 90s or until just a few years ago before the NCLEX exam was offered all over the world. It was not until the past five years that things opened up and even for Makati, just in the past two years or so.

5cats · Jan 14, 2009

Plus many employers want you to have visascreen as well before they file, to make sure you qualify, for that you need CGFNS anyway, and then it can save time when they allready got your details from CES.

But yeah, every day counts? You ever had an employer who filed for you? Suzanne is absolutly right they take their time until they file. Doesn't matter if you got your NCLEX one day earlier or not.

5cats

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Jan 15, 2009

I have read many states are going to be closing offices to save on costs. Being open 4 days instead of 5, this will mean everything will go slower. I agree why rush so it sits on someone's desk, and if not complete it will sit there a long time.

kit25 · Jan 15, 2009

There is no such thing as the Maryland NCLEX as a start. It is impossible to apply directly for it as it is for any other state. One applies for licensure as an RN and then they require approval to sit for the NCLEX exam.
You were the one that posted that if you could get the petitioning process started a few days earlier that it would make a favorable point in the nurse's favor. This is having to do with immigration, and not licensure. So I am sticking to what was being discussed. And the actual subject of this thread was going for licensure in Maryland and nothing to do with immigration or the retrogression as well.
Questions for you then:
1. CA does not issue a license without a SSN#.
2. CA sends results by mail and it takes upwards of one month to get results.
3. Maryland uses the CES report and takes less time to grant permission to sit for the NCLEX exam in most cases.
4. Results are available in just a couple of days.
Which route would you select based on only the above?
And it has nothing to do with retrogression or immigration at all. That was never brought into the equation at all by me from the start, but from your standpoint.
That is why it does not make any difference if one takes extra time to have to take the English exams first, they are still needed in the long run no matter which route the nurse takes, it is not something that is needed just for licensure purposes.
That is why going thru the state where one wishes to work is the route that one should always begin with when selecting a state, then go from there. Even more so if one has the idea that they may qualify for the H1-B visa, this visa actually requires a license in the state where one wishes to work, you cannot use another state and then plan to endorse later on, the actual license is needed right from the beginning. Another reason why state selection should be based on where one wishes to work.
And if CA is going to take longer in most cases, why should someone go thru there when extra steps are also needed to be able to get licensed in the new state since endorsement is out of the question since there is no license to be endorsed; just no benefit to it at all from any way that you look at it.
We are all entitled to our own opinions and this is why I have stated what I have. And any state is free to change their requirements at any time and we are seeing more and more change them, especially when one has become licensed first in another state and then wishes to get a license in the new state when they have trained in another country. VT has changed their requirements recently, and specific to those that went for licensure in CA, and Florida has instituted new changes as well. And no state is required to give advanced notice of any changes that are planned. Again this has nothing to do with what Maryland or any other state required in the 90s or until just a few years ago before the NCLEX exam was offered all over the world. It was not until the past five years that things opened up and even for Makati, just in the past two years or so.

1) I have always recommended the Maryland route if one would plan to work in Maryland.

2) Time is gold and will always make a difference.

3) Changes in licensure requirement is only initiated by the BON. There is no such announcement yet up to now

for Md and Ca. This would "ONLY" come from the BON and not from anyone else.

4) And I think licensure at this point in time is easier for foreign educated nurses compared to previous years.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 16, 2009

Licensure is actually becoming much more difficult, not easier. Only thing that has changed is that CGFNS exam is only required by about four states currently. More restrictions are coming into play. And states can make any changes at any time, they do not need to give advance notice concerning the changes.

As I have stated, it is always best to go with the state where one wishes to work, and since this nurse has been asking about Maryland as well as working there, then best bet is to go thru there in the first place.

Going thru another state to try and get the NCLEX exam done a few days earlier and that is what you had suggested makes no sense at all; especially since the wait to even get results for CA can take four to six weeks.

We are seeing offices slow down processing if anything, especially since visas are at a standstill for the foreign-trained nurse as well.

You are looking at the date only that one writes the NCLEX exam, that makes no difference in the scheme of things as one cannot even get hired until they have taken and passed the NCLEX exam by an employer in the US if they are to be petitioned for a visa. And even if one finds an employer after passing the exam, there is not one immigration attorney that works on only one applicant's documents at a single time, they always do them in bulk and then deliver them in bulk to the Immigration Office in their locale usually by courier service. And they are not going to send out one piece of paper until they get paid for their services as well. We have seen many members here that were in a hurry to get things done, but then only to find that their papers sat at the attorney's office for months before they were even submitted.

And again, getting the exam done on its own has no bearing on anything. Everything is immigration afterwards and this is where all of the delays are going to be. Other issue is that just because someone gets a PD date, it tells you nothing more than the petition was received. And not all are going to be accepted nor is everyone that submits for is going to get a visa for the US.