Is one state license "better" then other?

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Specializes in Cardiac/Telemetry, Hospice, Home Health.

:monkeydance: Odd question I know but this topic was brought to my attention when I was asked where I would be taking my NCLEX since I am moving out of state right after graduation. I am leaving Minnesota and moving to California. Is there any case where a license from one state might "look" better then the other? For example - perhaps a MN license might stand out if one were going into chem dep nursing?

Or - another concern I have is complaints I hear about Cali BON being so busy and hard to reach. Do I want to answer to them for the rest of my life even if I move back to MN?

Any comments would be very appreciated - perhaps I am just making a mountain out of a molehill here.

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Since we all take the same exam it doesn't matter what state you get your license in. And yes, it's hard to reach the CA BON but why would you have to "answer to them" if you leave the state??

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NCLEX exam is the same all over the country, it is only one exam. There is no difference between licenses, you need to have one for where you wish to work.

And the CA BRN is not hard to reach. I get thru right away when ever Iphone them and speak to a human every time. They take time to process, but they do answer the phone.

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Thanks, Suzanne. I never had a problem reaching the CA BON either, but it's been several years since I've had to so I thought maybe things had changed for the worse.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

I am leaving Minnesota and moving to California. Is there any case where a license from one state might "look" better then the other? For example - perhaps a MN license might stand out if one were going into chem dep nursing?

You can get a license in any state you wish, and hold as many licenses as you wish to pay for.

But you do need a license issued by the state you choose to work in.

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Specializes in Cardiac/Telemetry, Hospice, Home Health.
Since we all take the same exam it doesn't matter what state you get your license in. And yes, it's hard to reach the CA BON but why would you have to "answer to them" if you leave the state??

I realize we all take the same exam. That was not quite my question however thank you for taking the time to write.

I was told that the state you take your NCLEX in is the state you report to each year for renewal regardless of where you move and any other state after that would be an endorsement. So I have been thinking long term and what would most make sense.

I did not mean the words "answer to them" to be offensive. Perhaps "accountable" would be more appropriate?

Also I am happy to hear you both had positive experiences with the CA BON. The threads I found on here were contrary to that - yikes.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
I realize we all take the same exam. That was not quite my question however thank you for taking the time to write.

I was told that the state you take your NCLEX in is the state you report to each year for renewal regardless of where you move and any other state after that would be an endorsement. So I have been thinking long term and what would most make sense.

This is not correct. You'll take NCLEX in the state in which you initially wish to be licensed - that may be where you live now, or where you know you'll be moving to before working.

Over time you may concurrently hold licensure in more than one state, and/or allow your licensure in a particular state expire if you no longer practice there and don't intend to return.

Additionally, unless there is some specific issue regarding your licensure or you have a specific question about scope of practice that you wish to have addressed personally, your only contact with any state BON, ever, is likely to be simply meeting the administrative requirements for obtaining & maintaining licensure -- phone calls, letters, etc. are the exception.

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Specializes in CVICU-ICU.

I understand what you are asking and I think that the best way to explain it is to repeat what other people have said...you need a license to practice in whatever state it is that you are planning to work and even if you are originally licensed in one state doesnt mean you have to stay licensed there forever. For example I was originally licensed in PA but have since moved to FL. I currently hold a RN license for FL and CA because I travel between the two states for employment however I no longer have my PA license and I do not have any contact with the PA BON. Hope that explanation helps.

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Specializes in Level II & III NICU, Mother-Baby Unit.

I agree with the other posters that a person only needs to keep at least one license current in order to use it to apply for endorsement at another state BON if needed in the future. I also don't think one state's license is "better" in any way than another's. Some states require larger fees to keep a license active and some require continuing education to keep it active...

I remember when I first became a nurse, our instructors suggested that we always keep our original state license active even if we work in other states. I think the reasoning for this is that the first state to license you will have the longest record as well as the initial record of when you passed your NCLEX-RN... for some reason this is supposed to make the endorsement process smoother when applying for licenses in other states. Although I have worked in several states I have always kept my original state license active. I have let other state's licenses lapse after not working there anymore since I don't need them presently. I have never had a problem getting endorsement always using my original state BON.

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i am just a student but if you live in a state that’s under the nurse licensure compact agreement you can actually work in another state (has to be another compact state) while only maintaining your license in your home state. for more info click on the links below.

https://www.ncsbn.org/nurselicensurecompactfaq.pdf

https://www.ncsbn.org/158.htm

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Specializes in ER,ICU and Progressive Care Unit,Peds.

As johnbee posted, there are several states with compact license. These types of licenses are really nice to have esp. if you want to travel among those states. I have a TN license (which is a compact state), but I'm in the military so I just need to have an active license. It doesn't have to be for the state I work in. The same is true for the VA since its the federal government. When you work for the government you just have to have an active license in one state, which is really nice for us military nurses. We don't have to get a new one every 3 yrs or so when we PCS.

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I haven't started nursing school yet, so I'm still learning about this compact thingy!

So that means that if you live in, let's say, Tennesse (a participating state), and graduate from there, take your NCLEX there, and one day you decide to move to, let's say, South Carolina (a participating state)...I'm assuming that you wouldn't have to apply for a South Carolina RN license because the one that you have in Tennessee is valid, and both are participating states? Is that how it works?

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