Licensure question. Need advice.

[geldyk98g]

I am currently an LPN in Minnesota and have just finished my ADN and graduated a week ago. Currently studying for NCLEX, I intend to take it in mid june. I will be moving to Missouri in late July, boyfriend is going to DO school. We plan to live there for about 4 years, then eventually move to his home state of South Dakota. So here's the question, which state should I initially be licensed in Missouri, South Dakota or Minnesota? I don't plan on living or traveling to Missouri until late July. I was wondering if it is a lot of hassle to get a license for another state, in that I would need to travel to the state? South Dakota and Missouri are both Compact states (Minnesota is not). Would it be easier to get the license initially for South Dakota and then change it to Missouri or just Missouri (even though its 10 hrs away from current residence)? Can I also have two states current? There will be about a month from passing boards to moving, and I would like to work at my current job in MN as an RN until then.

Any advice or insight is welcomed :)

[caliotter3]

Suppose something were to happen and the relationship ended, perhaps even before the move, where do you see yourself spending the bulk of your time? In other words, what state do you consider to be your "home" state, the place you will return to if push came to shove? I would become licensed in my "home" state first and then arrange the 'compact' or multiple state licenses to revolve around the home state license.

[chare]

In my opinion, if you know that you're going to relocate after graduation, it is best to apply for licensure in the state in which you intend to work. Why go through the time and expense of becoming licensed in one state, only to do it again to become licensed in the state to which you are moving. In your case however, it might be worth applying for licensure in MN if the facility where you currently work will automatically move you into an RN position when you pass your boards. The other questions regarding whether this is a viable option or not are: Can you in fact schedule and write the NCLEX in mid-June? If so, what is the projected time to receive your MN license? And last, will the difference in salary offset the cost of applying for licensure in two states? And when you relocate, some states, in addition to requiring license verification from your initial state of licensure might require verification of licensure in every state in which you have been licensed, adding additional cost and time to the licensure process.

Regarding testing location, there is a common misconception that you have to take the test either in the state in which you attended school, or the state in which you are applying for initial licensure; both are incorrect. You can attend school in one state, apply for licensure in another state, and actually write the NCLEX in a third state at any Pearson Vue NCLEX testing center. In fact, if you were to plan a trip overseas after graduation, you could write the NCLEX at an international testing center and have the results sent to the state of your application.

The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) works similar to a driver's license in that you have to be a resident of the licensing state in order for you license to grant multi-state privileges. If you were to apply for licensure in SD, your license would be a single state license only, good only in SD. In this case, there might not be any advantage in applying for licensure in MO, if you held a single-state license from SD.

As to being licensed in two states. Aside from being allowed to only hold one NLC multi-state license, you can be licensed in as many states as you wish.

Best wishes as you begin your new career.