Moving, taking NCLEX in another state

[bow002]

Hi there,

I am a male nursing student in the Philadelphia area. I currently work at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) as an extern and tech. It has always been my dream since I was a kid to work there and now that I am finally here, I have started to noticed that I am not sure if I want to stay at CHOP, but also not sure if I want to stay on the east coast. After doing some research and soul searching, I think I am really interested in Seattle's Children Hospital, especially their nurse residency program. When I spoke to a professor about my inquiry about the move and decision, he pretty much said it would be foolish to leave CHOP and that it may take awhile for the NCLEX and licensure process for PA to the state of Washington, to the point where it would be a waste. My question on here is has anyone done a move similar to this? Am I crazy to even think about this? I should put on a side note that I do not know a single soul in Seattle..

thank you for anyone that helps or response!

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

If you definitively want to move to Washington state, you need to apply for initial license with the Washington BON and have your school send your paperwork to Washington BON. You do not need a PA license before applying for a Washington license. If you are on the fence, then apply to PA for a license and then if you decide a year or two down the line to move to Washington, then apply for your Washington license by endorsement.

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

Also take into consideration the higher cost of living in the Seattle WA area and its outskirts. They probably pay a lot more in the Seattle area compared to PA, but a lot of that will go toward housing and living life. This is what happens to many people when they want to come to California. They see the wages they pay here, but then you must fork over $3500+ a month for a closet to live in with roommates.