Moving To Another State

[studentnurse_99]

I am soon to move to Texas after graduating in May in Louisiana. I was wondering can I apply for Texas state board of nursing while I am currently living in Louisiana?

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

Yes you can apply for any state license that you want regardless the state you live in.

[chare]

59 minutes ago, NICU Guy said:

Yes you can apply for any state license that you want regardless the state you live in.

Not necessarily.  If you are a resident of a nurse licensure compact (NLC), you typicaally can not apply for licensure in another NLC state.

[studentnurse_99]

19 minutes ago, chare said:

Not necessarily.  If you are a resident of a nurse licensure compact (NLC), you typicaally can not apply for licensure in another NLC state.

I live in Louisiana which is a compact state. I plan to move after graduation in may. Can I not apply to the Texas license right away? 

[chare]

15 minutes ago, studentnurse_99 said:

I live in Louisiana which is a compact state. I plan to move after graduation in may. Can I not apply to the Texas license right away? 

Not likely.  If you are a resident of one NLC state, you can't apply for licensure in another NLC state.  Under most circumstances this doesn't pose a problem as the license issued in your home state would allow you to work in any other NLC state.  However, as you plan on relocating to Texas after graduation you present a unique situation.  If you haven't contacted the Texas BON you might consider doing so.  If you the Texas BON won't grant you an exception you will be able to work on your Louisiana license, so long as it grants multi-state privileges,  which it should, while the Texas BON processes your application.

Best wishes. 

ETA: If you do contact the Texas BON do it via email as this provides a record of the communication.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

13 hours ago, chare said:

Not necessarily.  If you are a resident of a nurse licensure compact (NLC), you typically can not apply for licensure in another NLC state.

Yes, you are correct. This scenario happened to me last year. I had a KY license and am an Indiana resident. Indiana went compact and I had to get an Indiana Compact license.

It sucks that a new grad has to get a license in their home state when their intention is to move after graduation. 

[chare]

5 hours ago, NICU Guy said:

[...]

It sucks that a new grad has to get a license in their home state when their intention is to move after graduation. 

I  completely agree.  Unfortunately, this is one of those catch-22 situations with the nurse licensure compact that wasn't well thought through, and one which unfortunately @studentnurse_99 got caught up in.

[studentnurse_99]

Hey I actually wanted to inform you guys that I actually can and did apply for a Texas state License from Louisiana. You just have to put you live in a different state! Thanks everyone for the information

[chare]

1 hour ago, studentnurse_99 said:

Hey I actually wanted to inform you guys that I actually can and did apply for a Texas state License from Louisiana. You just have to put you live in a different state! Thanks everyone for the information

So, let me make sure I understand.  You live in Louisiana, but when you submitted your application to Texas you used an address in a state that you don't actually live in.

Which state is your primary state of residence? 

[studentnurse_99]

1 minute ago, chare said:

So, let me make sure I understand.  You live in Louisiana, but when you submitted your application to Texas you used an address in a state that you don't actually live in.

Which state is your primary state of residence? 

I live in Louisiana, Which is my primary state of residence. I used that LA address for everything. I called TXBON and asked if I could apply for licensure even though I lived in Louisiana they said yes. There is an option that asks if you are applying from a different state (as in don't live in Texas) you just have to choose that one. I never used a Texas address I used my own. 

[chare]

1 hour ago, studentnurse_99 said:

... You just have to put you live in a different state! Thanks everyone for the information

Which state did you use on the Texas application?

[Epidural, BSN, RN]

I think the fact that "student nurse 99" is a nursing school student who is probably applying to take her NCLEX exam, does make a difference in the RN application process. She currently attends school in Louisiana, but will graduate and move to Texas in May.

I have noticed that a lot of new nursing graduates ask the question,"Where should I take my NCLEX exam?". Here is the answer. I took this information directly from the National Council Of The State Boards Of Nursing website (the organization that administers the NCLEX).

The NCLEX can be taken in any state convenient to you. The results will be directed to the board of nursing where you applied for your authorization to test (ATT) and licensure. If you are seeking a multi-state license and reside in a compact state, you should apply for a license in the state where you intend to legally reside and/or practice.

"Student nurse 99" is seeking a multi-state license, resides in Louisiana, but plans to move to and get her first RN job in Texas (immediately after graduation). She probably applied for "authorization to test (ATT) and licensure" from Texas. So her first RN license will be a Texas license.

The only problem I see with this situation is that her first Texas RN license may not be compact, because she currently lives in Louisiana. When she moves to Texas, she may have to send the Texas BON her new address and ask for a "compact upgrade".

This situation happens pretty regularly to nurses who live in non-compact states, and apply for new jobs in compact states. Some immediately apply for a license in the state they are planning to move to, because they want to have all of their paperwork taken care of ahead of time. They then find out that the new license they receive is not compact. This is because the "compact state" BON has their out of state address on file as their primary residence. Once they give the BON their new in-state address, they are eligible for a compact license.