Need help please! Graduating in Texas but need license in Florida

[Dyana143]

Hi everyone,

I am graduating from El Paso Community College in Texas with my ADN but m husband is Army and we are moving to Florida shortly thereafter. I want to take the NCLEX test when I get to Florida so I don't have to pay the license fee twice (seeing as they are not reciprical states). Is this possible or do I have to get my license in Texas first since that is the state I graduated in. Does anyone know?

Thanks for your help,

Diana

[SharonH, RN]

Dyana,

Just go to the Florida BON website and find out what is required to get your license. You do not have to be licensed in Texas first. When I graduated 17 years ago, my husband was in the Army also. I finished my degree here in Georgia and the day after graduation I moved to El Paso where I worked as a graduate nurse until I could take my boards in Austin that July. If you google it, it will take you there. Good luck.

[chare]

you do not have to obtain initial licensure in the state in which you attended school, nor do you have to take the test in the state in which the license will be issued. upon completion of an approved rn training program, you can apply for licensure in any state (providing you have met all of that state's education requirements). after you receive your authorization to test, you can schedule to test either telephonically or on line via the pearson vue website, and then take the actual test at any authorized testing site convenient for you.

i would presume since your school is in a military town that this situation has arisen previously. there should be someone at your program familiar with out of state applications for licensure that can help you with this process. if not, you should find everything you need to know/do on the florida board of nursingrn/lpn licensure by examination (nclex) website.

as far as "reciprocal" states, i am not aware of any. you might have this confused with the nursing licensure compact act, and the 23 states that are currently participating. the nursing compact works much the same as your driver's license. as long as you maintain current licensure and legal residency in a compact state, then you can work in any of the other compact states on your original license. if you relocate from the compact state to a non-compact state, then that license converts to a single state license only for the issued state. if you relocate to another compact state, when you apply for licensure in your new state of residence, then your original license will be voided upon receipt of your new license. if you are interested, you can read more about the compact license at the national council of state board's of nursing'snursing licensure compact administrators website.

good luck in your career, and please give my thanks to your husband for his service.