Nursing school in TN, but moving to FL after grad. Help please!

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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My nursing department said that it is up to me to figure out how to apply to take my NCLEX and get licensed since I am moving. Can I get licensed in TN and find a job as a new grad in FL or do I need to get licensed in FL? If so, how do I apply to get listened in FL? Our nursing dept takes care of all the paper work if we are getting licensed TN. Moving to Ft Myers/Cape Coral area.

Thank you for the help!

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It will probably be faster and cheaper to just get licensed in Florida. Contact the Board of Nursing there to find out what paperwork you need to submit.

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It is up to you. Check the FL BON website and look for the information and application for "licensure by examination." You'll have to instruct your school to send your info to the FL BON. Schools all automatically send the info on their graduates to their own state BON each year. Your info can be sent to FL just as easily, but the school will need to know that that's what you want them to do.

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Specializes in CT surgery, Cardiac, Critical Care.

Regardless of which state you get your initial licensure, if you want a job in Florida, you're going to need a Florida license. There are two ways you can go about this.

Your first option is to apply directly for licensure in Florida. You can still take the exam in Tennessee, but you will have to apply to the Florida State Board of Nursing. You will also need to notify PearsonVue that your intended licensure state is Florida.

The second option if to apply for licensure in Tennessee and then apply for a reciprocal license in Florida. The advantage to this is that you will be taking the same steps as many of the students in your program who will be looking for jobs in Tennessee, and you can turn to them for advice if necessary.

The other factor to consider is time. Some states take forever to approve an Authorization To Test (ATT). Some states are really fast. When I was in school in Pennsylvania, the turn around time was 19 days from application to authorization. Plus, the NCLEX results were submitted within one business day, so there was no waiting-for-six-weeks business. The opposite is true for states like California and New Jersey. Getting and ATT took forever. The program director recommended that we all apply for initial licensure in PA, then if necessary, apply for reciprocity in another state (which is much faster).

Hope this helped.

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I was told I could only get licensed initially in one state. After getting that license can, Can I immediately apple for licensing in another state?

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Specializes in CT surgery, Cardiac, Critical Care.

That is correct. You will apply for licensure in a single state, sit for the test, and get that state's license. THEN, you can apply for reciprocity.

Again, if one state is significantly faster at processing than another, you would ideally apply for initial licensure in that state.

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