PA to Ohio license

[Leah21, RN]

Hi everyone! 
I currently live and work as a RN in PA but where I live I am actually very close for the PA-Ohio border. My dream job is to work in the NICU and there’s a hospital not far but it is in Ohio and you have to be licensed in Ohio to work there. I’m not sure how to go about getting my license in Ohio and what the process is and I’ve tried calling the state board of nursing and no one can give me answers I just keep getting different answers. I also am not sure if I was to get it in Ohio would that make my PA license invalid because I would still like to be able to work in PA and probably go PRN where I work now. Has anyone ever transitioned their license from PA to Ohio. Thank you so much!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Ohio and Pennsylvania have both enacted legislation to join the Nurse Licensure Compact, but are both awaiting implementation. Once both have implemented, your PA license will be good for any compact state, including OH. In the meantime, you would want to apply for licensure by endorsement in OH as you already have a PA license. Outside of the compact, you can hold as many nursing licenses as you want- endorsing to one state does not invalidate the other state. However, ya gotta pay for each one, so it can get costly. As long as you meet the requirements for renewal, such as CE, you’re good to keep up licenses wherever you hold them. You may want to review the NCSBN website for more information about compact licensure. I do not know the timeline for implementing by either state. 

Also, make sure you are contacting the OH BON directly, and not the generic licensing help desk, which states to contact the individual board and not the help desk as they can’t help with licensing question.

Ohio Board of Nursing

17 South High Street, Suite 660
Columbus, Ohio 43215-3466
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Hours of Operation: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday (except government holidays)

[Leah21, RN]

11 minutes ago, Rose_Queen said:

Ohio and Pennsylvania have both enacted legislation to join the Nurse Licensure Compact, but are both awaiting implementation. Once both have implemented, your PA license will be good for any compact state, including OH. In the meantime, you would want to apply for licensure by endorsement in OH as you already have a PA license. Outside of the compact, you can hold as many nursing licenses as you want- endorsing to one state does not invalidate the other state. However, ya gotta pay for each one, so it can get costly. As long as you meet the requirements for renewal, such as CE, you’re good to keep up licenses wherever you hold them. You may want to review the NCSBN website for more information about compact licensure. I do not know the timeline for implementing by either state. 

Also, make sure you are contacting the OH BON directly, and not the generic licensing help desk, which states to contact the individual board and not the help desk as they can’t help with licensing question.

Ohio Board of Nursing

17 South High Street, Suite 660
Columbus, Ohio 43215-3466
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Hours of Operation: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday (except government holidays)

Thank you so much for your help I appreciate it!! I’m going to look more into this. ?

[Epidural, BSN, RN]

Hi: Ohio will implement the Nurse Licensure Compact on January 1, 2023. Pennsylvania has not set an implementation date yet, but it will most likely be in 2023. Since you live in Pennsylvania, you will need to get an Ohio license. When Pennsylvania establishes an implementation date, you will need to apply for a "Compact Pennsylvania License". You can cancel your Ohio license once your  "Compact Pennsylvania License" is approved.

Best of luck to you with your exciting plans!

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

On 7/27/2022 at 6:45 AM, Leah21 said:

Thank you so much for your help I appreciate it!! I’m going to look more into this. ?

Hi.  I saw on your initial post, you were mainly looking to work in Ohio because you live closer to OH than PA.  I'm assuming you have looked at jobs on both sides of the border, but based on your personal experience, could you tell me if pay is roughly the same for both states? Or is there one state which might be better in terms of general pay for nurses?

I don't live in either state, but have mainly been looking at OH to move to in about 1.5 years.  PA is not out of the question either.  From what I have seen and read, it seems both states are fairly similar.

[Leah21, RN]

So currently I work in PA and I work in pediatrics and I do make good money. Currently where I work I’m making 33.50. I honestly am not sure what the pay is in Ohio but I want to work in the NICU so I’m gonna apply to hospitals once my Ohio license comes back. I can say that cost of living is better in Ohio compared to PA. I know you can get much more as far as houses and apartments go compared to PA. Once I find out what the pay is in Ohio I will definitely let you know ?

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

2 hours ago, Leah21 said:

So currently I work in PA and I work in pediatrics and I do make good money. Currently where I work I’m making 33.50. I honestly am not sure what the pay is in Ohio but I want to work in the NICU so I’m gonna apply to hospitals once my Ohio license comes back. I can say that cost of living is better in Ohio compared to PA. I know you can get much more as far as houses and apartments go compared to PA. Once I find out what the pay is in Ohio I will definitely let you know ?

Thank you very much for your information.  I really appreciate it!

I have noticed differences in pricing and taxation regarding homes (purchases), which favor OH a little more than PA. This is why I leaned more toward OH than PA, as a potential state to move to.

I recall hearing around 1.5 years ago the starting rate for a new grad RN at the Cleveland Clinic Main campus was around $28 or $29/hr.  This was a new grad wage, so obviously if you have some experience I'm sure it would be more.  It almost sounds as if the wages may be similar to one another in each state, but the cost of living will be lower in OH.  ?

Thanks!