Question about Licenses!

[SRT1115]

So after I passed my boards in March I packed up my bags and moved to Houston TX in April in hopes of a better chance at job opportunities. Now I have found myself in the month of June and 235 Applications later with ONE interview and few phone calls. I feel stuck and my career isn't going anywhere. I switched my license over to Texas and was curious if I do need to resort back to Massachusetts is it possible to switch my license back? For some reason I thought my TX license was a compact license however on the BON it says it is not. Any comments will help! Thanks

[NurseKitten, MSN, RN]

If you originally had a Massachusetts license, it didn't expire in this short time. You're just licensed in 2 states, if I understand the situation correctly.

[new_grad]

Check out this website: http://www.bon.state.tx.us/olv/faqs-msr.html.

Since you say the Texas BON says you're not licensed in the compact states, it sounds as if you applied and received an endorsement on your Massachusetts license to work in Texas. Therefore, if you were to obtain employment in another state in the compact, you would need an endorsement on your Massachusetts license from that state as well. It is my understanding that you can get as many endorsements as you please, you just need to keep track of them all.

Compact state licensure only happens if you reside permanently in a compact state and get your license there. So if Texas was your permanent residence, and you had a plain old Texas license (rather than your endorsement) you could travel to work in other compact states as long as you maintained your Texas residence. If you moved to another compact state, you would need to get licensed in that state, and then you could once again travel to other compact states as long as you maintained your permanent residence in that state.

Long story short, it sounds like you're still licensed in Massachusetts but you should contact their BON to confirm this if you're thinking of moving back or working there.