RN License for the 50 states?

Nurses Career Support

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Specializes in SICU.

Hello! I have a question.

Several graduate nursing schools that I've looked at have clinical sites in more than one state, and so they require that you have your RN license for "the state of Massachusetts" or "the state of New York." I had originally thought that your RN license was a national license and so encompassed all 50 states. Is this incorrect? Is there something extra that I need to do in order to get an RN license outside of my own state? This is assuming I pass the boards.

Thanks!

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There is no such thing as a "national license," in nursing or in any other licensed occupation. Each US state licenses and regulates nurses within its own borders. You can get a license in any other US state once you're licensed in one state, but you mostly just have to apply, complete a bunch of paperwork, and pay whatever outrageous fee the "new" state charges you. The info and forms you need are on each state's BON website.

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Specializes in SICU.

Thank you, that was extremely informative. What are BON sites?

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The Board of Nursing -- each state has its own (some states call them something slightly different, but Board of Nursing is the most common and used generically), and there is always a website. There is a link at the bottom of each page of this site to all the BON websites for all the US states.

I know this really has nothing to do with the question asked and I'm certainly not criticizing the OP for not (already) knowing this, but I always have to wonder -- what has happened to nursing education that people apparently routinely graduate from nursing school now without knowing the most basic, necessary information about how nursing licensure and regulation works?? This was certainly not the case back in the Dark Ages when I went to school ...

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Specializes in SICU.

Yes, that is certainly something I'd like to know. Keep in mind, however, I have only completed my first semester's worth of nursing school. :)

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Whew, that certainly explains it. I was wondering the same thing as elkpark. Good luck with the rest of nursing school!

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