how to transfer from WA to OR as a new grad

ginger58, ASN, RN · Dec 27, 2006

I think I would take my boards in WA and go to the OR BON's website and see what they have to say about endorsement.

Blueskies · Jan 2, 2007

I just did what you will be doing last summer. WA student, knew I would be working in OR. If you KNOW that you will be working in OR, there is no benefit to taking the NCLEX in WA, and some disadvantages. The obvious benefit is expense. Why pay to license in two states if you don't need to? The other is less obvious: in OR, and unlike WA, you can register for the NCLEX prior to graduation by having your school file an anticipated graduation form. Since June/July/Aug are heavy NCLEX months, early registration can save you several weeks of waiting. Transferring a new WA RN license to OR takes some time, and you can't work in OR until the process is complete.

On the other hand, if you think you may be working in WA in the near future, you can avoid having to retake additional HIV/AIDS coursework if you license in WA first, and then transfer your license to OR.

Best of luck, and congrats in advance!

jwilson2 · Jan 9, 2007

Wherever you take the NCLEX, you have to pay around $300 total to test and receive your license in that state. After that, it costs additional $$ to get a license in another state by endorsement. If you're going to work in WA, you must get your license there to work, then you'd have to pay to get your license in Oregon. FYI, if you work for Legacy, I believe they like it if you are licensed in both WA and OR, because they have hospitals in both states. BUT, you often cannot float until you have several years experience, so you'd have to pay to renew your license anyway. Just consider all the factors and how they fit in with what you want to do. Good luck. :)