What job can I do before getting endorsed by another state?

[designer-mommy, BSN, RN]

My husband and I both finished nursing school last month (yay!). We went to an NLNAC accredited school in Puerto Rico, and we're moving to Phoenix in June. We are going to go through Wisconsin for the NCLEX because they are the easiest state to get through when it comes to nurses educated in PR. Arizona requires a TON of stuff from "foreign educated nurses" which I don't see how we're foreign educated because PR is part of the US, but anyway...

I was just wondering, is there any sort of job that we can do with a non-compact license from WI while we're waiting for our license to be endored by AZ? Even for endorsements they want our education to be verified, they want us to take an English test, etc. Now, as people who are just fresh out of college, with four children, making a HUGE move across the ocean, etc., we do NOT have the $2,500 it will cost to do everything that AZ wants us to (WI would only be $580 up front, which is doable). We need to WORK to make that kind of money, but we can't work as RNs with a license from another state. Also, even if we did have the money, it will probably take at least a few months for all of the requirements to be met, especially since my school is very, very, very slow at things. It looks like AZ won't even give a temporary license without all of the paperwork turned in, so that's pretty much worthless. I was just wondering, what sort of jobs can we do with an RN license from another state? Can we be nursing assistants, patient care techs, etc.? The thing is, I'm afraid that no one will want to hire us as techs, assistants, etc., because they know that we will take RN jobs as soon as we get our license (and get an offer, which may take years from what I hear LOL). We just need to start working ASAP. We will take any job that comes our way, but I would really like to work in the healthcare field. I feel that I would be able to network that way and possibly be able to get an RN job a little faster.

Thanks for any advice you can give me!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

arizona is the most difficult state in the union, in my experience. i got my first license there, went to ca and got licensed by endorsement there, went to another state and got licensed by endorsement there. fast forward 15+ years when i moved to an eastern state; they wanted proof of my original licensure. so i called up az and they told me 1) everything that old was in cardboard boxes somewhere down in the cellar; 2) even if they could find it, they would not send anything to anyone, i had to come in and pick it up in person. i told the person i was not going to fly all the way across the country to walk in there and ask for proof of my old license. she cupped her hand over the phone and whispered that she had just come from another state and she understood completely-- and she mailed it to me. nuts.

in answer to your question, a wi rn license will let you work as an rn in wi. do that. it won't do you diddly-squat in az.

fwiw, every state can have its own requirements for education even if nclex is passed. there are some places that will not issue a licence to an rn who already passed nclex in another state that accepts degrees from a for-profit school.

my best advice is to stay the hell out of arizona, for more reasons than rn licensure. if you really want to live and work there, you'll have to jump through all their hoops. be careful about that "driving while brown" thing there, too.

[bagladyrn, RN]

The only possible nursing position you could do in AZ with a WI RN license would be to look for a job in a Federal facility such as one of the IHS hospitals or clinics. Most of them are some distance from Phoenix, but perhaps would be an option for one of you. You can work at a federal facility with a valid RN license from any state.

[designer-mommy, BSN, RN]

Thanks for your input, everyone! I really appreciate it. And yeah, I have heard that AZ is really tough for nurses, especially new grads. I was afraid of that! We really have our heart set on AZ though, mainly because of family. The federal thing doesn't sound too bad, at least while we get our licenses endorsed, which seems especially daunting now that I've heard GrnTea's story LOL Ugh, what fun that will be.

I looked up jobs for prison nurses, and I found a posting, but I was wondering what this meant:

REGISTRATION:Applicants must have active, current registration as a professional nurse in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth or Puerto Rico, or territory of the United States. An Applicant who has graduated from an approved nursing educational program within the past 12 months may be appointed pending State registration as a professional nurse within 6 months of appointment. No person appointed pending registration may be retained beyond 6 months, or promoted, if registration has not been attained.

Does that meanthat graduate nurses can work there for 6 months before passing the NCLEX? I'm sure that I'm reading it wrong, but it sure does sound like that.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

it does, but it also says that if you have any state license (wi, right?) you're in the door.

people who have graduated from an approved program can be hired but they have to get a license within 6 months of hire, or lose the job.