What state can I practice in?

Katnip, RN · Dec 4, 2008

I'm tired so this might sound a little convoluted.

You take the NCLEX exam, and once you pass, that's the only time you need to take it.

If you go to school in Iowa and know that on graduation you will go back to practice in California, you can still physically take the exam in Iowa for a California license. Or you can take the exam for an Iowa license then move to California and get a license by endorsement. Meaning you apply for a California license, pay your fee and then you'd have two licenses.

You can have as many licenses you want as long as you're willing to pay the annual fees and meet the educational/work hours for each one.

To complicate things, it used to be that each state required that you have a license in that state to work there, but along came compact states. For example, I live in Maryland. It is a compact state and so is neighboring Virginia. If I want a job across the river in Virginia, I can work there under my Maryland license as long as I am living in Maryland. If I decide to move to Virginia, I will need to apply for a Virginia license. But I can't work in Pennsylvania or Washington D.C. under my Maryland license because they are not compact participants.

Compact states are a good thing for travelers and people who are in commuting distance to other compact state. More and more states are jumping on the compact bandwagon, eventually we might even see one national licensure.

The upshot is, you take and pass the NCLEX only once, then if you move to another state you can get a license there without retaking the test.

AshBlonde83 · Dec 4, 2008

Thank you Katnip. Very informative and good to know!

So, I hear all the time about traveling nurses. Do these nurses have licenses in all the states that they work in or do they just travel within the state where they are licensed?

This is just a little confusing to me, but thanks again for all your input!

highlandlass1592, BSN, RN · Dec 4, 2008

Hello All,
I'm getting ready to choose a RN nursing program and was thinking of attending a school in Iowa. Then I got to thinking, how does it work after I graduate and pass the NCLEX? Can I move back to CA and work or is my license only good in the state that I went to school? What would I have to do if I did want to move to another state?
I know this may be a silly question, but I just wanted to check!
Thanks!

Once you have sat for your boards, you then are licensed in the state you took your boards in. If you want to go to a different state, say move back to CA, you must apply for licensure by endorsement from the CA BON. If you get on their website, there is a process and application that must be filled out. And plan on needing license verification from the BON that issued your original license.

So, for example, you sit for the boards in Iowa and are issued an Iowa nursing license. You then apply to the CA BON and are issued a license to practice in CA. You are now licensed in two states and may practice in either state as long as you fulfill their guidelines for practice. Side note: you are responsible for being familiar with the nurse practice act for any state you are licensed in and believe me these can vary.

Yes, travel nurses must be licensed in each state they wish to practice in. The compact status makes it easier in some cases: if you live in a compact state and are licensed there, you may work in other compact states with much less of a process than normally going for endorsement. (That is what the whole process is called: licensure by endorsement) In some compact states, you only need to send in a copy of your license and you will be allowed to practice there, other BON's require a nominal fee. Again, you have to check with each BON to determine their requirements.

Multi-state licensure can be a pain to keep up with, you have to make sure you meet the practice requirements for all those states, ie some states require varying amounts of CEU's and you have to make sure you meet their standard. To me, it takes a bit of coordination to keep track of. But it can be done.

Hope this helps.