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April 07, 2008 What Every Traveler Should Know About Licensing |
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If you are an experienced Traveler you probably know that each state has its own licensing process to work in that state. Some states are easy to deal with while others make it almost impossible for a Traveler to consider working in that state. The silly part about the process is that every state does basically the same thing. They look to see if your license is valid and if you have any issues against it. A background check company can get this information in less then 5 minutes but some state nursing boards take as long as 3 months to find this information out. |
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Know what the processing turnaround time is If you are looking to work in another state you can either call the Nursing Board in that state and ask them for the turnaround time or ask the recruiter you are working with. |
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Ask the right question Walk through- Some states will allow a nurse to come to the nursing board with the proper documentation already filled out and issue the license that day Compact- There are 20 states who have agreed to have a reciprocal agreement with one another, allowing a nurse to work in another state, as long as the Nurses home license state is located in one of those 20 states. Temporary- some states will issue a temporary license so that you can get to work faster. License by Endorsement- this is sometimes the problem area. A state licensing board may request that you have each of your active state licenses send a form stating that are in good standing. If you have 5 licenses, that could mean a lot of coordination and a lot of delay. The state you are applying to may be able to turnaround the paperwork quickly but the states sending the verification may not be that fast. |
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What can you do Once you apply for your license keep following up to make sure that your name is on top of the stack and let the nursing board know the date you are expected to start. Keep following up! |
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Ask your agency for information, suggestions and help
Your agency deals with this on a constant basis and they can give you real life feedback and help. |
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| Flexible If you have a variety of states you are willing to go to then let your recruiter know what states you would consider and she/he will tell you the licensing turnaround time for each state. You should know that most Hospitals will not consider bringing on a Traveler if it is more then 2 months out from when you are looking to start. |
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| HEALTHCAREseeker.com, A JCAHO certified travel nursing company, places Travelers into positions in all 50 states. We are the #1 fastest growing company in our industry according to Staffing Industry Analysts. We know that Travelers have their choices in the firms they work with. We will differentiate ourselves to Travelers by being more flexible, by paying more and by being the industry standard for service/ innovation/ information. www.healthcareseeker.com |
