How to Become a Registered Nurse in Georgia
There are three ways to become a registered nurse in Georgia: by examination, by endorsement or by reinstatement of a previously issued license as a registered professional nurse in Georgia. The first two, examination and endorsement, are similar in that both both require graduation from an approved program and successful completion of the National Boards--the NCLEX-RN. Nursing graduates seeking their original nursing license in Georgia are licensed by examination. However, nurses who already hold a license as a registered nurse in a state other than Georgia may apply for licensing by endorsement.
Licensing by reinstatement is for nursing professionals who have previously have been Professional Registered Nurses in Georgia, but whose license has lapsed.
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Things You'll Need
- Proof of education and examination (License by Examination)
- Proof of education, examination and current out-of-state licensing (License by Endorsement)
- Proof of previous, but lapsed, licensing (License by Reinstatement)
Instructions
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Graduate from a nursing education program approved by the Georgia Board of Nursing (see Resources) and successfully complete the National Boards Examination (NCLEX-RN). This is a prerequisite for both licensing by examination and licensing by endorsement.
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Apply to the Georgia Board of Nursing for a License by Examination. For the recent graduate of a nursing program applying for their first nursing license, this is a license by examination--government recognition of their training and of the fact that they were able to pass a difficult, national-level examination on their chosen profession.
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Apply to the Georgia Board of Nursing for a License by Endorsement. This option allows nurses from other states to use the skills for which they have already been licensed, in Georgia. A working nurse who already holds a license as a professional registered nurse in a state other than Georgia may apply for licensing by endorsement is a means of transferring their nursing license to Georgia: they have completed their education, have passed the National Boards and have been issued a nursing license by a another state, but now wish to practice their profession in Georgia. The applicant must provide proof of licensing by a state with which Georgia has reciprocity for the licensing of Professional Registered Nurses and such other proofs as the Georgia Board of Nursing may require to establish their credibility for licensing. Check the Georgia Nursing Board for specifics on reciprocity (see Resources).
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Apply to Georgia Board of Nursing for a License by Reinstatement. This licensing option allows the former Professional Registered Nurse whose license has lapsed to return to the profession. Each case of Reinstatement is carefully evaluated to insure that the lapse was for reasons other than misconduct and to insure that the applicant can preform the duties of the profession competently and without causing harm to others. The Board will require proof of former licensing in the State of Georgia and may require other documentation and evidence of competence.
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Pay the required fees and pass a background check. While a criminal background check will be performed, a record is not an absolute bar to licensing, depending on the type and severity of the infraction.
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Tips & Warnings
Evaluate nursing programs much as you would any educational program leading to a career. The Georgia Board of Nursing meets for two days every month. If they are unable to consider all applications during those two days, then applications will be put on hold until the next scheduled meeting of the board.
