If you’re a licensed nurse moving from anywhere in the US to Georgia, you probably have a lot of questions about what steps you need to take so that you can continue to practice nursing in your new state. Here is what you need to know.
- If you have a multistate license from another state, you can practice immediately upon moving to Georgia, but you need to apply for a Georgia nursing license “by endorsement.”
- If you do not have a multistate license, you need to apply for a Georgia nursing license “by endorsement,” and you need to wait for your Georgia nursing license before you can practice there.
Trying to understand what you need to do and when to make sure you are properly licensed can be a challenge. The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team is ready to help you with your questions and any issues that may arise in the course of your move to Georgia. Call us at 888.535.3686, or submit our online contact form so we can schedule a confidential consultation to explain how we can help.
Getting Your License By Endorsement
Whether or not you have a multistate license, if you are a licensed nurse moving permanently to Georgia, you will need to apply for a Georgia nursing license by endorsement. While this reduces the time needed to get a license and eliminates the need to take the NCLEX again, there are still a number of steps involved.
Georgia is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, which makes it much easier for nurses licensed in one Compact state who have a multistate license to quickly practice in another Compact state. There is a trap here, however: you must apply for your Georgia state nursing license within 60 days of when you move to Georgia and begin working as a nurse there. It can be deceptively easy to begin practicing immediately with no restrictions and then forget to file your application on time.
If you do not have a multistate nursing license, you will need to file your application for a Georgia nursing license by endorsement as soon as possible. As part of the application process, you will have to register for a background check the same day you file your license application, and you will need to file additional documentation as well.
So One Way or Another I Will Have to Apply for a License By Endorsement?
Yes. Even if you have an existing multistate nursing license in good standing from a Nurse Licensure Compact state, you will still need to apply for a Georgia state nursing license by endorsement. The only difference is that, because you have a multistate license from an NLC state, you can begin practicing in Georgia immediately. You then have 60 days to file your application for a license by endorsement.
If you don’t have a nursing license from an NLC state, then you will have to wait until your license by endorsement application is granted in Georgia before you can practice there as a nurse. That said, the application requirements for a license by endorsement are the same whether you hold a nursing license from an NLC state or one from a state that is not a member of the NLC.
What is the Licensure by Endorsement Application Process?
There is a background check step and an application step that are both part of the licensure by endorsement application process.
To start the background check process, you need to register with GAPS/Idemia on the exact same day you file your application for a license by endorsement. “GAPS” is the Georgia Applicant Processing Service, and “Idemia” is the company that collects and processes fingerprints for applicant background checks.
Pro tip: Register for GAPS/Idemia the same day you file your application for licensure by endorsement. If you register with GAPS/Idemia even one day before you file your application for a license by endorsement, you risk having your background check voided, which will delay your application.
The second step involves your actual application for your license by endorsement. You file this online through the Georgia Online Application & Licensing System (GOALS) portal. You will need to be able to provide the following:
- Proof that you have an active license that is not encumbered by any disciplinary investigations or sanctions.
- Official college transcripts from your nursing school – the same transcripts you used for your initial nursing license. These must be submitted to the Board by your nursing school.
- Verification of the status of your current license through the Nursys national database.
- Verification of your original nursing license, if different from your current license, again through Nursys.
- If English is not your first language, your TOEFL results.
- Either proof that you have graduated from an approved nursing school within 4 years of the application date, or verification from one or more employers that you have worked as a licensed nurse for at least 500 hours over the past 4 years.
- Proof of citizenship or that you are a “qualified alien.”
Your background check is also part of your application. At some point, you will have to provide your fingerprints in person at a designated location. That goes back to your GAPS/Idemia registration.
Can I Get My Georgia Nursing License if I Have Been Disciplined in Another State?
As part of the licensure by endorsement application process, you will need to disclose any prior disciplinary actions taken against you. If you have been disciplined by another state’s board of nursing, you will need to provide the Georgia Board of Nursing with a lot of information about why you were disciplined. How you do this can make a big difference in what the board does in response.
When you work with an experienced attorney from the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team, we can make sure your disclosure to the Georgia Board of Nursing is not only complete but also one that explains what happened in a way that will help the Board understand why your license application should be granted.
Can I Get My Georgia Nursing License if I Have Been Convicted of a Crime in Another State?
Here, too, you will almost always need to disclose the conviction when you apply for your license by endorsement. As with disciplinary matters, how you disclose what happened can directly affect how the Board reacts to the disclosure.
The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team understands what is important to the Georgia Board of Nursing when it comes to both convictions and arrests. We can work with you to present any convictions in a way that provides the board with the full story, so that the chances of your application being approved are as high as possible.
I Want to Work as a Travel Nurse in Georgia. What Should I Do?
Working as a travel nurse in Georgia is easy if you hold a multistate nursing license from a Nurse Licensure Compact state. Because of your multistate license, you are free to work in Georgia on a temporary basis as a travel nurse. It is important to understand, however, that if you decide to live in Georgia permanently, you need to apply for a Georgia nursing license by endorsement, as described above.
If you do not have a nursing license from an NLC state, you will need to apply for a Georgia nursing license before you can work here as a travel nurse.
Can I Provide Telenursing Care From Another State to a Georgia Patient?
The rules for telenursing are similar to those for travel nursing. The Georgia Board of Nursing has ruled that you need to either have a multistate nursing license from a Nurse Licensure Compact state or hold a Georgia state nursing license.
How Long Does it Take for the Georgia Board of Nursing to Issue a License by Endorsement?
It can take anywhere from three to six weeks before the Board will issue a license by endorsement once an application is complete. But it can take longer if you don’t provide all of the documentation required, or if you incorrectly register for your background check.
The best way to make sure you are filing everything you need to file in the proper timeframe is to be working with one of the experienced attorneys from the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team.
What do I Need to Do to Keep my Georgia Nursing License?
Once you have your Georgia nursing license, you need to renew it every two years. During that two-year period, you need to complete a certain amount of continuing education, depending on the type of nursing license you hold.
Registered and advanced practice nurses must complete 30 “contact hours” of continuing education. They also have other options for meeting their continuing education requirements. Licensed Practical Nurses must complete 20 hours. Georgia provides access to a continuing education tracking service that nurses can use to help them keep track of their continuing education.
Note that Georgia does not use “rolling” renewal periods. Instead, it has a renewal “window” – a period of time typically from November through the end of January during which all renewals due that year must be filed. If your license has not been renewed by the end of that period, you are not allowed to practice as a nurse.
The LLF National Law Firm Can Help if You Are a Nurse Moving to Georgia
If you are a licensed nurse and are moving to Georgia and want to make sure you can continue to practice nursing once you get there, the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team is here to help. If you have any questions about the licensure by endorsement application process, or if you have disciplinary actions or criminal convictions in your background, we can help you make sure your application is as complete as possible. We regularly help nurses with their Georgia nursing license issues, and are ready to do so for you as well.
Call us at 888.535.3686 or fill out our online contact form so that we can schedule a confidential consultation. Let us know what your Georgia nursing license questions are, and we can tell you how we can help you answer them.