Application For Licensure As A Registered Nurse By Reciprocity Information And Instructions printable pdf download

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Executive Office of Health and Human Services

Department of Public Health

Division of Health Professions Licensure

Board of Registration in Nursing

APPLICATION FOR LICENSURE AS A REGISTERED NURSE BY RECIPROCITY

INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

Nurse Licensed in the United States or its Territories

Important Note: To practice nursing in Massachusetts, you must hold a valid, current license issued by the

Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing (Board). Temporary licenses are not issued. Massachusetts is

not a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact.

Nurse Licensure Requirements

[M.G.L. c. 112, §§ 74, 76 and 76B, and Board regulations at 244 CMR 8.00]

1. Good moral character, as established by the Board.

2. Graduation from a Registered Nurse (RN) education program approved by the Board of Nursing in the

state of original licensure. Graduates of a nursing program whose language of instruction or textbooks

(classroom instruction and clinical practice) or textbooks was not in English must demonstrate English

proficiency as established by the Board.

3. Achievement of a pass score on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN®) or the

State Board Test Pool Examination (SBTPE) for Registered Nurses. Nurses who took the State Board

examination in Puerto Rico are not eligible for RN licensure by reciprocity. Only RNs licensed in Puerto

Rico by NCLEX-RN are eligible in Massachusetts for RN licensure by reciprocity.

4. Licensure as a Registered Nurse by examination in the United States (U.S.), District of Columbia (DC),

or U.S. Territory (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands only).

5. Payment of all required fees.

Carefully read the following information and instructions prior to completing the enclosed application.

Registered Nurses Licensed in Canada Eligible for Reciprocity

The Board requires graduation from an RN education program approved by the nursing board or

corresponding body in the province of Canada where the applicant was licensed as a Registered Nurse by

examination (CNATS Examination or CNATS Comprehensive Examination). Applicants who wrote a CNATS

exam before August 1, 1995 o r t h e S B T P E must demonstrate achievement of a score as indicated in

one of the following examinations to be eligible for reciprocity:



a passing score on the State Board Testing Pool Examination prior to August 1, 1970; or



a score greater than 400 in each component of the CNATS between August 1, 1970 and August 1,

1980; or



a score greater than 400 on the CNATS Comprehensive examination between August 1, 1980 and

August 1, 1995*.

The Board requires evidence of English proficiency if you were a graduate of a nursing education program

whose language of instruction (classroom instruction and clinical practice) or textbooks was not English or took

the CNATS Examination or the CNATS Comprehensive Examination in French.

Applicants who wrote the CNATS exam after August 1, 1995, are not eligible for reciprocity.

Registered Nurses Licensed in Canada or Puerto Rico Not Eligible for Reciprocity

You must apply for RN licensure by examination. First, complete and submit the Certification of Graduation from

a Board Approved Nursing Education Program Located Outside of the United States and the Territories of

American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands or Certification of Graduation from a

Board-Approved Nursing Education Program Located in Canada as applicable to determine if you met the nursing

education requirement for RN licensure. This certification application and the separate Application for Initial

Nursing Licensure by Examination Information and Instructions are available online at Do not

use this application for reciprocity.

Application For Licensure As A Registered Nurse By Reciprocity Information And Instructions

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