International nurse SO lost in CA

World Registration

Published

aaaaalrighty here goes my very first thread [ever!]:

Good afternoon dear nurses [a.k.a. much appreciated and beloved sources of valuable information] :redpinkhe

First and foremost I'd like to officially THANK YOU ALL for the amazing effort and dedication you're putting into this indispensable site! It truly makes a huge difference even if most people reading it will never sign up and have a chance to say it! :heartbeat

I have more than one question and my situation is a little bit different than other situations I've seen around here.

Some facts about me:

- I live in California with my [american] husband, we'll probably be here for another 3-4 years;

- I have a Green Card and am a CA NREMT-B since April 2010 with no working experience;

- I'm a graduate of a romanian 3 year Nursing program;

- I never obtained a license to practice in Romania; there you have to work for 6 months in order to apply for the licensing exam, I left for the United States only 2 months after my finals in 2009.

- my study papers have been evaluated [course-by-course] by a local Evaluation Center as follows:

"These studies are equivalent to completion of the requirements for an Associate of Science in Nursing at regionally accredited community colleges in the United States," "with a total of 93 semester unit completed" and "a grade point average of 3.83."

I tried to rush into becoming a nurse and applied to a College here in CA for an ADN Program. It was only after I took the TEAS Test and went through horrible stress that I got my evaluation in the mail and saw that I already have an Associate's and am in fact an unlicensed RN [or am I?].

Before I got my copy of the evaluation the counselor at the College told me I was a "medical assistant according to the evaluation" that he got via a fax from the same center... Now why would he say that? Did he say that to get me to sign up for their ADN Program and pay SOOO many thousands of dollars? According to the evaluation am I not good to go for the NCLEX?

From what I have read on this site so far and from personal experience [of not being able to reach a human soul at the CA BoN for months now] I understand that it's quite difficult and a lengthy process to obtain the initial license from the CA BoN, should I apply to AZ or NV since they are closer?

On the other hand, on the CA BoN site it says that in order to obtain a license by endorsement they [CA BoN] will still ask for all your transcripts to be sent from your Nursing School, is that accurate? Why would they do that, and if they do why not apply straight to them? I'm not going to talk about how big of a pain it is to get anything done by my school, do not be fooled by anybody and trust me when I say the system there is NOTHING like the american system!

I really just want to be able to take the NCLEX, get a job... well and eventually I'd like to become a Nurse Practitioner but I KNOW it's a long road. It's my goal in life and nobody can mess with it! :nurse:

The thing is: I'm more than willing to get on my horse and tackle the challenges coming my way. Problem is: which way should I go?

Is it a waste of time and money or should I go with the College Program? Should I apply to another state for the "initial" license or maybe just do it through CA BoN? uuuuugh HELP my head will explode! :confused:

P.S. is it possible that some other institution could come up with a different evaluation of my credentials? Institutions such as... the CA BoN? :confused:

Download the application on the CA Bon

http://www.rn.ca.gov/pdfs/applicants/exam-app.pdf

Just follow the directions,

APPLICANTS EDUCATED OUTSIDE THE U.S.:

*Transcripts received from the school in a foreign language will require an English translation by a certified translator or translation service. (See Translation of International Academic Credentials instructions.)

*Transcripts are required from all colleges and/or universities you attended that reflect courses required for a degree in nursing, including general education course requirements and all nursing courses. Transcripts must be received and evaluated by the Board prior to being found eligible for the NCLEX examination.

* Your education must meet the requirements for California licensure. If any deficiencies are identified, you must complete an approved course(s) prior to being found eligible for the examination.

*Education as a medical doctor is not acceptable to meet registered nursing requirements.

*The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) examination is not required by the Board to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX- RN).

Note: To ensure the earliest possible examination date, request the transcript from your school(s) well in advance because some applicants have found that it can take up to 4-6 months to obtain complete transcripts.

You need to allow sufficient time to obtain additional information from the school in case the transcript is not complete or the Board needs more information regarding your completed program. Transcripts must be submitted from all nursing programs attended, such as midwifery or psychiatric programs. The transcripts must also include the clinical portion of an applicant's education.

Thanks for the quick response Ginger's Mom.

I understand how the process for the CA BoN is supposed to work, I'm sorry if my thread was misleading. My dilemma was "which is the safest and fastest way to obtain my license?"

However, I think I will go with the CA BoN :-)

The easiest way to get registered is through the california bon.They dont require cgfns CES but will definately require a transcript directly from your school. once all your documents are reviewed,then you will be given authorization to test for NCLEX. Its way easier rather than dealing with cgfns who will take like forever just to give you a course by course evaluation.They are terrible with customer care! its good to deal with them when you are not in a hurry otherwise Cal BON is the way to go!

Thanks ngaka :)

Hopefully everything will go smooth!

Hi! I finished nursing school in 2001. Have tried 2x the NCLEX no

luck. I am trying for the 3rd time with Florida BON. They require a CES

professional report. Fine! Now my problem is that I have to apply for a

whole new one ( even though I have a CES report), since they say that's

too old and now I need a Request for Validation of Registration/License/Certification document. I have no idea where I'm supposed to send it since I never practiced nursing back in Romania. HELP!!!

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