Just applied for NCLEX-RN (2012) Foreign Graduates!

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Aug 14, 2012

Moved to nurse registration forum in world nursing section. Suggest a good read as there are numerous threads regarding the troubles internationally educated nurses are having getting licensed in CA v

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Aug 14, 2012

OP, try searching your question in the international forum. There are already multiple threads addressing this very topic. The bottom line is California has written regulations that require that applicants for RN licensure must have graduated from nursing programs that provide lecture and clinical rotation concurrently. For example, Med-Surg lectures should coincide with Med-Surg clinical rotations in the same semester.

This is already how it is set-up in the Philippines as far as the BSN curriculum is concerned. However, Philippine BSN programs include completion cases for OR (first assist), Delivery Room (actual performance and assistance during lady partsl delivery), and Nursery (newborn umbilical cord care).

Many schools in the Philippines allow students to advance to the next year level without completing these cases for the year they were supposed to have been completed (i.e., Delivery Room and Nursery Room cases should have been completed in the Level II during Maternal-Child Health lectures, OR cases in Level III during Med-Surg lectures).

This practice does not meet California's requirement that lectures are held concurrently with clinical rotations. This is the reason why many graduates from Philippine nursing schools have been denied to even sit for the NCLEX-RN. These rules have been written in the law in California for years but the Board only recently started issuing the denials (as early as last year based on the time the posts regarding this started appearing on allnurses).

If you know that you did your completion cases outside of the year level you were supposed to have completed them, chances are California will not deem you eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN and be registered in California as an RN. They are offering two options: make up Med-Surg and OB hours in a California-approved program, or sit for the NCLEX-PN instead.

steppybay · Aug 14, 2012

Thanks for the detailed the easy to understand explanation! You slammed the nail on the head!

It was reported by another PH grad that supposely the CHED, PRC and PNA are finally getting their act together to make the messed up courses and schedules to comply with USA standards (maybe at least for CA, since 33% or more PH grads have the strong desire to settle in CA). These changes supposely have already been taken in place, but I can't seem to verify this with a few others still in school.

I only get reports like "What are you talking about?", "Nope, we're still on the same course", "No way, are you crazy, girl?" and here's a real good one, "WHY should we change from what they are doing now, it will only mess up for the older students enrolled now?"....the current PH are so clueless, I tell them to glance over in this forum, they think it's all not for real. I can only say I "warned them".

Anyone else know 100% for sure there's been these changes to correct the concurrency problem?

randss · Aug 15, 2012

There has been no change to the concurrency issue and it only seems to be getting worse as more states are now following california's lead. Your best bet right now is to apply to a different state as the even the lvn board is doing the same thing.

My advice to getting ahead would be to apply for the CGFNS CES since many concurrency issue-friendly states require it and it's really just paperwork and also take the TOEFL. Those two are probably the most requested documents aside from your transcript from my experience.

Also, don't hesitate to call the state board you're applying to for clarification with regards to their requirements. Lets just say, what's written on their website isn't always accurate with regards to what their requirements really are...

steppybay · Aug 15, 2012

There has been no change to the concurrency issue and it only seems to be getting worse as more states are now following california's lead. Your best bet right now is to apply to a different state as the even the lvn board is doing the same thing.
My advice to getting ahead would be to apply for the CGFNS CES since many concurrency issue-friendly states require it and it's really just paperwork and also take the TOEFL. Those two are probably the most requested documents aside from your transcript from my experience.
Also, don't hesitate to call the state board you're applying to for clarification with regards to their requirements. Lets just say, what's written on their website isn't always accurate with regards to what their requirements really are...

".... even the lvn board is doing the same thing." Could you elaborate a bit more? Is this from personal experience or others that have been rejected?

Sometimes even if one could get their call thru to the board, they usually just tell you we really don't know, can't tell you, until you actually submit your application and documents (and with the non-refundable payment, as so mentioned in the application paper).

randss · Aug 15, 2012

It's from personal experience. For me, they simply never replied. I sent my application last february and i know they got my papers because the check i sent to them was received.

There are people from my batch that also got rejected from the lvn board but I haven't gotten in touch with the ones that applied for an lvn license lately so I can't really tell what the reason was.

kellieskorner · Aug 15, 2012

California wants peds/ob with clinical hours.my question is this?Has anyone been licensed in any state? And does anyone know of any courses in Australia that will meet that standard.At least I will have my LVN until I can get my RN

ulna · Aug 16, 2012

OP I assume you're under the new curriculum? Make sure to keep us updated! Good luck, though it doesn't look good for us. Reading all the rejection stories has made me postpone applying. :sniff:

steppybay · Aug 16, 2012

It's from personal experience. For me, they simply never replied. I sent my application last february and i know they got my papers because the check i sent to them was received.
There are people from my batch that also got rejected from the lvn board but I haven't gotten in touch with the ones that applied for an lvn license lately so I can't really tell what the reason was.

Ahhh, okay, so you never actually got a rejection letter yet. Yes, I think others have said that they (BVNPT) are just working on the applications submitted in Feb. or March of this year, only one person here got her in about 1 month's time, lucky girl!

Someone else did mention that her PH friend's LVN application was rejected due to the concurrency problem as it's clearly stated on the BVNPT website the courses submitted must be taken at the same time. But maybe they are not enforcing it at this time, but like the CA BON, they could do so at any time they wish.

steppybay · Aug 16, 2012

Hi there!
I just applied for NCLEX-RN here in Cali, just today. Sent every paperwork and fees needed as stated by the BON in this site www.rn.ca.gov.
I am a naturalized U.S. citizen who graduated nursing in Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP) just this year. I was reading some of the blogs in this site and some people were talking about being denied from taking the exam. Now I'm not sure if I took the right step of applying. I have other friends who just graduated from the same school and are also curious about this matter.
Does anybody know anything if we are eligible to take the exam? I mean, we can wait for the results but it would help those who haven't applied yet. Saves time and money.
THanks! :)

Were you taking the 4 year curriculum? If so, did you guys do your clinical's along with the theoretical part in the SAME exact semester? If so, you may be okay for "approval" by the CA BON.

steppybay · Aug 16, 2012

California wants peds/ob with clinical hours.my question is this?Has anyone been licensed in any state? And does anyone know of any courses in Australia that will meet that standard.At least I will have my LVN until I can get my RN

You might get a better answer if you post this separately. Did you, in the meantime, get your ATT for the LVN exam?