Subacute care. cant challenge lvn boards

[Natasha A., CNA, LVN]

I am just curious as to why a CNA with five years full time experience in a subacute care hospital is not allowed to challenge the LVN boards in California. I called the board institute and she said I'm only credited for 8 hours , but because i do not have any medical surg hours, i do not qualify? i just wish their were a way around this because having five years subacute care experience and not being allowed to challenge the boards on anything is hurtful.

[poppycat, ADN, BSN]

You have no nursing education which is what you need to qualify to take any boards.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

It's because the California State BVNPT has determined that if you were to get the specific mix of care activities over 51 months of work, including acute care, you should then be able to pass the exam and be able to be licensed as an LVN. Working in a only in a subacute setting for 5 years does not meet the experience mix that they would want you to have, so you do not qualify for licensure by that specific route.

Specifically the BVNPT says that this is the minimum hours... and 40 months of the below work must be in an acute care setting. You must also pass a 54 hour pharmacology course in addition to the clinical time.

1. 48 months medical/surgical nursing;
   
2. 6 weeks maternity or genitourinary nursing;
   
3. 6 weeks pediatric nursing.
   

I got the above directly from the BVNPT website... right here: http://www.bvnpt.ca.gov/licensing/method_3.shtml#PHARM

Just scroll up a little bit from the "pharm" section to see what they require for paid bedside nursing experience.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

You have no nursing education which is what you need to qualify to take any boards.

The California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT) is the major exception to this rule. This entity allows CNAs and former military medics with a specific experiential mix to challenge the board to become LVNs. I wrote about the process a couple of years ago, if you are interested:

https://allnurses.com/california-nursing/challenging-boards-become-763569.html

[poppycat, ADN, BSN]

Thanks for the information, commuter. I didn't know this.