What Degree?????

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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i have been jumping thru hoops since january to get my rn license here, thank the cannolis i am still current in california so i can take travel assignments there!!!! i move all the way across the country, buy a home here, endure downtown living, sleepless nights and snow only to be told by the tenn brn that they want a copy of my diploma???? what diploma? i took the boards as soon as my preceptorship was done and have been working non stop for 10 years. every time i call the board here i get good ole shirley telling me my paperwork is stuck in some kooky quagmire of bureacracy and confusion. ultimately this will end with a benjamin changing hands in a parking lot somewhere. has anyone else had problems getting their license here ? whom did you have to sleep with ? any chance i could get by with just a little dinner, maybe a little dancing? i wanna work!!!!

Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
I agree, the attorney suggestion was not the best. I did a lot of GOOGLING on this topic after I posted that. It amazed me that Ca refused the Excelsior thing and yet had created this 30 option. I have 160+ hours and an ADN. (BA in different field).

Guess what else? This was discussed here on allnurses a few months ago.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f233/30-unit-option-very-tempting-179882.html

That struck me as odd as well. CA will not accept excelsior which grants a degree, however, it will allow non-degree students to become registered after they complete a certain amount of credits.

Seems like this is a ploy to create more nurses who can only work in CA. Perhaps, to meet their staffing ratio requirements.

*******HAUNTED*********

Anyhow, the best option for you is to enroll in a community college and take these courses you need to complete your degree in CA. Most can probably be taken online and it will take one semester if you do so full time.

Then transfer these credits to your school in CA, get your degree, and Viola! Min requirements met for TN license. It will be well worth it.

You have so much invested already, whether you want a degree or not...to just throw away your nursing career. And another thing? Why would you NOT want a degree to put in black in white all the hard work that you have put into your education? Also, was it not explained to you when you chose this option that other states do not accept this as a credible requirement to practice as an RN? And, do you have a degree/diploma for your LVN? Can you not apply for a TN LPN license while you finish your RN requirements?

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The school I went to has it in black and white that the 30 unit LVN option does not produce a degree and the RN license obtained will not be honored in states other than CA. They also make the prospective student sign and return a statement attesting to that fact. I would assume that other schools do the same. The students who opted to take the LVN test instead of the RN test, when eligible, were not afforded a certificate of completion or ASN for RN/LVN. When they took the test, all they got/get is the license, and it is only good in CA.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
The school I went to has it in black and white that the 30 unit LVN option does not produce a degree and the RN license obtained will not be honored in states other than CA. They also make the prospective student sign and return a statement attesting to that fact. I would assume that other schools do the same. The students who opted to take the LVN test instead of the RN test, when eligible, were not afforded a certificate of completion or ASN for RN/LVN. When they took the test, all they got/get is the license, and it is only good in CA.

If this is true for the OP as well, then I don't see what the big surprise would be. Frustration, I understand. But, rules are rules just as Chris said. The OP has to play by TN's rules, and had she been more prepared, she would have realized so before arriving and applying for a TN license in the first place.

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I appreciate all of your posts and am dealing with my original nursing school to resolve the educational deficits that I seem to have. I am short a humanities course which has delayed my degree from California. I had about a month prior to moving here from California and in my abundance of spare time, idle hours of finding a home, packing, filing change of address, locating movers and setting up utilities, veterinarians, MD's and swapping pharmacies, obtaining records and a little chit chat here and there during the holidays I guess it was my bad to research, print out and begin the process with the state of Tennessee to apply for my RN.

That having been said, the state BON has had my completed application and my money for almost 4 months now. Who's dragging their feet now huh? Not me. I have to deal with California to get these issues resolved because good ole Sally or whatever ( I can never understand a word she says) had some family issues to deal with here. Good Lord. Thanks so much for the warm response.

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You may need to get the rest of your units from an accredited college to receive your degree. Check with one in your area. Have your transcripts transferred to the college and make sure you talk with the nursing advisor to get the right classes.

Oh yeah sure... Good Luck with that...

I've been kicking around for a couple of years the idea of going back and getting a second degree in "nursing" due to the supposed "shortage" and frankly I've never met a larger group of more unhelpful people in my entire life.

Trying to tell me that I can't transfer my basic Chem courses or any other courses from my undergrad degree? hilarious.

Let me take a test. I'm sorry but I've been around plenty of hospitals and frankly I'd put my test scores against 80% of the people sitting behind those tables as far as your most BASIC scientific knowledge goes.

As far as "NURSING" and specified practice well of course but to be honest I've never even bothered to pursue it as a second degree because when you talk to the local community college program, you'd think we were talking about taking courses in advanced algorithmic calculus and I moved years ago from a big city so any local university program would require that I drive like an hour and a half to take some relatively simple classes.

Sorry just like to vent because for some odd reason it's nearly impossible in South Jersey to get any straight answers from any supposed "nursing" programs .... Wow Imagine that coming from a state where the major university in charge of educating health care professionals finds a large majority of their STAFF under indictment for fraud... ROFL

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I contacted the local community college (Volunteer) and did get the "run around " and am going to have to tuck em up and physically walk in , plunk down my transcrips and see what specific class work is required. They keep asking if I want to get on the list for the nursing program. Argh. And I keep repeating that I am already an RN, just need a minimum degree to transfer to here.

For those who replied and said I didn't do my research prior to moving here let me clear this up... a phone call to the TN BON was made, several in fact and there was no mention regarding a diploma, in fact I downloaded and printed the entire Nurse practice act and under educational requirements it stated that I had to complete the accepted course study from an accredited school of nursing, which I did.

I'm all for bashing the OP for lack of insight , me being the OP and jeepers at a time like this I could sure benefit from such beratement for my slovenly ways but you can't tell me I am the only transfer from out of state who has gone thru this.

In the end, I seem to be in the position of persuing and obtaining either my BSN or MSN degree and being offered administrative positions upon graduation, which I never desired. I'm a hands on bedside nurse. Can you just close your eyes and picture that for a minute? Being held back from doing what you love over a humanities class? Does that sound fair and just?

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I should also tell you that your beautiful state BON has had my completed application, and my money for going on 4 months and this entire educational rife could have been finalized and I could have been working by now if only someone in that office had been on the ball......

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Just a little "southern" advice. Sugar tastes better than vinegar in most cases, so be sweet and kind and understanding when dealing with this person at the BON. Personally, I can be a snarling dog when my fur is rubbed the wrong way. Seems like the big problem is with the school in California who let you graduate and sit for boards without having all of the required credit checks. How in the world did that happen? Before we were allowed to submit anything to the BON, we all went through 3 checks, if you did not have the required classes, you had to get them or take the state board test the next time around, again after 3 checks and a official stamp from the school on all forms submitted to the BON. Sounds like a mess but I appreciate it now.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Two threads with duplicate topics merged.

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Specializes in Emergency, Case Management, Informatics.
I contacted the local community college (Volunteer) and did get the "run around " and am going to have to tuck em up and physically walk in , plunk down my transcrips and see what specific class work is required. They keep asking if I want to get on the list for the nursing program. Argh. And I keep repeating that I am already an RN, just need a minimum degree to transfer to here.

For those who replied and said I didn't do my research prior to moving here let me clear this up... a phone call to the TN BON was made, several in fact and there was no mention regarding a diploma, in fact I downloaded and printed the entire Nurse practice act and under educational requirements it stated that I had to complete the accepted course study from an accredited school of nursing, which I did.

I'm all for bashing the OP for lack of insight , me being the OP and jeepers at a time like this I could sure benefit from such beratement for my slovenly ways but you can't tell me I am the only transfer from out of state who has gone thru this.

In the end, I seem to be in the position of persuing and obtaining either my BSN or MSN degree and being offered administrative positions upon graduation, which I never desired. I'm a hands on bedside nurse. Can you just close your eyes and picture that for a minute? Being held back from doing what you love over a humanities class? Does that sound fair and just?

This is the policy quoted on the TN BON website. Specifically, listed on the PDF entitled "RN Endorsement Instructions and Application", which can be found by clicking on Applications/Forms from the main page:

"... an applicant must be a graduate of an approved school of nursing..."

This wording is not ambiguous by any means. By your own admission, you did not actually graduate. You were allowed to sit boards because you had X number of credits. This information took me about 6 seconds to find.

If you're looking for a pity party, maybe you'll find a few here who will give you a tissue and pat you on the shoulder. The cold, hard reality is that, no, you did not do enough research. You knew that you were licensed under special circumstances specific to California, and did not have the foresight to tie up loose ends before hopping halfway across the country.

Yes, the TN BON is probably dragging its feet a bit. It's a government entity. No big surprise there. However, if you do not meet the clearly-stated minimum requirements for licensure, you will not be licensed. There is no other way to put this. You will need to finish your degree, graduate from an approved nursing school, and move on.

Meanwhile, you can do as others have suggested and consider obtaining an LPN license while getting everything else done.

Or, you can wallow in the sadness of your situation, get sympathy from anonymous people on the internet, and shake your fist in frustration at the big, bad Board of Nursing.

Whatever works for you.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
I should also tell you that your beautiful state BON has had my completed application, and my money for going on 4 months and this entire educational rife could have been finalized and I could have been working by now if only someone in that office had been on the ball......

If I read one of the original posts correctly, TN has denied your application for licensure by endorsement. How is this "dragging their feet" or not being "on the ball"? The TN BON has rendered a decision. As best I can interpret the situation as it has been presented here, there will be no further action from the TN BON. Perhaps you can ask if there is some partial refund of application fees to those applicants who are denied.

The problem is that you do not hold a nursing degree. You were licensed by CA under their own particular and atypical regulations for licensure. If, and I stress "if" it was not made clear to you that that was an unusual situation, then I feel badly for you. If you want to be licensed by a state other than CA, you will need to meet the requirements of that state.

If there are no states other than CA which grant an RN license without graduation from an accredited nursing program, then you will need to complete your degree to work outside CA. The best scenario would seem to be if your CA school has online/distance options available for the courses you are lacking to earn a degree from that institution. Otherwise, you will have to apply for advanced standing admission to another college/university where you are living now, and likely will have to meet the typical requirement of any degree-granting institution that your last 20-30 credits are earned from that school.

Good luck to you.

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In response to the TN BON "dragging their feet" I say again that they have had my completed application for going on 4 months and despite phone calls and letters I wrote regarding the status of processing my application they NEVER informed me that there was any hold up.

Also, as it turns out I will be completing an online Psych 100 course over a 6 week period to obtain my degree. My transcripts do not reflect that I completed this, which I did but oh well.

To Donald, I dare say this board represents a "pity party", rather a collective group of educated information and a gathering place for the exchange of thoughtfull ideas from others whom may have had a similar situation and offer suggestions for resolution. That is what I accomplished by posting my dilema here and it IS getting resolved without anyone going postal !

My reply to your reference of a Government entity moving slowly, I am not one to take "No" easily and I do believe you can fight city hall and win. I was quite instrumental, vocal and suffered a huge sacrifice in helping to implement the staffing ratios now in place in California and don't regret anything I did to help move that forward. I believe it is a huge benefit to patients and staff and wish it could be a Nationwide policy. Well, now that I am here in the lovely state of Tennessee and will be working very soon as a REGISTERED NURSE THANK YOU maybe I can do something to get that ball rolling.

So, Donald, in conclusion, YESSIR IT WORKS FOR ME!!!!!!!

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