California License - prereqs required by CA BON

Sour Lemon · Dec 23, 2016

I am completing my ASD BSN this coming April in MI. I was going to choose CA for my licensing state but I just went onto the BON and saw their education requirements. It seems you have to send them your transcript and I'm looking at the required prereqs by CA and it lists "Microbiology with lab". My prereq microbio did not have a lab. My molecular and cellular bio did as well as my general biology course. Will that be an issue for me?
my microbio is listed as BIO-1570 O1525 Microbiology of Health/Disease (at oakland community college) but my A&P doesn't have lab listed in the title and it did have a lab.. so would they really know?? >.
ref:
http://www.rn.ca.gov/status.shtml#applicants

It very well could be. California is known to be a VERY picky, very thorough state when it comes to licensing. I believe the non-lab class is usually an hour less, but my memory is fuzzy.

kelsonsa, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Dec 23, 2016

Bummer, thank you.

whiteorchid81 · Dec 26, 2016

I'm from Cali but currently live in Colorado. I graduated with my ADN this year. We planned to move back to Cali but I was advised by my RN friends that it would be best to test in the state you graduated from rather then to have your transcripts transferred. Cali BON is strict, apparently, I was told the worst in the country. Also Cali BON takes a very long time to process your paperwork.

My advise is to apply for license by endorsement after you have passed the NCLEX in the state you are in now. I have heard it is the best route to take.

kelsonsa, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Dec 26, 2016

I'm from Cali but currently live in Colorado. I graduated with my ADN this year. We planned to move back to Cali but I was advised by my RN friends that it would be best to test in the state you graduated from rather then to have your transcripts transferred. Cali BON is strict, apparently, I was told the worst in the country. Also Cali BON takes a very long time to process your paperwork.
My advise is to apply for license by endorsement after you have passed the NCLEX in the state you are in now. I have heard it is the best route to take.

Thanks so much for the advice! I definitely think I'm going to go that route. Or at least not choose it as my original licensing state. Congratulations on your ADN!! I wish you the best of luck :)

Sour Lemon · Dec 26, 2016

My advise is to apply for license by endorsement after you have passed the NCLEX in the state you are in now. I have heard it is the best route to take.

Actually, it makes no difference. You'll need to provide the same information in CA, including transcripts, even if you apply by endorsement and have been a nurse for 20 years. Some people are under the mistaken impression that getting a license in another state will qualify them in CA. It won't.

Also, the processing times for Licensure by Examination and Licensure by Endorsement are both 10-12 weeks.

Processing Times

whiteorchid81 · Dec 27, 2016

Yes, you are right. Getting your RN license in another state does not mean you qualify for licensure in CA. And I am not saying that you are guaranteed to be approved for licensure if you take the NCLEX in another state over transferring your transcripts and applying for the NCLEX in Cali.

What I am saying is that from what I have been told, based on the experience of others, that is the best route to take. I have a couple of friends who after transferring their transcripts to CA BON, were told they needed more courses to fulfill the requirements. And the friends who applied for license by endorsement had better luck with getting their license in Cali.

As for the processing times, 10-12 weeks is a long time compared to how other states process their applications. My friends who have taken the NCLEX in Cali have waited 6-10 weeks for their license. Here in Colorado the wait is about 2-4 weeks for license, usually just 2 weeks. In Washington state around the same time as Colorado (based on accounts from a few friends, I know it is not the same for every one). My friends who have applied for license by endorsement in Cali have waited 3 months to 6 months (there was no discrepency with their application, they were just told that their application hasn't been processed). In Colorado it took about 1 month for another friend.

I understand that every situation is different. And each individual experience will vary. I haven't had to deal with CA BON, personally, so I go by what I have been told.

I'm curious have you encountered anyone who was denied a license after applying through endorsment in Cali?

Sour Lemon · Dec 27, 2016

I'm curious have you encountered anyone who was denied a license after applying through endorsement in Cali?

I applied to CA by endorsement and did not go to school here. The only nurses I meet are at work- and they are licensed, of course. There are always threads popping up on this site about people being denied, though. Search for "California microbiology lab" and you'll see people from around the USA complaining about getting shut out after applying by endorsement. I can only imagine there are many more who don't happen to have allnurses accounts or seek advice on the internet. Search for something broader, like "California educational deficiency" and you'll see even more posts from foreign graduates who haven't been able to meet California's requirements (although they're easily able to get licensed in alternate states).

Applying by endorsement is simply not a good work-around. It's a waste of time and money unless the applicant is actually planning on working in the state they apply to.

whiteorchid81 · Dec 27, 2016

When you applied through license by endorsement in Cali were you denied due to not having the micro with lab?

I can imagine that there are a number of nurses who have been told by CA BON of not having the proper credits or the right classes.

So for someone who doesn't have the micro with lab and is required by CA BON to take that class, wouldn't it be a good idea, financially, to take the NCLEX and work as an RN in your state where you graduated and take a micro with lab class rather than to go to Cali and apply to take the license there only to have to be told to take the micro with lab?

I wouldn't consider applying by endorsement "not a good-work around and waste of time and money". The way I see it. Even if CA BON denies a license through endorsement due to the micro with lab, at least with an RN license in your state you can work and pay your student loans while taking micro with lab. If you apply to CA BON to take the NCLEX there and you know your micro is not comparable to Cali requirement then you are stuck having to take that class and cannot work as an RN while you do so. Unless there is some urgency to move to Cali.

Considering how long CA BON takes to process paperwork, by the time you get an answer from them, your grace period for your student loans will be up. Then you would be stuck with having to pay or apply for forebearance. Personally, I would rather work and get paid as an RN and take the class over not having a license and having to take another class before I can take the NCLEX in Cali.