Wishing to work in California, from another state

U.S.A. California

Published

since there have been so many threads started on this, thought that a sticky would answer most questions about this.

1. you must endorse to california, you do not transfer a license. you will continue to maintain an active license in the original state until it expires if you do not renew it.

2. you need to follow the license by endorsement application, you can find it on ca brn website.

3. california requires a completed set of transcripts from your nursing school before they will issue you a permanent license.

4. they need verification from your state licensing authority. if ca has received that or the state is part of nursys, then you can actually go to the brn in sacramento and get a temporary license issued that same day.

5. otherwise, expect it to take about one month for you to receive the license once they have received all documents.

It would be easier for you to just wait till you get there and do it all at once. I flew to cali in December and got my temp license in lesss than an hour, me and a group of friends. Just have your paperwork filled out and your check. They do the fingerprint for you. you MUST have your prints done professionally. You can't do it yourself. Save yourself the hassle and just go to the BON when you get to Cali.

I tried to read through the thread to see if there is an answer to my question but I don't think I found it.

I currently live in PA. I have started the application process for endorsement. I have already asked PA BON and my school to submit the appropriate paper work from their end. I am just waiting for the fingerprint card to mail in the actual application.

Everything I have read says this process will take 1-2, maybe even 3 months. I have to move to CA in July. How will the change in address affect my application? Do I just need to re-contact the BON and update my address? Or do you think I should wait to submit my appication until after I move? Or should I let things be and rely on the post office to forward my mail? :no:

Finally, with the fingerprints... do I need some official person to take the prints for me? Or can I just buy an ink pad and fingerprint myself?

Thanks.

Specializes in MICU.

I'm not sure how many people still read this particular thread, but I would like to put a feeler out to see if anyone currently working in California would be willing to chat a bit via PM. In short, I am a ICU RN with one a half years of experience and a BSN. Next year, in July to be specific, I am looking to make a move to California and will likely start out on a travel contract unless I find a hospital and area that I really like in advance. The general info I have seen on some of the threads here has been helpful, but if anyone was willing to take a whack at some questions via PM I would greatly appreciate it. Since I am not yet sold on any particular area in California, replies from any area in the state would be great.

Thanks to all who have already taken the time to put out good information on this thread!

Specializes in Mental Health.

Hi. I am currently waiting to get into the RN program and if all goes well I should be graduating with the BSN in Summer 2011. The problem is that I live in GUAM (a US territory). The RN prog at the local university is accredited by the California State Boards and I would like to return to So Cali once I'm done with school. The questiion however is whether I will have to take the boards again once I return to CA in order to work as an RN there?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

i want to share my experience with you guys. hope it would be helpful. I graduated in dec/07 at east coast. then moved to CA . as soon as I got a CA address, i applied for NCLEX to my old state. i think it is much faster to get a license and application procedures. at april/08, i took NCLEX and got a RN license. then I started apply for CA license through ENDORSEMENT. CA board asked a transcript together with a particular form which was supposed to be filled out by a school transcript officer (so, it is also complicated, to make sure they didn't forget to fill that form. i used an electronic finger pritning service which would speed up the application time compared to a paper finger printing. it is stated in the CA nursing board. electronic fingerpriting can be done only at CA state for CA license. then I waited 6 wks cos they said so in the phone. after that i asked the board about my license. found out they missed some documents although i sent it with a priority mail with a confirmation number. anyway, i sent it again and next week i.e june/08 i got a license. it was not that long as some thought BUT kind of complicated and need to follow up.:rolleyes:

One can easily do a walk-thru in Sacramento and get the temporary license issued that same day, provided that the original state is in Nursys or they have received the verification from the BON beforehand.

If so, it can all be done in just a few hours, including getting the LiveScan done.

Ok, so here is a point I didn't see mentioned anywhere and I thought I would bring up. I am a new grad nurse from SC with a SC license and I just got my temporary license in CA (orange county). I am awaiting my permanent license now. It took about 3 weeks from when I mailed the application (but I had requested the transcripts from my 3 schools the week prior). SO here's the point: I got my temp license on Jun 17 and all the local jobs willing to hire new graduates started their new grad internships on Jun 23. Obviously I missed out on those. So now, even though I have the ability to work, I have to wait until the next round of new grad programs open up. To help anyone in my situation, please look EVERYDAY on the hospital websites because they sneak them on there. The next round of programs start in : August, Sept. and October for the three closest hospitals to me. SO I have been jobless for longer than I anticipated. Lesson? If you know you are coming here in advance (which I didn't--husband's job) then apply as early as the postings appear. Not having a job while all my classmates in SC do is a bit disheartening. Good Luck. And hopefully I will see some of you here.:nurse:

Sorry, but the average wait of time is one month, and same day if you go to Sacramento. But you are having issues with your fingerprints, that is why things are delayed, that is not the fault of the CA BRN.

Fingerprints are well known as being required by CA, and if you are going to the BRN office in Sacramento, you can do the Live Scan and get a temporary license issued that day.

But again, your problems are not pointed at the BRN, but at your fingerprints. That is not the norm.

Thanks for all the info here, it is really helpful. I used to live in CA and went and had LiveScan done previously due to having a home day care many years ago. Do I need to go to LiveScan again?

Also, I know this was covered a little bit, but should I have all my transcripts for all my school sent before I graduate and then followup with my school sending my transcripts to CA board of reg nursing? Im not sure if it will speed up the process. Thanks!

april/08, i took NCLEX and got a RN license. then I started apply for CA license through ENDORSEMENT. CA board asked a transcript together with a particular form which was supposed to be filled out by a school transcript officer (so, it is also complicated, to make sure they didn't forget to fill that form. :rolleyes:

Hi, I am trying to quickly figure this out, in the packet of paperwork that is to be mailed to the board, there are the transcripts which are mailed directly from the school to the BON. Then there is the additional paper which is the "Nursing Program Verification", and I can't figure out if this is also mailed and sealed directly to the BON from the school, or sent back to me and then I send it in with my packet. I cant imagine how the dean will coincide with the records dept. to get the paperwork together and mailed at the same time. Anyways if anyone has an answer that would be great!

I am endorsing my licence from Vermont to California. I trained in the UK. Do i have to do Nursys and send verification of license packet to Vermont, do i have to do both? Edited to post on International forum, just saw the sticky.

I am endorsing my licence from Vermont to California. I trained in the UK. Do i have to do Nursys and send verification of license packet to Vermont, do i have to do both? Edited to post on International forum, just saw the sticky.

Only Nursys needs to be done. The packet is only used if one holds a license in a state that is not on Nursys.

Hi, I am trying to quickly figure this out, in the packet of paperwork that is to be mailed to the board, there are the transcripts which are mailed directly from the school to the BON. Then there is the additional paper which is the "Nursing Program Verification", and I can't figure out if this is also mailed and sealed directly to the BON from the school, or sent back to me and then I send it in with my packet. I cant imagine how the dean will coincide with the records dept. to get the paperwork together and mailed at the same time. Anyways if anyone has an answer that would be great!

Trancripts as well as that form get sent in by the school. The only thing that they will accept from you is your actual application.

Thanks for all the info here, it is really helpful. I used to live in CA and went and had LiveScan done previously due to having a home day care many years ago. Do I need to go to LiveScan again?

Also, I know this was covered a little bit, but should I have all my transcripts for all my school sent before I graduate and then followup with my school sending my transcripts to CA board of reg nursing? Im not sure if it will speed up the process. Thanks!

You will need to check with the Board on this one, but suspect that you will need to have the Live Scan done again now as they are going to need to run your fingerprints thru the system. Especially since it was many years ago as you call it and not done for the BRN.

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