California Reciprocity

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Hello. I need some help with regards to my plan of getting RECIPROCITY of my US Virginia License to California. I visited the California BON site but it seems so many things to do and which is which that I need to do. I have my original US License in SAIPAN BON then when I arrived here in Virginia, USA I made the reciprocity procedure and worked here currently for 1 year. Now I plan to work in California for better opportunities.

1.) What will be my first procedure to do? Apply for fingerprint procedure (which I think is the FINGERPRINT CARD application process)?

2.) Or submit my application paper to the California BON?

3.) When will the time that I have to request for my transcript in the Philippines?

4.) And what about the verification of my license?

5.) Someone told me that I need to verify my license from Saipan and not to Virginia BON since that is where all my credentials and my original license came?

Any information will greatly be appreciated. Thank you

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Moved to the Nurse Registration forum.

Suggest a good read on the issues facing International trained nurses and California

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Hello. I need some help with regards to my plan of getting RECIPROCITY of my US Virginia License to California. I visited the California BON site but it seems so many things to do and which is which that I need to do. I have my original US License in SAIPAN BON then when I arrived here in Virginia, USA I made the reciprocity procedure and worked here currently for 1 year. Now I plan to work in California for better opportunities.

1.) What will be my first procedure to do? Apply for fingerprint procedure (which I think is the FINGERPRINT CARD application process)?

2.) Or submit my application paper to the California BON?

3.) When will the time that I have to request for my transcript in the Philippines?

4.) And what about the verification of my license?

5.) Someone told me that I need to verify my license from Saipan and not to Virginia BON since that is where all my credentials and my original license came?

Any information will greatly be appreciated. Thank you

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Duplicate threads have been merged.

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Hi,

The best source would be to check with the CA BON directly (916) 322-3350 and ask them if they will allow license by endorsement for a foreign-grad with _ years of experience working in a US commonwealth and in a US state, before submitting your application as your situation is quite unique since you are a Philippine nursing graduate (with no current Philippine nursing license?), but you had received your first RN licensure in a US commonwealth, Saipan, and you also have a license in another state which uses the Nursys license verification. When applying to sit for the NCLEX-RN for California, they typically require a nursing license from the country of your nursing education; I'm not sure if your case will be an exception.

According to be able to endorse into California from out-of-state:

"To qualify for endorsement (reciprocity) into California as an RN, you must hold a current and active RN license in another U.S. state or Canada, have completed an educational program meeting all California requirements, and have passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) or the State Board Test Pool Examination (SBTPE). If you do not possess these qualifications, you do not qualify for licensure by endorsement and must apply for Licensure by Examination instead."

The last sentence means, you must reapply to sit for the NCLEX-RN again for California, but if your education does not meet the CA BON requirements, there is no point in sitting for the NCLEX-RN again and it is best to apply to another state.

However, if Nursys license verification is not enough, since you are a foreign-graduate and worked out-of-state, California will need to re-evaluate your credentials to endorse your Virginia license to California. Which means you need to read if you haven't already: http://www.rn.ca.gov/applicants/lic-end.shtml

and

http://www.rn.ca.gov/pdfs/schools/edp-i-35.pdf

and in small print of the application form, I read "If you are licensed as an RN in a state that is a member of the Nursys® verification system, visit Nursys® - Nurse License Verification & Nurse License Lookup to complete the online verification request application process. International Graduates: Must also submit a Nursys® Verification Request Application from the board of nursing where the examination was taken. (See detailed instructions.) 7". California does not participate in the Nursys verification system but Virginia does and was it the Northern Mariana Islands Board of nursing that issued your first license? However, the NMI does not participate in Nursys license verification either.

https://www.nursys.com/NLV/NLVJurisdictions.aspx

When I applied to California, they required the Livescan fingerprinting as it goes directly to the FBI which I read has to be done within the state of California since you will be endorsing into California.

I hope this helps in some way. Good luck to you! Hope someone who experienced this would reply also.

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