Can I get an RN job in CA if I have a TX license?

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Aug 28, 2015

You will need an active CA license to get a nursing job in CA. It may also be difficult to find something medical related that's not nursing ...especially if they expect you to pack up and leave when your nursing license comes in.

Good luck to you!

PinayUSA · Aug 28, 2015

What is the job market in cali?

I heard it was pretty tough out there

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Aug 28, 2015

You will need a nursing license issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing if you want to work in CA. You cannot legally work in CA using a Texas RN license.

Apply for your California RN license earlier than you'll need it, as the BRN takes anywhere from two to four months for processing.

BloggerNurse · Aug 29, 2015

Oh, thank you for the information! I was planning on getting a job that is health related while waiting for my license but I guess I need to go study again because I failed the test. I posted a little story of my journey, this is the link https://allnurses.com/nclex-discussion-forum/failed-nclex-rn-1006732.html

Thank you for the response by the way!

BloggerNurse · Aug 29, 2015

Hi PinayUSA! I am also a filipina! There's a lot of jobs right now actually, specially here in the Bay area but they are all requiring years of experience in the field.

BloggerNurse · Aug 29, 2015

Thank you TheCommuter for the reply and for the information! I appreciate it!

steppybay · Aug 29, 2015

I highly suggest you glance over the World section under the Nurse Registration tab and look at the much discussed subject topics of the hardship and frustrations of the majority of grads and nurses coming from the PH trying to endorse into CA.

There's been very little PH applicants able to successfully endorse over or even get the ATT for the NCLEX-RN since the strict enforcement of the concurrency rules and regulations (established over 25 years ago) starting as of November, 2011.

Those that are denied due to the concurrency rules have up to 3 years to complete their deficient courses or the application becomes abandoned. Others have tried going thru the appeals process but have not gotten beyond the CA BRN initial decision of rejection and thus they stand firm.

There are only a few CA schools that offer the re-take of the deficient courses and some that did earlier have decided not to continue with the extension of the deficient courses because the failure rate of those that did re-take the courses happened to also fail (usually for the first-time) and it has caused that school's passing rate to be affected as the CA BRN counts that against the particular school.

The same schools above also in general has a waiting list that goes beyond the 3 year limitation of those needing the deficient courses.

In some cases, the CA BRN has recommended that the international student/nurse simply re-take the ENTIRE nursing program as they will have been found from their transcripts that they are lacking in more than the two usual courses suspects (MS and OB), other deficient course include but not limited to missing AP, Psych and etc.

The "blame game" is due to the CHED, PRC and PNA all failed and collectively didn't think that one day the CA BRN would ever enforce the concurrency rules.

The three major PH agencies all met with the CA BRN back in Dec. 2012 to resolve these matters and what happened was the three PH agencies ended up with an earful from the CA BRN to get their act together and come up with ways and means to increase the first-time passing rates for the NCLEX-RN to over 80% (the average U.S. educated passing rates) as the applicants from the PH are below 30-35% for first-timers.

If the PH schools and colleges as a whole are all failing at the 30-35% passing rates and were in fact, schools in CA, the CA BRN would no longer give them the proper accreditation and remove them off their approved list as they would any CA registered schools.

So in a nutshell, the CA BRN could essentially bar any future applicants with PH transcripts (unless that particular PH school/college had the 80% or higher passing rate, which today, there are none that is known with that high average). But I don't think the CA BRN would do that as it's a big money maker with the several thousands of newly PH applicants per year mailing in their applications.

What's the concurrency all about? It's all mentioned in many different topic threads in the Nurse Registration forum.

steppybay · Aug 29, 2015

Here's some starters:

Reciprocity: https://allnurses.com/nurse-registration/reciprocity-to-california-921784.html

Position statement (concurrency): https://allnurses.com/nurse-registration/position-statement-concurrency-901106.html

There's a lot more to read and educate yourself on.

steppybay · Aug 29, 2015

With the CA tighter and tougher job market but mainly along with the inability to be granted either the ATT or endorsable license to come into CA, that's where nearly the highest percentage of declined PH applicants are to these days.....TX.

TX has become the new CA state to get licensed in as well.

This is due TX currently does not have any concurrency rules or if they did, it's not being enforced.

TX depends on other outside main evaluation agencies to do the transcripts reviews so thus, the "fraudsters and cheaters" from the PH who today can not get passed the rigid evaluations of the CA BRN analyst/evaluator, have gotten thru these other agencies.

By the fraudsters and cheaters I'm ONLY referring to those who simply can buy for a price, those falsified and fake documents and transcripts from the streets in the PH (Recto for example). I'm NOT talking about the more honest and hard working students and nurses who played by the book and studied hard for 4 years and lost lots of sleep and put the family and friends thru the hardship.

That's why the CA BRN has been reviewing ALL transcripts from the PH and request for further proof of school and class documentations and must match to what was submitted previously, including if deemed necessary, copies of ALL pages of their passports (to show they were in the PH studying etc.)

steppybay · Aug 29, 2015

So the proof of the burden is placed directly on the students/nurses, NOT the CA BRN.

The CA BRN is merely asking for solid written evidence of the applicant's documentations, as they would of any other international student/nurse/applicant as well as from any other US resident, be they local or out of state.

If you're going to aim the arrows, they need to be done so at the CHED, PRC and PNA who have completely dropped the ball and left tens of thousands PH frustrated and disappointed students/nurses.

The part to really get angry about is that the CHED, PRC and PNA all knew of these issues years ago and just figured CA will overlook the rules/regulations and that there will still be a very high and strong demand for PH nurses and students for the next decade or more.....FAIL.

steppybay · Aug 29, 2015

But back to the OP's question, NO, is the answer until as the other posters who have said, you better make sure you can get a CA RN license first or it's a waste of not only your time and money, but the prospective employer's as well.