Canadian RPN wanting to get BScN in California, USA

sundroplet · Mar 6, 2020

Hey fellow nursing peeps!

I'm a licensed Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) in Canada with 5 years of experience.

I would like to move to Los Angeles, California, to pursue further studies and obtain my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I'm dating someone in LA and just love the city! I have my heart set on being here - but I want more than just ADN nursing.

I have been researching high and low, and am very confused by the differences in our school systems. So far, options I have come up with include:

1) Completing four years of school here in LA to obtain my Bachelor's degree. (If I were to upgrade in Canada, it would take 3 years - so there's not much difference, and I would be willing to spend an extra year if it means I can live in LA where I want to)
--> However, I'm having a hard time finding straight up BScN programs. It seems as like most of the programs are for ADN nurses?? Does anyone know any good schools to look into/inquire about? Has anyone obtained their BScN in California before?

OR

2) Obtaining a random bachelor's degree (BA or BS) through a reputable online program (there are some BA/BS programs that I could obtain in two years time). Once I complete that, I could go on to obtain an accelerated Bachelor's degree in nursing for those who already hold a BA/BS. It seems to take around 12-16 months. So technically, this option is quite alluring to me because I could come out of the same time frame with not one but two different bachelor's degrees.
--> Has anybody done this before?

ANY INFORMATION WOULD BE APPRECIATED!

Oh, and also. If anyone knows how I could successfully work as an LVN here instead I'm all ears!! It seems that Visa options for Canadians working in USA as nurses are only for those who have a BScN.

Thank you in advance!