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Discussion

Difference b/t TX and CA BSN schools for endorsement

Hey all!

I've got a burning question that nobody around these parts can answer, and of course the BON is long to answer.

I am currently living in CA, but I went to school in TX and passed NCLEX. When I read the steps for endorsement in CA, it says something to equivalent to CA school education? When I was in school, my mother-in-law (NICU nurse c 35+ years) always crabbed about the differences, and how CA was hard to get an endorsement.

I looked at my niece's school (she is BSN at Sonoma State), and the only difference I can see is CA has an extra Med Surg class, but they covered the same things in three classes that we covered in two. Guess that's the whole busy work thing.

Anyway, anybody have any thoughts/ideas? I'm planning on doing psych nursing at VA, but I just wanted to have more options with having endorsement in CA.

Thanks all!

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    • Featured Replies

    Your best course is to just apply to the CA BON, and they will evaluate your transcripts.

    Are you aware that the VA doesn't require a state specific license?

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    • Experts

    Agree. Easier just to apply and see what happens. Don't bring attention to your case. Apply for the endorsement and wait to see what the state says, if anything.

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    • Author

    Yeah, I am aware about any state license can be used for VA. Anything federal. I was just looking into it as a possibility to moonlight closer to home...VA is a little bit of a drive.

    Why wouldn't I want to call attention to my case? Curious.

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    [...]

    Why wouldn't I want to call attention to my case? Curious.

    I don'the think it was meant as calling attention to yourself. Rather, I read it as making work.for yourself, but I could be mistakenice.

    Best wishes.

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    I recently endorsed my OK license in CA. I think the differences you're referring to are that CA's BRN requires certain classes in addition to the standard nursing curriculum that is enough to get a program accredited. For example, there's a communication skills requirement that people typically fulfill with a speech class. This was not a required part of my nursing school curriculum in OK, but I think it's built into the CA nursing school pre-reqs/curriculum because it's what their state board requires for licensure.

    I realized that would be a glaring omission on my transcript, so I wrote a detailed letter explaining which classes on my transcript I believed would fulfill "oral, written, and group communication" and included course descriptions. My license was endorsed without having to take any extra classes.

    Here's a list of CA-specific "extra" requirements: Important Information

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    • Experts

    The CA BRN's reputation is due to the fact the they have stiff standards AND they are inflexible on those standards. The BRN has no problem whatsoever with telling an applicant "Sorry, but No."

    Lawsuits don't faze the BRN either, so threatening to sic a lawyer on them just wastes time and money.

    However, most applicants have no problems with endorsement. It's usually foreign grads and those from online and for-profit schools (e.g. Excelsior) that run into trouble because their educational programs don't always meet CA snuff.

    I endorsed into CA with a ADN from a community college in the South (disclosure: I already had a BA in an other field), and there was never an issue. If you went to an accredited school in TX (NLNAC or CCNE), most likely you'll have no problem either. But do glance at the educational requirement link that was posted earlier to make sure that your nursing program did hit all those points...and if it doesn't, you'll know what areas need to be addressed. Fixing it could be as simple as writing a letter of explanation as another poster did, or taking the required class(es) at your local community college.

    As you know, since you're planning to work at the VA, you don't need a CA license as long as you hold a valid TX one. But endorsing into CA would be wise, especially if you don't land/get fired/quit the job at the VA and have to look for work elsewhere.

    Best of luck.

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