Endorsement to CA or directly test for CA?

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2015

Applying to the state you wish to be licensed in is definitely faster. Why do you want to pay for a license you're never going to use? Do you have a job in California, though? From what I hear their job market is saturated with RNs.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Aug 25, 2015

If you have a job waiting for you in California or if you're absolutely certain that you want your first job to be in California, you should apply there for your initial license. Just be very cognizant that California has a very tough environment for new grads... It took me only 8 months to find my first RN job. Some of my classmates got jobs sooner and a couple found their first job a couple months ago, right at about a year after graduation. At least all the classmates that I am still in contact with now have jobs. If you do not have a California job lined up, you probably should get licensed in your current state and keep in mind the requirements that California has for you to be licensed there. Make sure (absolutely certain) that you meet all the California requirements. This way when you apply to endorse your license into California, you will meet their initial licensure requirements and you'll be good to go.

excited1 · Aug 25, 2015

Hi everyone, I am a soon to be graduate hoping to get my RN in California. I am not sure what is the best route to take. Should I test in Arizona where I am attending school and endorse my license to California or should I just directly apply for California? What would be faster? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

Hi! We are doing the opposite! I am in CA and I will be moving back to AZ when I graduate. I am going to take the NCLEX here before I move, so I will test under AZ Board of Nursing. I am 100% moving back to AZ so it makes sense for me to be newly licensed there.

As you may know, AZ is part of the compact agreement. CA is not. So, if you are moving here to CA solely on the hopes to get a job, I would say get licensed under AZ and look for jobs in all of the compact states first. This way, you wont have to transfer your license.

On the other hand, if your heart is set on CA, and you know for sure you are moving here after NCLEX, then go for it! Will save you a few hundred bucks in endorsement fees. Good luck with whatever you decide to do :)

diadiaclaudia · Sep 1, 2015

Thanks for the reply! I have tried to find a list of the prerequisites that California has for the RN, but haven't found anything on the BON website so what I did was look at the the pre-reqs for California rn programs and went off that.