Endorsment from CA to TX

[erezsha77]

Hello,

My name is Mali and I'm living in US, Dallas (Texas) about a year. I've a L-2 VISA and SSN.

My husband and I made a relocation lately with the kids from Israel and I thought about start working as a RN in TX. The problem is that TX require IELTS/TOFEL exam along with the NCLEX, and since my English is quite lazy (my husband had wrote this email :-)) , I was searching a little on the net and found that in California RN can get a license after passing the NCLEX exam without requiring English test. Now, the question is - if i'll pass the NCLEX in CA:

1. Am I eligible to get license in CA after passing the NCLEX exam or I need a proved experience in any hospital in CA?

2. What is the procedure of move the license to TX? I know that CA isn't a member in Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), so I'll need to make the endorsement procedure in TX, but will I need to have IELTS/TOFEL as well?

Thanks in advance, Mali.

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

Best advice to call the Texas Board of Nursing and ask you unique question since this is where you will be trying to work.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

If you are wanting to work in the US then you really need to brush up on your English skills. If your husband wrote this for you how do you think you are going to pass the NCLEX. Even when you endorse you still may have to meet requirements and if that means pass English then you still have to do it.

I really would recommend you get your English skills up to par and then apply for licensure as you will have issues passing NCLEX if you can not understand English

Moved to the International forum

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

Texas aslo requires a Nursing Juris Prudence exam.

[erezsha77]

I do understand English but have a quite leak self-confidence in writing and express myself in English.

The thing is that the IELTS exam is a prerequisit for university/collage and even the residents who borned in U.S need to pass it.

Valerie, you mention the Juris exam. Does it mean I need to pass it as part of the endoresement process? Do you know whether I need to have the IELTS as well?

Thanks in advance, Mali (Now, I wrote this email:yeah:)

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

I don't know about the IELTS, but I do know that Texas requires all new grads and all nurses wishing to obtain a TX RN license to take the juris Prudence exam.

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

The Test is mentioned on the website ( Texas Board of Nursing).I would read it and give them a call.

I think the message is that every nurse needs to be competent in English. The more you speak and write the better you will become.

[erezsha77]

I agree with you and I'm doing my best to improve my skills in English.

I read a lot about the requirements for each state in U.S for getting RN license and now I notice that CA might also require English exam for foreign applicants http://www.rn.ca.gov/careers/howto.shtml#intl

Is there any state in U.S which isn't required English exam for foreign applicants in order to get a license? as for the NCLEX, I made a great and productive course in Israel and I feel much more confidence to pass this exam, but I'm really worried about the TOFEL/IELTS since it's requiring a very high qualities and skills (quite short time for each section within it), so I thought that if I can get a license in any state which is not requiring English exam, than I'll make an endorsement process to TX.

Is there any state answering this criteria?

Thanks, Mali

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

CA only require English exam if you are applying for Interim permit otherwise you do not need English exams. If you are still planning on endorsing then I really would suggest you concentrate on staying with TX and just meet their requirements as you will more than likely still have to meet requirements when endorsing.

[NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN]

Each state has their own set of rules and regulations for licensure. Some even require experience before they allow you to sit for the exam. Anyway, even if you get a RN license in another state, and you try to endorse in, you will still have to meet Texas requirements for foreign educated nurses. There's no way around that. You need to keep practicing your English anyway and everyway possible. I'm sorry but I hope I don't scare of offend you but you really need to be sharp in your English skills because there's going to be a lot of terminology that you're probably not familiar with that you will come across in the field of nursing. You're dealing with peoples lives (I know you're aware of this) here and if you don't know what something is, or you confuse it with something else, that can potentially kill a person. What I would recommend you doing is taking a medical terminilogy class. There are some ESL courses that you can take and some of them are FREE. Just take them for practice because you will be conversing with people who are wanting to learn English, so you might feel a bit more comfortable speaking with them. But also practice with native speakers and ask them to correct you. That's what I did when I took a foreign language. I felt so timid, so I know what you're going through, it also helped me to practice with others who were in the same boat as me. I hope this helps. Good Luck

[NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN]

Another thing regarding the English exams, it's very basic English that you're having to present. It's not geared towards medical terminology or anything like that. IMO, all it shows is that you're able to converse in English and be able to read, write, and understand the language. It doesn't give any indications on how you would be able to interpret medical terms, medications, or anything like that. So just relax, practice, and brush up on your skills. Good Luck

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

In Texas, you will probably have a lot of patients whose first language is Spanish- and some who don't speak any English. You will need to have a good grasp of English in order to speak to pts who barely speak English, and to utilize translation services.