Enrolled Nurse from Australia looking for a job in CA

[Heizel]

Hi I am an enrolled nurse in Australia and I am a duel citizen of Australia and the United States. If I move back to California Will I be able to work as an LVN?

[Nurse Medicine Woman, ASN, RN]

It depends. Did you go to nursing school here in CA THEN moved to Australia? If not, if you are an EN in Australia and want to work in the U.S. YOU WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THE NCLEX PN exam to be licensed to work as a LPN (Licensed practical nurse or LVA - licensed vocational nurse for CA). An LPN is similar to an EN.You cannot work in the U.S. with your Australia EN nursing license. You have to pass the NCLEX PN for AMERICA to be able to work in the U.S. And also you have to be made eligible by the BON in whatever state in the U.S. you want your nursing license to be. So for example if you want to work in Maine - U.S. you would have to have your transcripts from Australia verified by the Maine BON for eligibility and to see that it is equivalent to American standards. If it is, then the Maine BON will then make you eligible to take the NCLEX PN and when you pass that then you have a Maine license which you can transfer to any state in the U.S. I must warn you though - the NCLEX PN for America is a beast of an exam and even MORE so if you are foreign trained. Very different way of nursing here in the U.S. compared to other countries and especially Australia because Australia, Britain, New Zealand and South Africa are commonwealth countries so nursing is done VERY,VERY differently there than here in the U.S. so you have to prepare EXTREMELY well to take theNCLEX PN American licensing exam.

[Bringonthenight]

Good luck!

[viprow]

I agree NCLEX PN is hard,