I'm so sick of the state of California....

jax22 · Sep 4, 2009

Oh my gosh! I feel your pain. I passed the NCLEX-RN July 20, it's now sept 3 and I have yet to receive any results. I'm in Illinois and the board is terrible here as well. let me tell you there's hope. First, let me say that I called the BON pretty much twice a week for the past 6 weeks, they claimed to have sent out 4 different letters (at my request)...why am I not receiving them then?? They couldn't tell me what dates the letters were sent out, they couldn't transfer me to the mailing department, everytime I asked to speak with a manager, I got a voicemail, left a message, and never received a call. Well, finally today, I broke down in tears. I'm supposed to start my job in a week and can't start w/o that letter. The guy I spoke with on the phone was quite condescending and I had done everything in my power with no results. So, I called my dad. lol. He took care of it for me. Let me tell you what he did. He asked to be transfered to the directors office. Not the manager, the director. She was sooooooo helpful, she agreed that her department had poor communication and a lot of problems, she said she'd handle my case personally. Turns out, you can still get your license w/o the official letter. I had to mail in a $50 check stating what it was for, with my SSN, and they can process my license. Also, if you call Continental Testing Services 1-800-359-1313, and press 0 to speak with an operator and explain that you need to speak w/ someone about getting your official NCLEX letter sent out, they will transfer you to the right person. I did this today and got someone's voicemail, left a message, and actually got a call back a few hours later! The lady was so helpful and said she'd get the letter in the mail today! lol. So after 6 weeks of feeling helpless and stressed out and not getting help from anyone, looks like I'll be able to start working in a week! Good luck to you!!

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Sep 4, 2009

Uhhh. Because you are in a state that is bankrupt and having to furlough state employees.

While that is not your fault, it is not theirs either. Much like nurses that have their hours and staffing cut, and yet everyone still wants all of the same work to be done.

While it is regretful that they snapped at you, I expect that they are getting thousands of repeated phone calls about these issues. And many of those are not polite calls. Of course, they could probably work faster without all the extra calls. So they are working fewer hours, yet required to do the same amount of work, for essentially less pay and less staff and more upset customers.

Does this sound familiar to anyone on this BB.....anyone....anyone?

But do be aware that you may eventially be on the receiving end. If you work outside of CA, (the only state with limited ratios), you will find shifts where you will be twice as many pts as usual/no NA/no secretary/get floated to two separate areas in an 8 hour shift, and face pts/MDs/visitors that keep bugging you about the same thing over and over again.

May you handle it with the grace that they did not.

Steffers · Sep 4, 2009

I can't totally agree that "it's not their fault either", because they didn't give a crap when they weren't furloughed, so now that they have to take days off, they really don't care! Being someone who used to work for the state of CA, there were some good people, who generally like their jobs and made effort to be productive, but there were ALOT more who couldn't give a ****. It was all about the $$$.

rngolfer53 · Sep 4, 2009

Uhhh. Because you are in a state that is bankrupt and having to furlough state employees.
While that is not your fault, it is not theirs either. Much like nurses that have their hours and staffing cut, and yet everyone still wants all of the same work to be done.
While it is regretful that they snapped at you, I expect that they are getting thousands of repeated phone calls about these issues. And many of those are not polite calls. Of course, they could probably work faster without all the extra calls. So they are working fewer hours, yet required to do the same amount of work, for essentially less pay and less staff and more upset customers.
Does this sound familiar to anyone on this BB.....anyone....anyone?
But do be aware that you may eventially be on the receiving end. If you work outside of CA, (the only state with limited ratios), you will find shifts where you will be twice as many pts as usual/no NA/no secretary/get floated to two separate areas in an 8 hour shift, and face pts/MDs/visitors that keep bugging you about the same thing over and over again.
May you handle it with the grace that they did not.

Actually, I had a similar experience to the OP in getting a license by endorsement, not in CA though. This was before the current wave of govt cutbacks (after years of considerable govt. growth in most states, btw). Getting a returned phone call always took a minimum of three calls on my part over 3 or 4 days. It was clear when talking to the individual I dealt with that she was all but clueless about a situation that was outside the norm.

Metaphorically, I was a Pt with a paradoxical reaction to a med, and her only response was to continue to give the med.

rngolfer53 · Sep 4, 2009

BTW, in an area outside of nursing and the BON, there was a spoof on CA a few years back that dealt with reporting a wildland fire.

Further in that vein, we had some CA wildland fire crews come up to Montana when there was a heavy fire outbreak. Good firefighters, and nice kids, but their CA work rules made them very difficult to actually use on wildland fires.

Sensoria17 · Sep 4, 2009

I can't totally agree that "it's not their fault either", because they didn't give a crap when they weren't furloughed, so now that they have to take days off, they really don't care! Being someone who used to work for the state of CA, there were some good people, who generally like their jobs and made effort to be productive, but there were ALOT more who couldn't give a ****. It was all about the $$$.

Yes, and it looks like because they are being furloughed, they are ****** off and deliberately working slower. I went in May to Sac and paid for my license in person. These people were in no rush to do anything. One guy was sitting there with his iPod earphones glued to his head! They simply did not appear to be working at all.

chicookie, BSN, RN · Sep 4, 2009

ME TOO! *throws a fit*

( actually I just wanted a good excuse to throw a fit)

LOL I am sorry about your situation and I hope it gets resolved soon.

Medic09, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Sep 4, 2009

Interesting. And curious.

In NM, upon graduation (at least from RN programs) you may start work right away as a Graduate Nurse. The EMPLOYER is the one who receives the provisional license, directly from BON, and it is limited to that particular job. There are, of course, limits and stipulations about how one may work, etc.

After passing the NCLEX, we get notified by BON and receive our licenses within about two to three weeks. But you get notice that you passed NCLEX within three days of testing, so you can notify your employer already that you've passed. When the license comes, the employer puts a copy in the file, and done.

So, why are you all waiting to start work until you have license in hand? Are there no provisions in your states to work under supervision on a temporary license?

Sensoria17 · Sep 4, 2009

You can get an interim permit but my understanding is that by the time they've processed it, you'll have received your permanent license. Very long process for everything here.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Sep 4, 2009

Yes, and it looks like because they are being furloughed, they are ****** off and deliberately working slower. I went in May to Sac and paid for my license in person. These people were in no rush to do anything. One guy was sitting there with his iPod earphones glued to his head! They simply did not appear to be working at all.

Which may explain why the state is broke if no one is doing their job.

MaritesaRN · Sep 4, 2009

I took the NCLEX-PN almost one month ago, and still have no results. I did the pearson vue "trick" and got the pop-up, so I'm pretty confident I passed. The thing is, I want to start working, like NOW! I have a job lined up, but can't do anything until I get my package in the mail, saying I passed, so I can go get my license.
So I decided to call the California Board of Vocational Nursing and PT.
All they could tell me was "I can't tell you anything", not even if they mailed anything out! All I got was " I can't tell you anything"...Then the girl on the phone had the nerve to say, and I quote...
"I'm getting so sick of people like you calling and asking all these questions. Don't you watch the news? Don't you know that we all have to take furlough days? What do you expect that we can do the same amount of work? I don't think so!"
and then she hung up!
I'm so sick of California and dealing with crap like that. Why is it that most every other state you can find out in like a couple days, and here it's like a month?!
I'm discouraged...

:cry: I sympathize w/ your despair. This is the reason why the California Board of Nursing was investigated. they were not doing the monitoring job well enough...but then per an article , these BRN officers were not paid, more fo a voluntary----------maybe we need paid fulltime people in these offices, and maybe they will be motivated to do a better job?

Now that person you talked to have no business saying those things to you or anybody else -----she does not need a furlough , if she is fired ! She should be . She will not have a job if she does not have customers like us !