Microbiology Requirement for CA Licensure--Please Help!

[Pachinko]

I'm hoping someone can help me with this situation (a thread I recently started referenced it, but not as directly as it should have).

I will be moving to California after completing my BSN and passing my NCLEX. I contacted the California Board of Nursing to double-check that all of the state academic requirements would be met in my program and found out that I have to take microbiology in order to qualify for licensure.

There are two levels of micro open to me where I live--a one-credit hospital micro course without a lab and a three- or four-credit micro course with a lab. I called to see if the one-credit micro would qualify and was told that it would; my friend (who is also moving to California) emailed and was told that it did need to have a lab.

Has anyone been denied a license for not having micro? Also, has anyone gotten licensure by having a micro class without a lab? I'm getting mixed messages from the BRN. I am under something of a time constraint and would need to take micro this spring/summer, and which kind of class is required will seriously impact my ability to keep my job. I really appreciate hearing about anyone's experiences.

[newgrad2005]

I would call and ask to speak with a supervisor. If you still don't get a satisfactory answer, I would take the class with a lab, just to be safe. Besides, its fun to grow all those germies in petri dishes!

[suzanne4, RN]

I took Micro before I even applied to nursing school, didn't have it in my nursing school curriculum, of course that was long ago. And no problem getting a CA license. They never saw my transcripts from undergrad.

Have you received something in writing telling you that?

[danu3]

I would call and ask to speak with a supervisor. If you still don't get a satisfactory answer, I would take the class with a lab, just to be safe. Besides, its fun to grow all those germies in petri dishes!

Not so fun when nobody at your lab table can cry to get just one lousy drop of tear. I ended up using an onion...

-Dan

[shodobe]

I have been out of school for quite awhile but was wondering if the states looked at your transcripts. I thought that if you had a valid llicense and had no complaints then it didn't matter what kind of grades or classes you took. An RN is an RN in any state. Please set me straight because I have seen a few posts about this and was kind of curious. Thanks Mike

[Pachinko]

I took Micro before I even applied to nursing school, didn't have it in my nursing school curriculum, of course that was long ago. And no problem getting a CA license. They never saw my transcripts from undergrad.

Have you received something in writing telling you that?

So they didn't even request your transcript? I thought you had to submit transcripts, or at least some sort of permission to allow them to access your transcripts. I'm planning on getting license by endorsement (from Michigan)...do they not even require transcripts if you're already licensed?

I don't have anything in writing, though a person with whom I spoke at one point told me that she was reading the class requirements (including the microbio) out of a booklet that is sent to people wanting to get a license. I also received an email from the BRN saying that micro was required for licensure, and that a lab had to be included with it. A BRN rep also told me that I could probably get a temporary license through endorsement if they found deficiencies in my transcript, but that I'd have to take any needed classes within a year.

I'm wondering if there's a gap between what's "technically" required and how apps are actually processed. In any event, I've signed up for a micro class that I really don't want to take due to time and money constraints, and would love to duck out of it if possible.

[Sheri257]

You really have to talk to the BORN but, my understanding is that the state requires lab with micro. It's also my understanding that out-of-state RNs have to meet the same educational requirements as California in order to get licensure here.

But, of course, I could be wrong. Only the BORN would know for sure.