California NP licensing and job search

Specialties NP

Published

I just graduated from an out of state program and am planning to apply for a CA NP license. From my understanding, I can't apply for CA NP certification until after I pass the boards. I plan to take the ANCC exam in March. Most CA job listings I've seen list "current CA NP license" as a requirement. A few questions...

- Can I start applying for jobs now, or should I wait for my CA NP certification to come through?

- How long does the certification process take after I apply?

For you out of state graduates who have found NP jobs in CA, any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

I had my eyes set on a few states after having practiced as an NP in my original state of certification. One of the states was California (mainly for personal reasons). I applied for license endorsement early so by the time interviews from California hospitals were coming in, I had an RN and NP license endorsed (just not the NPF yet).

I'm pretty sure I got interviews because of my NP experience, not because I was already licensed in California. So having said that, I do think you could start applying as soon as you passed the national certification (which you will need to endorse in California).

Bear in mind that California is notorious for slow pace in processing any type of licensure application which can take up to 3 months. I would maybe do both the job applications and endorsement simultaneously.

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The process is really S L O W with California's BON these days. I graduated in November 2013, passed my board January 2014, have applied for my NP license and they haven't even looked at the application yet. I called and I was told that from the date my check was cashed it would take about 90 days for the to review and hopefully process the application. Once I get it I'd need to apply for Furnishing number and DEA and NPI,... I am kind of frustrated because I have job offers but I can start working or even training because I don't even have my NP license yet,.... Hang in there

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Until recently I always had the impression that CA BON was staffed by 2 people. The same man and woman always answered the phones. Response times certainly suggested that 2 people were doing all the work for the entire state .... Now no one answers and I'm concerned those two poor overworked souls have finally thrown in the towel, turned off the lights, and left. It could take years for anyone to verify that our BON is a ghost ship :wacky:

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