Nursing license denied by California

[superveronica]

I am starting this thread to find out if anyone has run into problems with the California Registered Nursing Board. If you have, could you please give me some advise as to what I should do.

First I have a 4 year BSN (with honors) from Canada. I have written and passed, on the first try, the NCLEX-RN and the CRNE (Canadian Registered Nurse EXAM). I am a Registered nurse in 1 canadian province and in Nevada and Alaska. I have been working in a Nevada hospital for a while and have experience in both countries.

My husband, who is in the US military, has beed transferred to California. I have been trying to get my RN license in California for 4 months and I keep getting denied with "you don't have enough hours in obstetrics and pediatrics to qualify for a license."

What I don't understand is that I do have hours in pediatrics and obstetrics but it was during my community clinical and not in a clinical specifically called "obstetrics." I spent 160 hours assessing newborns (obstetrics) and immunizing infants and preschool children (pediatrics) in the community.

I've asked my school to send a letter to the nursing board to clarify this as they refused to look at my coursework when I brought it into the board. they still denied me even after the letter was written.

They told me that I should take two classes here in California to make up the hours. Okay I thought, I'll give in and do what they want. I called up about 20 schools on their list within 100miles from where I live and got the same response; you can not just take two classes, you have to be registered in the program full or part time, from the beginning, in order to do clinical.

I went to the nursing board again to talk to them about the impossible task they've given me. My licensing agent said "yes it's hard to get in to do classes, that's why we give you 3 years to do it, try university of Phoenix." So I called the university of Phoenix, same response, they just told me to do my NP, which will qualify me to work in California and I can get it in 2 years.

I am so incredibly frustrated that I don't know what to do. I have been commuting to Nevada to work one weekend a month so we have a little extra income but I can't keep driving 8 hours to work!!!

HELP!!

p.s. they will not let me do the hours at work, it has to be done though a school. My current hospital offered to send me to obstetrics and pediatrics as a clinical.

[steppybay]

Many people continue re-newing contracts with their travel agency to remain at the same hospital or in the same city. As well, I have heard many times of nurses on travel assignments be offered permanent positions once working in a hospital as a travel nurse. Im not saying this would work for everyone, but if nothing else is working to get into CA, its worth a shot! If you do happen to get a permanent position in CA, whether u applied for it yourself or were offered a permanent position, at that time you can apply for permanent residency but i believe the hospital has to sponsor you through this process, it requires immigration lawyers and you have to be a permanent employee.

Yes, I agree in some respect and understand getting your PR, but the question that remains is will the CA BON issue the RN license needed in CA? One still must be able to pass the CA BON requirements, as others like Veronica are going thru.

From the current readings here, many hospitals don't want to spend the money to sponsor nurses like in the past, with the unemployment rate of CA nurses, they have plenty to draw from. Plus without 100% assurance that one can get the CA license, any hospital would hestiate before spending their time and money till one is granted the CA license and it seems it could take up to 18-24 months.

[danisweetcheeks]

I spoke to someone at the CA BON today in regard to some questions I had and was told there is no way to know if the CA BON will accept your credentials under their requirements until you pay the fee's and submit the application papers. At the time they will review your credentials.

[steppybay]

I spoke to someone at the CA BON today in regard to some questions I had and was told there is no way to know if the CA BON will accept your credentials under their requirements until you pay the fee's and submit the application papers. At the time they will review your credentials.

Yes, true. Did they tell you it's also non-refundable fees? It's a gamble for sure.

Do you know if your other batchmates from the same class and year of graduation have gotten their ATT or actual CA license? That might give some indication of the success of getting thru, but as you can tell, CA BON sometimes does it on a "case-by-case" basis, meaning nurse A, C and F got their approval and passed, but nurse B and E from the same class got denied.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

If a Canadian citizen then there is the option of the NAFTA which allows you to work in the US as long as you have a employer this will include travel agencies however for most this is not an option.Regardless using an agency will not bypass any requirements like providing transcripts

[jayne.jj.zhang]

Hi Superveronica, may I ask what BC school you went to?

[anahe]

AT superveronica, do you have any updates on your situation now. I am in a similar status as you... Canadian trained RN working in WA for 9 years and getting denied per endorsement and will need classes covered as well. If you have any input pls advise.. thanks

[ANDY2015]

Hello as anyone else here I m international nurse and need to meet "minimum requirements to take only two subjects -classes : Pediatrics and OB " Only and its been a year since I'm contacting 30 schools from the State of CA and nothing, all the same story like with anyone else here,They don't offer individual classes they have waiting list etc.

I HAVE POSSIBLE SOLUTION HERE FOR ALL OF US, WHY DON'T WE MADE PETITION PROGRAM AND ALL OF US INTERNATIONAL NURSES WHO NEED TO MEET MINIMUM REQ.TO TAKE NCLEX SIGN THE PETITOON AND SUBMIT TO THE BRN.,MAYBE IF FILL OUT /SIGN THE PAPER , FEW 100-1000 OF US SIGN THE PETITION ASKING THEM "BRN "STATE OF CA THAT THEY HAVE TO FORM AND ASIGN ONE SCHOOL WHO WILL HAVE TO GIVE US CLASSES THAT WE NEED,WE WILL PAY AS MUCH AS THEY WANT ,BUT JUST TO LET US STUDY AND PAY FOR THAT DAMN CLASSES " WHO IS FOR PETITION LET ME KNOW SO I CAN MAKE PETITION PAGE OR ANYONE FROM U GUYS HERE.PLEASE,PLEASE ,PLEASE

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Why should the BRN take notice of a signatures when the requirements have been part of the BRN for a few decades and only in recent years have been enforced. Schools provide a service for full time classes and finding hospitals where clinicals can be done may be the driving force as to why it has been difficult to find just the courses required as many nursing schools have enough students to meet the demand set by the hospital

[steppybay]

Hello as anyone else here I m international nurse and need to meet "minimum requirements to take only two subjects -classes : Pediatrics and OB " Only and its been a year since I'm contacting 30 schools from the State of CA and nothing, all the same story like with anyone else here,They don't offer individual classes they have waiting list etc.

I HAVE POSSIBLE SOLUTION HERE FOR ALL OF US, WHY DON'T WE MADE PETITION PROGRAM AND ALL OF US INTERNATIONAL NURSES WHO NEED TO MEET MINIMUM REQ.TO TAKE NCLEX SIGN THE PETITOON AND SUBMIT TO THE BRN.,MAYBE IF FILL OUT /SIGN THE PAPER , FEW 100-1000 OF US SIGN THE PETITION ASKING THEM "BRN "STATE OF CA THAT THEY HAVE TO FORM AND ASIGN ONE SCHOOL WHO WILL HAVE TO GIVE US CLASSES THAT WE NEED,WE WILL PAY AS MUCH AS THEY WANT ,BUT JUST TO LET US STUDY AND PAY FOR THAT DAMN CLASSES " WHO IS FOR PETITION LET ME KNOW SO I CAN MAKE PETITION PAGE OR ANYONE FROM U GUYS HERE.PLEASE,PLEASE ,PLEASE

It's been tried before in 2012, not sure where it went, but guessing probably nowhere. Actually, my last source of information has pegged the stranded and frustrated nurses just from the Phillipines alone has now at this point exceeded well over 10,000 applicants (and probably several hundred's who didn't bother to apply in CA for reasons of knowing there's a 99.7% of getting denied and why waste the money).

I was asked to make such a petition page over a year ago but declined.

With the oversupply of CA local grads still unable to find their first nursing job within 18 months of their graduation at the 48% or higher unemployment of these new grads and more and more incoming CA students flooding into the market place and with limited hospital and even LTC and SNF job slots (despite the want ads that say differently but still very questionable in the actual needs), there's very little incentive for the CA BRN to budge from going forward to increase the schools.

However, don't forget, it's not a CA BRN issue at all, rather you need to direct your attention to the actual CA schools, as they are the ones who are offering the needed courses.

But then, one must realize that these same CA schools are NOT going to do what has impacted the schools in the PH and that is to pack the schools like cattle and have them all do their clinicals all together. That's why the CA schools (and the other 49 states) LIMIT their class student sizes.

In the states, it's one-on-one, one nurse per student, who shadows the preceptor from the time they walk thru the door to the time they go home. This also partly why there's a 80-85% first-time NCLEX-RN passing rate of US educated nurses vs the international nurses with the very low 30-35% rate.

Also, don't forget a couple of very important thing about the clinicals: (A). there are only so many qualified nurses that are preceptors and this is one is the most important: (B). there are only so many hospitals that will allow a student nurse inside the hospital floors and room (with a patient), without being disruptive to the patient's own needs and recovery and privacy, unlike how we do things in the Phils.

By the way, this same subject (petition writing) you mention comes up at least once a year since the Nov. 2011 strict enforcement date. But really, we should consider that the CA BRN and other states even allows such a re-make, re-take or whatever retakes you want to call it. They don't have to make the exception at all. The BON's could have simply said "go back to your country's original BSN degree source and re-do the deficiencies there", period.

But you're a US citizen or dual citizen, doesn't matter, the fact, one obtained their degree outside of the US borders, you didn't contribute to the state's teachers salary to the financial assistance to a CA hospital to a CA school or college funding to help keep its doors and programs open and available.

Many took the cheapest way out and in the long run, it's costing them dearly. Many couldn't get enrolled due to the limited spaces or didn't qualify due to their grades.

Not sure what country you obtained your BSN in, but for most of us, telling the CHED, PRC and PNA to get their #X^$ together so they can comply with the CA BRN rules and regulations that's been in existence in writing since 1987! Yes, during the perceived era of the so called "nursing shortage", I now have no doubt the CA BRN lets those rules slide so that the CA hospitals could keep up with the new mandated ratios back then.

But with more and more US educated nurses coming on-line every 6 months, there's really little to no demand for foreign nurses any more.

So going back to your petition thoughts, you will need to find out how you plan to get these schools to increase their nursing budgets that's already been cut to the bare minimum, find out how you can get more and pay for more qualified nursing preceptors, find the millions of dollars to give to each hospital so that they can accommodate those needing just to do their clinicals, without having to get in from of the line of the already enrolled and higher paying CA students. This is WHY I declined against a petition signing, there's simply zero dollars that's going to take tens of $1,000,000 to solve.

You might get all 10,000 plus and add in those students and nurses from other countries involved as well (India, UK, Russia, Canada, China), now you're up to 20-40,000 plus signatures and turn it over to the CA state governor and even to Obama, but until one can solve the funding sources AND the increased for qualified preceptors, it's all paperwork.

You can "thank" the CHED, PRC and PNA for doing a great job!

[steppybay]

On the other hand, there have been several successful students/nurses (from the Phils in these cases) whereby they did get lucky and found a CA school, completed the deficiencies, passed the NCLEX and of those, a couple have reported finding a nursing job (they make up the other 0.03% of the 97.7% being rejected).

Yes, most of the CA schools have 1-2-3-4 years of a waiting list, some of the schools up-front tuition gets up to the $14,000 plus mark, but they are there. If you read thru this forum, you'll get the names and location and some disclose the co$t, it's all public information.

Some have gone out of state (with the approval of your CA BRN evaluator) to get their files completed of which one has three (3) years from the initial application filing date to complete any of the deficiencies or else, the file will be considered "abandoned".

[lana25]

Did you end up resolving this issue? I'm going through the same thing right now.

[Aziafch]

Superveronica, Any update? Have you received a license?