Nursing school out of California

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Hi,

I have some questions regarding how nursing accreditation and nursing licensure from state state to state works. I am a pre-nursing student in California and I am stuck waiting right now to get into nursing school as it is fairly competitive here. I am now considering going out of state for nursing school, but would like to know if it were possible to study in another state and come back to practice California? How would that work? what are the steps? and what accreditation/requirements does California have? I am specifically looking at the Minnesota state community and technical college nursing program that is accredited by the NLN CNEA (National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation), and I have no idea how accreditation works. I basically want to know if its possible to study outside of California and what would the process be to go back to California and get my licensure and practice. Also, would it be possible to work in Minnesota for a few years, get some experience, and move back to California to practice? What steps would I need to take to get my license in California because I know nursing licenses in different states are not the same (unless it falls under nursing licensure compact and I know California isn't an NLC state or Minnesota).

Thanks,

Ashley

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Hi @Agoose98/Ashley. I hear your concern and it is valid.

I live in California, and completed my BSN out of state and then came back. I also know other nurses who did this as well. So yes, it is very much possible to go to school out of state and come back to California. Make sure the school you go to is nationally accredited before attending, i.e., that its curriculum will satisfy California requirements.

When it comes time to take the NCLEX, you can choose which state you would like to sit for. I know California residents who chose both options: To apply directly for a California license or to apply for the state of their school. The latter chose to stay and work for a minimum of one year to get the experience. As you know, California is highly competitive so having that one year of experience can make a big difference upon returning.

I cannot speak to what you have to do to endorse to California because I applied for a California license right out of RN school but you can find that information out on the California BRN.

I hope this helps.

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Specializes in RCFE.

@db2xs Hi there! What should I look for to see if the accreditation satisfies California requirements?

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@megmeg I would suggest you ask admissions directly.

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I have known many nurses to endorse to CA after graduating out of state.....CA recently changed their out of state endorsement requirements where you must meet their clinical requirements...most out of state schools do not.

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On 6/14/2020 at 6:41 PM, megmeg said:

@db2xs Hi there! What should I look for to see if the accreditation satisfies California requirements?

@megmeg I would suggest you ask the admissions rep. It's not necessarily going to be listed out.

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On 1/12/2020 at 8:42 AM, db2xs said:

Hi @Agoose98/Ashley. I hear your concern and it is valid.

I live in California, and completed my BSN out of state and then came back. I also know other nurses who did this as well. So yes, it is very much possible to go to school out of state and come back to California. Make sure the school you go to is nationally accredited before attending, I.e., that its curriculum will satisfy California requirements.

When it comes time to take the NCLEX, you can choose which state you would like to sit for. I know California residents who chose both options: To apply directly for a California license or to apply for the state of their school. The latter chose to stay and work for a minimum of one year to get the experience. As you know, California is highly competitive so having that one year of experience can make a big difference upon returning.

I cannot speak to what you have to do to endorse to California because I applied for a California license right out of RN school but you can find that information out on the California BRN.

I hope this helps.

I am in the same boat right now, so this reply eased my mind... thanks so much for the help! I just recently got accepted into a 1-year ABSN program in pennsylvania and I think I will accept the admission offer; I just need to see if the curriculum will satisfy the california requirements. do you think I should just go ahead and ask the school themselves? I don't want them to think that I'm just going there just to leave for california... (LOL) or is the curriculum requirement listed on CA BON's website somewhere?

thanks in advance ?

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Hi, 

I am also looking into out of state options and want to come back to CA eventually. I want to know if I went to school in Virginia, can I get that one year experience in another state (that isn't viriginia and a state that has higher pay) before coming back to work in CA? 

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On 11/2/2020 at 7:59 PM, tmht said:

I just need to see if the curriculum will satisfy the california requirements. do you think I should just go ahead and ask the school themselves? I don't want them to think that I'm just going there just to leave for california... (LOL) or is the curriculum requirement listed on CA BON's website somewhere?

thanks in advance ?

Yes, you should ask your school. Why should the school care if you're staying in PA or not? They're a school, not a hospital or potential employer. I don't think curriculum requirements will be listed on the CA BRN website. 

8 hours ago, Jasyer1001 said:

Hi, 

I am also looking into out of state options and want to come back to CA eventually. I want to know if I went to school in Virginia, can I get that one year experience in another state (that isn't viriginia and a state that has higher pay) before coming back to work in CA? 

Of course you can get your experience in any other state before coming back to California but just keep in mind you have to choose which state you want your first license in when you register for the NCLEX. If you apply to Virginia, it's a compact license state so you might want to go ahead and apply to Virginia. You can go to a number of states from there that are also compact

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5 hours ago, db2xs said:

Yes, you should ask your school. Why should the school care if you're staying in PA or not? They're a school, not a hospital or potential employer. I don't think curriculum requirements will be listed on the CA BRN website.

yeah true. thanks for your advice!

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

Many Californian's attend Roseman University in Las Vegas. It is an accelerated BSN and 95% of the student body is from California. It is a very popular school. You must maintain a 4.0 GPA or you are held back, but they tell you exactly what they want you to know, so it is very doable. And it meets all California requirements. 

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On 8/28/2020 at 4:07 PM, Jenicab said:

I have known many nurses to endorse to CA after graduating out of state.....CA recently changed their out of state endorsement requirements where you must meet their clinical requirements...most out of state schools do not.

YES THIS! Just to be helpful a few schools I was accepted into, one in Iowa and one in Texas, the administration said they have California people all the time! But I cross checked and their clinical hours/credits don't meet with California's clinical requirements. Talking with CA BRN is your best bet.

 

This is from the curriculum requirements:

(c) The curriculum shall consist of not less than fifty-eight (58) semester units, or eighty-seven (87) quarter units, which shall include at least the following number of units in the specified course areas:

(1) Art and science of nursing, thirty-six (36) semester units or fifty-four (54) quarter units, of which eighteen (18) semester or twenty-seven (27) quarter units will be in theory and eighteen (18) semester or twenty-seven (27) quarter units will be in clinical practice.

(2) Communication skills, six (6) semester or nine (9) quarter units. Communication skills shall include principles of oral, written, and group communication.

(3) Related natural sciences (anatomy, physiology, and Microbiology courses with labs), behavioral and social sciences, sixteen (16) semester or twenty-four (24) quarter units.

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