Post-graduation Nursing Courses for a Canadian RN deficient in OB hours

Hello,

I am a Canadian RN licensed and working in Michigan. I have applied to California by endorsement, but they have informed me my nursing education is deficient in clinical and theory hours in obstetrics so until I make up those deficiencies they cannot grant me a license. The Cali BON wants me to take an obstetrics course at an accredited nursing school IN California, I cannot take it elsewhere unfortunately. My issue is that I have contacted universities and colleges and it does not seem possible to just take an individual obstetrics course out of an entire RN degree program. In Canada, you can take post-graduation courses at a college that will certify you in a specialty such as OR, ER, ICU, and so on. This also includes postpartum. Does anyone know if post-graduation specialty courses are offered anywhere in California and where? Or if there is a way I can take an obstetrics course to make up these hours at all? I am definitely not interested in going back to school for an entire degree program just for this. Any help would be great, thanks!

Or would a travel nurse agency be able to help me with this issue? I know and have heard of lots of Canadian RNs who have gone to California to work as travel nurses, how did they get their licenses? Or would I have been denied a license regardless? I may contact an agency just to find out!

Hello! I am somewhat in the same boat, although I have not yet applied to California, I am well aware I may be denied lisensure when I do try to endorse... You may want to look into the Univeristy of California Fresno and Pearce Collage. I havent looked too far into those schools myself, but have heard they may offer partial courses. Can I ask what school you went to? Im so worried im going to be denied for not having enough hours too

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Or would a travel nurse agency be able to help me with this issue? I know and have heard of lots of Canadian RNs who have gone to California to work as travel nurses, how did they get their licenses? Or would I have been denied a license regardless? I may contact an agency just to find out!

To be a travel nurse in CA, you still need to get a CA license. So I'm sorry to say that you would have been denied regardless.

As far as what you need to do to be a nurse in CA...unfortunately, the CA BRN has very strict educational requirements, and they will almost never budge on them. If you want to be licensed here, then you will need to somehow take the course that they require.

If you want to find out what other educational alternatives you have, then you should ask the CA BRN for recommendations first, since ultimately they have to approve it: otherwise you risk wasting time and money following a recommendation that you've received on AN just to find out that the CA BRN won't accept it. So ask the CA BRN directly and before you sign up for anything.

Best of luck.

Edited Dec 19, 2012 by Meriwhen

Yeah that is true. I contacted some schools and spoke to someone at the BRN and basically the only course I could take is one that is a semester and a half long and it would cost me $4600 in tuition. So, it's not really worth it when I can easily get licensed elsewhere, like Arizona for example. I still find it strange that there is no post-graduation courses at any schools for nurses to get certified in a specialty. I wonder how nurses specialize down there and get certified to work in some fields.

I still find it strange that there is no post-graduation courses at any schools for nurses to get certified in a specialty. I wonder how nurses specialize down there and get certified to work in some fields.

US nurses get certified in the various specialties based on a specified minimum amount of time working in that field and continuing professional education which is not college/uni based. However, specialty certification for generalist (staff) nurses is optional and not required for practice.

Edited Dec 28, 2012 by elkpark

Hey StudentRS,

Just wondering if you had any luck with the California BRN and OB hours? I was educated in the states and applied for a license in a Canadian province and was told my OB hours were insufficient!! It wasn't Ontario though, but still kind of crazy how that works.

Did anybody find any schools? There are refresher courses that do offer in OB but it's not a semester long. The CA BRN is miserable. They were under scrutiny a few years back regarding other issues.