GeoffM

She passed! So she took the exam Friday morning and by Tuesday morning her name was listed on the CA permanent license verification website.

Hmm, well the website was updated overnight on the 27th/28th but her name is not there. Maybe tonight?

That's excellent - well done! Hopefully her name will appear later on Monday then as she took hers the following day to you.

Thanks to those that addressed my questions. She had 80 questions, stopped for a break, came back, answered one more question - and it stopped! Like another poster, she reckons she had about 20-25 "select all that apply" questions. She was done in about 2 hours I think. We did the PVT last night and it looks promising! I don't think either of us dare believe it until the official results are in. I notice the BON website was updated on the 24th and on the 25th so hopefully early next week she'll appear on the RN list. She thinks she's already paid whatever fees were necessary.

Another question: is the application # on letters from the BON the same as the interim permit number? I searched for that too with no luck. Her number is 90xxxx which is a little earlier than most people on the IP list (mostly 97xxxx or higher but there are one or two with 90xxxx numbers).

How long does it take for the registration to show on the California BON website? I've gone back scores of posts and only found one reference to California back in October - and that was the same question! My wife is sitting it later today, is skeptical of the trick (though I've shown her this thread), and would probably only believe it if her name appears on the BON. She's taking the RN exam. However, she did look her name up before and it wasn't there at all - should it have shown as "temporary" or "uncertified" or something? I've just tried "Temporary Registered Nurse License - Interim Permit Verification" and her name doesn't come up, whether searching just by first, last, or both first and last. I also tried "Permanent License Verification" but presumably that's the list of people who have passed, or otherwise have a full license. I also tried searching for a cousin who has passed and he's there.

Thank you! Just typical how we wait weeks for something to happen, I decide to post here again, and within an hour the mail arrives with the good news! I saw the envelope while she was out shopping and had to stop myself from opening it, without even expecting the good news for one moment - I was in full expectation of more requirements or information. She graduated from the Philippines in 1995 or maybe 1996 I think. I know she spent time in the Philippine Heart Center as a cardiac nurse before going to the UK as a regular nurse and then ICU for the last few years - though it would appear that practical experience is not really a factor, only theoretical at University. That's odd to me but then I'm not in the medical profession at all. Next week - planned before today's news - she's going for 4 days of classroom sessions, by Kaplan I think. They recommend that the test be taken within 6 weeks of the classroom sessions, so she's going to aim for the test in January. I really hope she's ready! Six months of intense revision, and a good year of part time revision before then. Only one way to find out... This really could be a life changer for us, from living just about comfortably to being able to live a little. I know we already have more than many but at least this way we can start giving back to our families that have supported us - her family in the Philippines, and my family in the UK.

Thank you for the further response. Since writing my reply, the mail man has been and dropped off a letter saying "you have been found eligible to take the NCLEX-RN"! At last! So that means no further training, nothing missing?

Thanks - one of those links is one I glanced at, though at 74 pages I didn't read anywhere near all of it! Although she's got something like 14 years of nursing experience, I guess she might still be deficient in some areas. I'm not sure what the procedure is for building up those requirements - some posts seem to suggest she can do it while working (presumably NOT as an RN at that point), others say go back to school. Are both feasible, especially in SoCal? (By the way, it would be far better if she could reply personally but she's not the forum type, so I apologise for the second hand stuff) Do you think it's worth going the LVN route and then trying to work her way up, maybe try to get the hospital to support her in her quest to become an RN? Is this common for hospitals in SoCal to do? In some ways I feel - perhaps wrongly - that doing the LVN route would delay becoming an RN because she won't have time to study for the NCLEX while she's working as an LVN.

My wife is a legal permanent resident of the US, living in California, originally from the Philippines and previously spent the last 9 years in the UK, the last few of which were in ICU. She is trying to take NCLEX here but is having problems with the BoRN. They don't respond to emails or answer the phone. They asked for transcripts etc months ago, which they received, but then asked for something else which was supplied, and then finally asked for course numbers for some of the nursing modules she took in the Philippines. No course numbers exist, which is what she's explained to them. It's annoying that they could have asked that on the previous exchange. The problem is each exchange takes weeks so I'm worried that they'll ask another question and we won't get a response to that until Jan-Feb. It is terribly slow. Any ideas, or do we just have to live with it? Great that she gets more time to revise, not so great that we're living on one wage, barely making ends meet each month. Secondly, she has heard rumours that she won't be allowed to take the NCLEX in SoCal - some people are known to have had to take it elsewhere, like back in the Philippines. This sounds crazy - and expensive - but I don't know whether the others had some mitigating circumstance. But in any case, it's worrying the wife just as much as the NCLEX itself. Any ideas? Finally, in the event she fails the NCLEX, do you think there's any benefit in trying to apply for a non-RN job and try to work her way up? I've heard some hospitals will help people get NCLEX but I don't know how widespread that is. She's looking at Kaiser Fontana, the Adventist place in Glendale, or maybe one or two other places along I-210 really. She's mentioned Loma Linda but it's too far out for my liking, but if needs must! I've browsed through various threads but didn't manage to find anything relevant. Thanks.

With the type of visa I'm hoping to get (currently in RFE) we should be able to arrive and apply for SSNs after a couple of weeks, and receive them shortly afterwards. At least, that's what I've been told. Actually, I think I may have a SSN from years ago when I did J1 work for three years. We've decided that she will take a career break for a year at least while she does the housewifery thing. During that time she can study for the NCLEX at a more relaxed pace and when we're both ready, she can start the process of getting back into work part time - mostly as a back-up to keep her hand in, in case I end up being unemployed for whatever reason. If that takes another year to do the various applications, get transcripts, sit the exam etc, then so be it! Thanks for the advice and well wishes.

How things can change with a little urine... she's pregnant! This puts it around the time we were hoping to move so, given the health insurance issues in the US when arriving pregnant, I guess we'll have it in the UK and move sometime afterwards. Her RN status can wait a few months at least - though that does lead to another issue of continuous employment / up-to-date experience or whatever other factors a potential employer may have.

By the sound of it then, she should simply wait until she arrives in CA then, and hope that I will have a job for when (if!) we arrive. Given that the SSN arrives a couple of weeks after arrival, what kind of time frame are we talking to getting licensed? From the CA RN site it seems to suggest 8-12 weeks from the time all information has been received, assuming that an NCLEX exam can be scheduled within a few days of the ATT - is that realistic? Thanks everybody.

My wife and I have been confused by what an agency have told her she needs before applying to sit the NCLEX-RN exam: doesn't seem logical but may well be correct. Hopefully somebody here will be able to confirm! She's getting a derivative visa from me for the US. Past: - Filipino - Failed CGFNS and NCLEX - Came to UK with whatever qualifications she needed here Present: - ICU nurse in UK - UK citizen - Studying for NCLEX - Applying via agency for Vermont license Future: - Moving to California - Wants to continue in ICU or similar critical care. Now, what she's been told is that to take the NCLEX in London (or anywhere) she needs CGFNS documentation (certification?) at a cost of $350 and that it could take many, many months for that to arrive. Furthermore, I read that Vermont requires you to pass CGFNS before doing NCLEX (which she failed, 10 years ago). Should she even be applying for VT when she has no intention of working there, what with the costs and times of transferring the license to CA? All so confusing... which probably makes for a confusing post.

I don't think H1B applications should affect US graduates as the former are experienced; the latter not so. So if a hospital needs an experienced, degree-level ICU (for example) nurse, then the grads aren't going to get a look-in anyway. It's clear that many hospitals are still recruiting - either that or the job listings are falsified. Just not many jobs these days, and too many people applying for them. Of those 130+ LCs, there is no way I know of whether those people actually got jobs. However, I'd find it hard to believe that the sponsor (ie the potential employer) would go through the expense and time of getting LC for somebody and then not give them a job. I also suspect that MedPro and CGS will only take on applicants with a very good chance of success to begin with - how many applications have they rejected themselves, before even starting the visa application process? Therefore their success rate of the cases they take on is probably quite high.

Found it - MedPro aka Management Health Systems. Vast majority seem to be for Nephrology Nurse Specialist. Going back to CGS, median salary was $32/hr for ICU. Hope that's of some use to somebody.

Further to Nursepacific, the applications for CGS were for: - Critical Care Nurse - ER, ICU, NICU, CCU, MICU, Neuro - Occupational Therapist - Physical Therapist - Speech Language Pathologist However, this is only listing 30 of the 130+ LCs so it may not be a representative sample (I don't know why it won't list the rest). In this sample the LCs were for CA, NM, and VT mostly. I can't find details for Medpro.

Yes, looks like I was wrong there on the tourist thing - you can apply but can't take the job while on a tourist visa. Anyway, point being that you have to do things their way, and knowing what their way is is not always immediately obvious from government websites written by lawyers rather than laymen like me. I have been in touch with an immigration lawyer, not these specific questions, as there is only so much they will tell you for free before they start charging! They have to make a living somehow!

Guys, I appreciate the comments about the job situation but that wasn't what I was asking - as I said, I'm well aware of the problems and this is a long term view, not right now. The reason I ask is that some visas must be applied for OUTSIDE the US. Taking the example to the extreme, you can't apply for a job whilst on a tourist visa as that is a violation of the tourist visa conditions, worthy of deportation and banning for a number of years. I hadn't read anything about such restrictions on these types which was why I was asking if there was anything I'd missed - and hoping somebody here would say that they'd gone down that route. I think SilverDragon's third paragraph is useful reading - thanks.

I'm aware of the job shortage, retrogression, no green cards or H1Bs for qualifying nurses, etc, etc. What I would like to know is if one is on an H4 visa (non-working; spouse with H1B), currently in the US, are there any differences or restrictions in how one would go about getting a green card or H1B as appropriate, plus NCLEX, plus IELTS, and anything else for a California RN compared to the same process in the UK? Wife may consider doing the process including studying for exams when we're there on my visa rather than trying to get it done beforehand. In the meantime she can do the stay-at-home-mum bit as well! In fact, if a 6 month break from nursing is a detrimental factor then please say so. This is a long term view and, as I say, we're aware of the job and visa situation over there so this is mostly speculative at the moment. Many thanks.

Thanks MedSurg and RetroPinoy (the latter via PM which I can't reply to!). More jobs than even I thought for the right people.

Yes, it probably was more than 2 years so she will likely have to sit it. I don't see it being a problem though. The figure is useful to know though, so thanks.

Ok, will do. I noticed she was reading one the other day. I need to make 15 posts before I can post PMs apparently. I can read yours though. I've got no problems replying in public. I'm British, she was from Negros Or., trained over there, specialising in cardiac, came to UK about 6 years ago, met a couple of years later, she has spent about half that time in ICU, and has since become a British Citizen. We're in the southwest of the UK, Swindon, Wiltshire to be precise.

Clearly, yes, otherwise I would not have been able to lay to rest all your concerns. I've read this entire thread and scores of others. I am not medical but the replies I have given come from factual evidence and do not need a medical education to give. Clearly you are strongly against me and my wife supplementing the American workforce and it is a shame that hands across the ocean do not spread both ways. In light of that I will respectfully refrain from further contact with yourself to avoid any further misunderstandings or bad feelings. RetroPinoy, thanks, that sounds logical and matches up with answers from other experienced people on other forums. I know she did an English language test for something but may not have been IELT (she's at work so I can't ask). In any case, it would be easy for her as whatever test she did take she scored very high marks (probably more than an Englishman would!).

We're not talking Gen Med here, we're talking ICU, CCU, Cardiac or whatever - you can only get H1b for specialities, which as you say, takes more than just a few months for training. So by your figures it costs more than an "import". I think I already made my point re equipment training, though note I did not state any length of time, only that it applies to everybody new to the equipment, foreign or local. You may be surprised to learn this but there is high tech equipment all over the world. NCLEX, I don't see how you can make a comparison between a 12-year "veteran" of nursing and a college grad. By your own quote, you learn something new every day so without any revision a 12-year nurse is far more likely to pass than a college grad just from personal experience. The pass rate for the UK is around 90% and that includes foreign born nurses. Of course, for the foreign born nurses they would have had to pass the UK equivalent so they're already in good stead.