J Roark

I would take it through a California school, but the only online California micro courses I've found require you to buy a microscope and other materials for your at-home "lab," and I just can't afford it. I'm really broke right now, and the online lab at Edukan only costs $15 for the software. I talked to a BRN representative and he said they can't approve/recommend an out-of-state school, only California schools (which seems crazy, because they're the ones that look at out-of-state transcripts to determine whether or not your credits are worthy of endorsement). I'll try again. Thanks for your reply! :)

Hello, I'm an Indiana RN trying to get endorsement in California. Despite having my associate's degree, license, and experience, the California BRN won't grant me a California RN license unless I take Microbiology. Microbiology was an option at my college, but not a requirement. I could probably test out of it, but for whatever reason, the California BRN hates Excelsior College and will not accept anything from them--including their test-out exam. They're the only institution in the country to offer the exam (CLEP doesn't). So, after looking at all the online microbiology courses, I've come to the conclusion that the Edukan Microbiology class would be the best option for me, as the lab is completely online. My biggest concern is that the California BRN will not accept a Microbiology course that has an online lab... Does anyone know whether or not the California BRN accepts Edukan's Microbiology Course? I would take it at a local college, but I can't currently drive due to medical reasons (seizures). Thank you so much for your help!

Thanks to everyone for your replies! I'm probably just going to take the Excelsior College Exam (I was mistaken earlier--CLEP doesn't offer a Micro exam). I emailed my evaluator at the CA BRN to see if he would accept it. I just think it's crazy... I've taken numerous biology and kinesiology courses throughout the years, and although I don't have one entitled "Microbiology" on my transcripts, it's not like I've never studied it. I brought one of the biology courses I took at IU to the attention of my "evaluator," and he said that according to the syllabus, Microbiology is not a core part of the course. As if I was lying! I DON'T know what the syllabus says, but I CAN tell you that we spent all of our time talking about cells, different types of cellular organisms and looking at microscope slides! IU just inexplicably came up with some goofy name for the class other than "Microbiology." Aaaaarrrggghhhh! :) What if I had been a Nurse Practitioner for 10 years in my own state? Or a Clinical Specialist? Can you imagine the INSULT of being told you had to take a little nothing class for your license? I have no doubt that I would learn SOMETHING in this class; I do, however, doubt whether or not it's going to improve my patient care. Le Sigh... I have no doubt that I could take the exam and pass it--and I will, most likely--but it's $275 that I really don't have the money to spend! It's crazy to spend that much money on just an exam... The NCLEX cost less! I could take a semester-long course and buy a textbook for less at another college; and I would, if not for the time crunch I'm facing. Anyways... I am now officially ranting and raving. :) Thanks again to everyone for your input!

Hello, I am a full-fledged Indiana RN. I graduated from Ivy Tech Community College earlier this year, and took many of my transfer courses at Indiana University. At Ivy Tech--and the Indiana State Board of Nursing, for that matter--it's not a requirement to take Microbiology. It's just a class listed among several courses you can take to satisfy your co-requisites. I opted to take Chemistry and Advanced Anatomy & Physiology instead. I recently applied for my California RN license. I was told that the only thing holding up my endorsement is that my transcripts don't show a course in Microbiology! Is this for real? It seems like a bad nightmare! I'm a nurse, I passed my NCLEX, is this really a legitimate concern? Does California really insist that you've taken a course in Microbiology in order to be an RN? Does anyone else find that odd? My only saving grace might be that I also have a bachelor's in Kinesiology from IU, and that one of those courses might transfer to Ivy Tech as Microbiology. If not, I don't really know what to do. I guess I could try to test out of the course via the CLEP exam, transfer my results to Ivy Tech, and then forward my new transcript to California, but it seems like an awful lot of work for something rather silly. Has anyone else had this problem? Do you have any advice for me? I would appreciate any help or suggestions you might have to offer. This whole thing has left me rather down. It just seems sometimes like the entire world is full of meaningless, arbitrary red tape that solves nothing and only serves to make life unnecessarily harder. Thanks for your time! Jon