Aemrick0421

I don't specifically know of anyone with dismissed cases but I feel like I have read that CA is pretty strict on those too. Obviously it depends on the nature of the crime.. The reason I am in such trouble is because my dui had a BAC of .21... Yea I was a huge selfish dumbass for that I know.. So for that it's pretty obvious the board would punish me. But maybe for a wet and wreckless or a drug charge that was dismissed they would be less harsh. It's really hard to say since the BRN decides on a "case by case basis" (that is their favorite phrase ever). I will say I went to school with one girl who had a dui from like 10 years prior and the BRN did not punish her so it must depend on the length of time that has passed too. Sorry I couldn't be of more help

In California the BRN will deny you for licensure and then you have to appeal that denial (about a one year process) then they usually settle on a probationary license.. Which entails 3 years of aa meetings, support groups, therapy, Chemical dependency program, and random drug & alcohol testing all at the licensees expense ($$$$). This license also has restrictions on where one can work.. No home health, no staffing agencies, etc. I am going through this right now and it is the absolute hardest thing I've ever had to face. And not to mention its nearly impossible to find a job with all this baggage on my license. I know CA is the most strict state. I heard from one person on this forum that Washington is usually more lenient especially if the DUI is over 5 years old. So maybe you will be in luck if you wait a few years? It is kind of a gamble.. But if your heart is in nursing then stick to it! This situation sucks at first but with time it gets better :) stay positive!

Sorry I don't think I replied directly to your comment, just wanted to reply properly so you would get notification. I went to --------------- in Concord.

I took the NCLEX on in Aug 2014 and didn't find out my results until Feb 2015... 5 freaking months they made me wait. It was so stressful not knowing if I should continue to study for those 5 months because I had no idea if I would have to retake it. I got the good pop up as well and I indeed passed my test.. Everyone I have spoken too says that trick works so I think you passed :)

Sorry for the late response! I went to ----------------- in Concord. He is making me do a chemical 28 day dependency program.. Which sucks.. But whatever. Other than that he had good things to say about me to the BRN so I didn't get too bad of an evaluation from him. If you are running out of time and haven't done your exams yet you can ask your probation monitor for an extension. From what I understand they are pretty accommodating in that sense.. I was granted an extra month cause mine was taking so long.

I would never hide my license in another state Im just wondering how that other state would go about my situation ...

I was actually thinking about trying another state now that aus is out of the question and since Washington and Oregon are close I would first consider them. Does anyone know if these 2 states gives unrestricted licenses to people with DUIs? I know tmascot said Washington does but can anyone else confirm? From what I understand these states are significantly more lenient but I'm worried if I apply for licensure there (or get endorsed whatever it is called) the other state would see my probationary license in CA and automatically hand me the same thing there. Whereas if I just graduated and went to another state (without my license) they would do there own thing and give me a regular license without CAs influence. I don't know if I read this somewhere or if I am completely making this up but it's stuck in my brain. Can anyone tell me about this?? Thanks for all the responses!

I can't find anything that specifically says there needs to be a minimum requirement of work experience. My thoughts are that you at right though. I already have 2 strikes against me... Dui and no work experience so I'm pretty screwed I suppose. Thanks for the response.

Hi there, I am a recently licensed rn in California with no work experience. Unfortunately, 5 years prior to nursing school I got a dui and because of that the CA BRN has given me a probationary license for the next 3 years. The conditions of this license are extremely expensive and time consuming so I am looking to get out of CA. I know to do this I will need to get endorsed by another state's board. My question is will I most likely get a probationary license in any other state I apply? I know CA is the most strict state as far as criminal history but I'm wondering how that will affect other states endorsing me. Will that state see that CA has put me on probation and then do the same (even if that state wouldn't have if I just originally got my license there)? My gut feeling is that other states, that may even be lenient on criminal history, will see my probation in CA and put me on something similar simply out of the ease of doing so instead of actually looking into my case. Also im wondering how lack of work experience will play into this. Will another states BON not endorse me simply cause I don't have work experience here in CA? I am specifically looking into Oregon, Washington and Nevada and can't find anything regarding this topic. Can anyone help? Id greatly appreciate it!!!! Thank you!!!!

I just read your response to yourself and want to tell you I got my DUI expunged and it didnt help me . Not to be a Debbie the downer or anything, just want to give you as much info as possible. You seem like you really have your life together though and with all of the letters of recommendation I bet you have a good shot at it. I think it has a lot to do with how you present yourself on paper so get those letters together and anything else you can add to your application to stand out! Best of luck to you!

I am 100% relating to you on every level. I have a DUI from 2009 and just got my probationary license after one year of waiting (and lying to people as to why it took so long too). I thought the waiting was the bad part...was I wrong or what! This probation situation is the absolute worst!! I had no idea how time consuming and expensive this would be. At this point I honestly wish I never went to nursing school. I feel like it was such a waste. All it is to me now is a huge pile of debt that I am not foreseeing paying off ever. UGH. I am really glad to here that things are slightly looking up for you. You seem like a really good person and I hope things only get better for you! You seem very dedicated which what really matters. I must ask you about these people who helped you? What was that about? Are they lawyers? And can I also ask what terms were reduced on your probation? I wish I would have know about all this before I agreed to my stipulation!

The one year gap was me waiting on my license. In CA it takes at least a year (I've heard I got mine relatively quickly) if not 1 1/2 to 2 years to get your license if you have any recent conviction, and many times it ends up being a probationary license.

I don't know how helpful my response will be because I don't know anything about moving between states and all that entails but I will tell you what happened to me and hopefully that helps. I got my DUI 5 years prior to applying for licensure here in CA and was put on probation. I blew a .20 but there was no accident/property damage so I don't know how comparable our situations are? I can tell you I went to school with a girl who had a DUI from I want to say 10 years before applying (but fairly low BAC and no property damage) and the BRN gave her a fully active, unrestricted license no questions asked. So maybe the winning number is 10 years. Who knows though. All I can say is CA is very strict and the terms of my probation are tough. I'm talking 3 years of random drug/alcohol tests, aa meetings, therapy, mental and physical exams, chemical dependency program. All of that is very expensive too. The drug/alcohol tests alone cost me close to $500 a month. Just a heads up for you. Hopefully this helps!

Hi there! I just want to say you are not alone my friend! I just got my license here in CA and am on probation as well... it is the worst. I swear I am permanently dehydrated from all the tears I have shed over this process. The process is not only extremely time consuming but extremely expensive as well unfortunately. Anyways back to your question...I literally just scheduled my mental and physical health exam today and I can tell you that the BRN is extremely specific on who they will allow you to see. I tried to go to kaiser's chemical dependency department to find a specialist and they would not take me because they did not have anyone specialized enough to meet the requirements of the BRN (mainly the stipulation that "the evaluator has to have 3 years experience working with health care professionals w addictions" was what they were finding to be most troublesome). So I got in touch with some people from my nursing suppport group (I'm assuming you have to attend those too) and they referred me to a private specialist who lives about an hour away from me. Everyone in my group has gone to this guy because it is so difficult to find anyone else who can do it (hence why I am driving an hour away to see him). The HUGE downside to this is he charges $500 for these services. Yea... I almost died when I heard that number. But it is what it is. Where do you live? Bay area by chance? If so I can give you the name of this doctor. The last thing I can tell you is be sure you submit the pre-approval paperwork if you are even slightly unsure of the person you are seeing because you don't want to fork out money only to find out the BRN wont accept that persons evaluation! Hopefully this helps!

Hi there, As you can tell by my title I have a lot of things going on with this question. My main question is what are my chances of getting a fully active, non-probationary license in Australia with a DUI on my record? Now a little background on my story: I graduated in December 2013 and just got my RN license in February 2015. I got my DUI well before nursing school in 2009. My DUI was fairly standard, for lack of a better word, meaning there were no injuries or property damage. I was young and dumb and now I no longer drink because of it, enough said. California's BRN has strict rules on licensing nurses with any sort of criminal past so therefore I am on "nursing probation". This entails getting random drug and alcohol tests, attending weekly AA meetings, attending weekly nursing support groups, doing a 6-9 month outpatient rehab, getting physical and mental exams, and visiting a therapist/counselor on a regular basis (all of these are at my own expense equaling to about $500-$600/month). Last but not least, my probation requires any health care employer of mine to fill out tons of paperwork and perform special evaluations on me on a regular basis. Now you are probably asking who in the world would hire such a nurse with all of that baggage? Exactly my point. I have pretty much zero chance of finding a job here in CA which is why I want to get out of here. So long story short I would like to move to Australia. For one, my boyfriend lives out there so I would love to be with him. Secondly, I have heard Aus is more lenient as far as licensing nurses with a criminal past similar to mine. Thirdly, it's Australia.. who wouldn't want to live there?!? I, for one, loved it there when I visited. Anyways, can anyone tell me if they know anything about the process/outcome for a nurse trying to move there in my situation. More specifically: 1. How long does the U.S. to Aus nurse licensing process take? I know for nurses without a criminal past the wait time is about 3-4 months. Am I looking at waiting a year possibly?? 2. Is there any probable chance I would actually get denied licensure there? I thought I had more questions but now I can't think of them.. UGH the stress is getting to me! Anyways I greatly appreciate anyone's time who is able to add to this thread. Any relevant info, no matter how small it is, is better than nothing.. so PLEASE write stuff!! THANK YOU! :)