RECIPROCITY to California - RN Graduate from the PHILIPPINES

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 1, 2014

Whether you apply by examination or by endorsement, there is no getting around the fact that you will have to provide copies of your transcript to the CA BRN for them to review. Any nurse applying for a license in CA must have graduated from a program that meets CA's educational requirements--that's something that CA is unwilling to budge on.

If it were possible to skirt around CA's educational requirements by endorsing in with a license from another state, then tons of foreign grads would have done just that and you wouldn't hear about how hard it is for foreign grads to get licensed in CA.

I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear.

Have you actually applied for the CA license yet? There are foreign grads that do get licensed here--not every one is rejected.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 2, 2014

If it's any consolation, when I endorsed into CA, I had to track down and submit transcripts from 4 (yes, 4!) different schools. And I'm a citizen who ultimately graduated from a NLNAC-accredited program in the US.

Their educational requirements apply to every applicant regardless of whether they're citizens, foreign grads, whatever. Some US graduates have been and continue to be turned down because of where they went to school.

Seriously, I work with a lot of nurses that went to school in the Philippines, so a foreign education is not an automatic disqualifier...but you won't know until you actually apply for endorsement.

jasminefoo · May 2, 2014

Yeah, I know of people (foreign grads) who took the Nclex in California, passed and got their license, but all of em took the test before the new regulation (that was Year 2010).

The people I know who applied to take the Nclex exam in Cali from year 2010 all got rejected for the same reason of not meeting the requirements. Right now, I don't know anyone who tried to have their license from another state endorsed. Not one. So my family are hopeful. I, on the other hand, is hoping to hear experiences of rejection or success here @all nurses. Hehe

Honestly, it's okay, I really want to go work in NY and move on, but my family who lives here in Cali, they want me to wait for the papers to get result. Obviously, they want me here, but I've been unemployed with an on-and-off part-time office work for a year and half in Cali, and it's getting a bit depressing.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME & REPLY, I've beeeeeen checking and checking... :)

jasminefoo · May 2, 2014

Thank you, you put like 3% of hope that I could get it approved, Hehe. But still, it's worth trying, It's probably best to just go to NY while waiting for it to get rejected, or approved. Thanks again, a whole lot! :)

steppybay · May 3, 2014

With the high likelihood that your CA application will be declined once all your paperwork has been submitted from their evaluations, just know that the application fees are also not refundable, no matter the outcome of it, approved or rejected.

Since you're already licensed in NY, but live in CA, I would save money by applying everywhere you can for jobs in NY, if the employer finds your resume and application interesting enough to be interviewed, then you can at least fly out and meet them in person (Skpe is possible, but face to face is best).

You mentioned moving to NY, if you have the financial support and means to live in NY, then go for it, otherwise, you would be wasting a lot of money to just rent a place with no income and still need to eat. It's cheaper to not only fly out and stay at a hotel the night before a personal interview than to spend money to find a job that could take months or years.

Reading of some of the international nurses licensed in NY, there are some going on for more than a year or two and still unable to secure a steady job, even those applying with agencies (not real crazy about that idea), many in the LTC and SNF search, even those employers require 1-2 years of experience, as now there's a large list of other qualified nurses for them to pick from.

Yes, there's always that slim chance your transcripts might meet the CA BRN requirements, but I think 3% is too high, maybe more like 0.05% as last count, there's over 6,500 plus from the PH alone stranded in CA and that number I think is still higher.

steppybay · May 3, 2014

Your other option is to find and enroll in a accredited CA school to re-take the deficiency courses then re-apply (after the CA BRN determines whether it's just two classes lacking or for many other, up to 4 courses said to be deficient).

However, these approved schools are few and far in between, with long waiting lists and usually very pricey from $7,000 up to over $15,000.

xxryu139xx · May 4, 2014

I graduated in 2010 in the Philippines and was able to take and pass my exam in 2011. Fortunately enough, I applied around the end of 2010 before these changes happened and was approved. None of my other batchmates who had applied after me was able to approved.

Please let us know if they are less "strict" with reciprocity. Maybe having an actual RN license makes a difference.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · May 4, 2014

They are just as diligent when applying for license by endorsement as they are for initial license by examination. You will need to submit the same records as a candidate for licensing by examination. The fees are non refundable

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 5, 2014

Please let us know if they are less "strict" with reciprocity. Maybe having an actual RN license makes a difference.

Having a license will make not one bit of difference. As I posted earlier, I'm a citizen who graduated from a US school and still had to submit 4 transcripts to cover all of my prerequisite and nursing courses.

And ask any Excelsior ADN grad: any EC grad who graduated after 2003 can not get licensed in CA either by licensure or endorsement. It doesn't matter if they hold 1 or 50 other state licenses--CA's not letting them in, period. Excelsior tried to take the CA BRN to court over this...and Excelsior lost the fight (see http://www.rn.ca.gov/pdfs/forms/excelsiornewsrelease.pdf).

Like it or not, there's no shortcut around CA's education requirements.

k0katch · May 5, 2014

Hello colleague!

My story is i recently passed my NCLEX-RN in Texas but i am currently residing here in California and working as a LVN. I graduated nursing last 2009 from the Philippines and i am completely aware about the situation of all the international applicants doing here in California that is why i ended up taking it in another state. After a rough year of passing 2 NCLEX exams, i'm still stoked about trying to reciprocate my RN here in CA but also afraid that i may end up loosing my time and money instead of really moving to Texas. My thoughts right now is to transfer it to NY or Nevada. Seems like we do have almost the same situation like the family is here in California except for the fact that you still tried to transfer your RN here in CA. Anything new about your application so far?

steppybay · May 5, 2014

Hello colleague!
My story is i recently passed my NCLEX-RN in Texas but i am currently residing here in California and working as a LVN. I graduated nursing last 2009 from the Philippines and i am completely aware about the situation of all the international applicants doing here in California that is why i ended up taking it in another state. After a rough year of passing 2 NCLEX exams, i'm still stoked about trying to reciprocate my RN here in CA but also afraid that i may end up loosing my time and money instead of really moving to Texas. My thoughts right now is to transfer it to NY or Nevada. Seems like we do have almost the same situation like the family is here in California except for the fact that you still tried to transfer your RN here in CA. Anything new about your application so far?

Reciprocity = endorsement = applying again as a first-time applicant (in CA or any other state if not part of a compact state status, CA is NOT a part of any compact state).

Of the other states mentioned TX or NV or NY, assume that CA will decline your endorsement application due to either the concurrency issue or insufficient courses or lacking the minimum clinical hours, which of the other states (TX or NV or NY) do you wish to start working as an RN and plan to work there for say 5-10 years?

That's really where you should be focusing on to start the endorsement process, "state-hopping" to here and there will not increase your chances of getting endorsed into CA, even with 5-10 years of paid RN hospital experience.

Work experience can not be used to make up any deficiencies that the CA BRN has determined on your school's transcripts. The only way to meet the CA BRN requirements is to enroll in the courses that will be approved CA BRN, this will complete the circle to obtaining the RN license in CA.

Remember also that you MUST complete the re-taking of all the deficiencies in CA before the third year of your application date or they will "abandon" your endorsement (or even if it's a first-time application). You must get them done within those 36 months as just getting enrolled in the deficient program will not be accepted (as what happens if for some reason, the courses are not completed).

Btw, NV is not 100% guaranteed to get endorsed into, as there have been some PH applicants have been declined the RN license also due to the same concurrency issues, lack of providing the PH nursing license, lacking certain courses, etc. It is all a case-by-case basis and there have been some successful PH applicants getting a NV RN license, but do you wish to start growing your roots there?

It does seem like there's been a few PH members here who have their licenses from TX and some have recently found jobs there, more so than the NV or NY (in fact, I don't recall anyone that has been working in those two states as an RN and more so in a new grad program).