Reciprocity to Maryland

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Oct 12, 2009

I would call the Board of Nursing in California and ask how you would be able to have the NCLEX results forwarded to Maryland. Be prepared to get busy signals or long wait times while being put on hold for an actual person to talk to you. Your other option is to submit your SSN (once you receive the number) to California and wait for your first RN license and then endorse that to Maryland. This option might take longer knowing that California processing is slow.

Realize that as a foreign-trained nurse, you have special requirements for licensure and each state has their own distinct rules. Maryland requires the CES from CGFNS and an English test (not sure if there's a way you can waive this by proving that your program was taught entirely in English). When you applied in California, the board there only required a Breakdown of Educational Program, Copy of BSN Diploma, and Official Transcript of Records. You did not need the English test nor the CES in California but in Maryland you will. Again, that would add more time in waiting for your Maryland license.

If you already submitted your fingerprints in California, you do not need to submit a new one. Maryland does not require fingerprints. Can I ask why you are pursuing a California license if your H1B is through an employer in Maryland? The Sacramento office only accepts same day appointments for those applying for a Temporary License or Interim Permit while endorsing their out of state license to California. You do not have your Maryland license yet so you do not qualify to apply for an Interim Permit in California.

monmansi · Oct 12, 2009

thanks npgilly for the info. i will call BRN this week to get the specifics of the requirement. i tried calling them last week but they were closed. later i checked they were closed on the first three fridays of every month. tom morning i will give them a ring.

i previously applied in California cause they said that it will be accepted in most states once i apply for an endorsement. i didnt have any employer at that time so i followed what most of the nurses in the Phils. were doing. i got here in Maryland not as nurse but as a clinical manager. but due to the recession the salary and job they are offering me is melting away. :sniff: they said that if i have a nursing license they would surely find me a job in one of their related homecare services.

moreover when i get my ssn i was planning to go to california because i was planning to get my permanent license there so when i come back to maryland, i can apply for a temporary work permit and endorsement at the same time. i think they will not give me a temporary work permit if i will just show them the letter sent by BRN when i passed the NCLEX. but i will give them a call first before i make any moves.

thank you again. God Bless

5cats · Oct 12, 2009

I kinda wonder, if that job they offered to you, ever existed.I always thought with the H1B the specific job has to be there for you, if it doesn't exist anymore, is your H1B still valid? And plus, how could they offer that job to you, if you were never really qualified (yet), because you are not registered? Odd.

Just be careful, what you are getting yourself into.

5cats

monmansi · Oct 12, 2009

hello 5cats. thanks for the concern. sorry if my case seems confusing. i intially applied for an H1b visa as clinical manager. i had my credentials as a physician evaluated by a credentials evaluation company which my employer used to apply for my visa. the initial set-up was that i would work as a clinical manager and since i have my ssn, get my nursing license and work as a nurse during my off days. but due to the recession they had to put on hold there other clinics and i was left with the option of working as a nurse full time. thus my predicament.

to npgilly. i checked the Maryland BON and they have instituted a fingerprinting requirement. this is a prerequisite if i would apply for an endorsement and temporary work permit in Maryland.

tom i will try to call the Ca BON for info regarding my permanent license. wish me luck guys..

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Oct 13, 2009

I hope your employer is paying you since, they are suppose to be responsible for all fees towards this Visa.

To be employed as Registered Nurse under H1B.

Three Categories Possibly Qualifying for H1B

1) Certain types of RNs may meet these requisite qualifications for the H1B visa. The first category of nurses who generally will be approved is the certified advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) category.

clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) - Which you do not qualify for.

certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNAs)Which you don't qualify for

certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) Which you don't qualify for.

certified nurse practitioners (NPs) fall within this category.Which you don't qualify for

If an APRN position requires the employee to be certified in that practice, the nurse must possess an RN, at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and some additional, graduate-level education. CNSs include Acute Care, Adult, Critical Care, Gerontological, Family, Hospice, Palliative Care, Neonatal, Pediatric, Psychiatric and Mental Health-Adult, Psychiatric and Mental Health-Child, and Women's Health nurses. NPs include Acute Care, Adult, Family, Gerontological, Pediatric, Psychiatric & Mental Health, Neonatal, and Women's Health nurses.

2) The second category of nurses who may qualify for the H1B are those in administrative positions requiring graduate degrees in fields such as nursing or health administration.

Home care is driven by health care regulations which you don't have a understanding a new nurse in the USA, therefore you don't qualify for. It can be dangerous for a new person who is not aware different neighborhoods and can be very expensive if you don't know the local laws ( getting parking tickets are very expensive, and if you don't pay them you can loose your driving and any professional license.)

3) A final, more subjective group that may receive H1B approval includes those who have a nursing specialty such as critical care and peri-operative nurses, or who have passed examinations based on clinical experience in school health, occupational health, rehabilitation nursing, emergency room nursing, critical care, operating room, oncology, and pediatrics, but who are not APRNs. In these cases, the petitioner must show that the nature of the particular position is so specialized and complex that one would normally expect the person performing the duties to have attained a bachelor's (or higher) degree, or its equivalent.

How care does not require anything beyond a simple RN. Doesn't qualify.

Personally, I would contact a lawyer, it seems like your employer brought you here under false pretenses. A job that could not have been filled by Americans should have been waiting for you or they should have sent you home. You are putting yourself in danger with immigration since you don't have a H1B qualifying job. Before you invest money on a cross continental flight, seek legal advice.

As a physician, how many years have you work in the capacity as a RN, which also a requirement for H1B. Why not try coming to the US as a Physician ? My daughter just completed the USMLE step 1 and it was not a difficult test for her. In the long run, presently it is easier to get a permanent visa as doctor and the pay is much higher.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Oct 13, 2009

thanks for the concern. sorry if my case seems confusing. i intially applied for an H1b visa as clinical manager. i had my credentials as a physician evaluated by a credentials evaluation company which my employer used to apply for my visa. the initial set-up was that i would work as a clinical manager and since i have my ssn, get my nursing license and work as a nurse during my off days. but due to the recession they had to put on hold there other clinics and i was left with the option of working as a nurse full time. thus my predicament.
to npgilly. i checked the Maryland BON and they have instituted a fingerprinting requirement. this is a prerequisite if i would apply for an endorsement and temporary work permit in Maryland.
tom i will try to call the Ca BON for info regarding my permanent license. wish me luck guys..

No matter what others advice you, I would stay away from disussing or explaining your situation to anyone in this forum. You do not know who will be reading these posts and truthfully, each situation is different. As long as you have an immigration lawyer to go to, keep your case between you and that person.

Oh, and thanks for that update on Maryland.

monmansi · Oct 13, 2009

thanks npgilly. bye for now guys.