Relocation to California

[Ballerina02]

I am currently a nursing student at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and am planning on relocating to the Pasadena area after graduation. I am having a difficult time deciding whether or not I should take the Michigan exam and just apply for endorsement through the state of California or if I should just apply to take the exam in California. From what I have read, it seems that the application process to sit for the exam in California may take up to 4 months. If I choose to take the Michigan exam and apply for endorsement through California, the information I read said that it may take up to a month to process the request. It seems to me that applying to sit for the exam out of state may be a difficult process that causes me undo stress while trying to finish up my last semester of an accelerated second degree program!!! Ultimately I just want to sit for the examination as quickly as possible and not spend a fortune in extra fees if I don't have too. I was just wondering if anyone may have gone through this process and be able to offer any advice?

Thanks a Bunch,

Alyson

[Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN]

You can apply for licensure anywhere, regardless of where you physically take the exam; i.e., you can apply for initial CA licensure and sit for the exam in Detroit.

Keep in mind, new grad opportunities here in SoCal are very tight; just page through this forum and you'll run across a lot of people who have been job hunting for a long time.

[star77, MSN, RN]

There are few jobs in California for new grads. If you can get hired elsewhere and hold out for a year, you will be in a much more excellent position to get here. Best of luck.

[Ballerina02]

Thank you for your help!! It is unfortunate that there are few nursing positions available, but Michigan is by far worse than California. All of the hospitals are pretty much on a hiring freeze, as well as some of the major ones have just laid off a great deal of employees. I am hoping that some of the California connections I have made will be able to assist me in finding a job.

~Alyson