Will states like CA accept online grads if you have experience working

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Aug 13, 2014

You have to meet their educational requirements. There's no way around it.

Nalon1 RN/EMT-P, BSN, RN · Aug 13, 2014

Not sure about other online programs, but California is the only state that will not allow an Excelsior ASN graduate to be licensed in their state, ever. This is due to no clinical hours done concurrent to studies.

You could work in a federal facility (e.g the VA) in California since you can work under another state license in the federal facility, but even if you go on to get your BSN, MSN or PhD in Nursing you can not be licensed there.

Most other states that have stipulations are either xxx hours employed (600 hours to 2 years), a preceptorship or some type of specialty clinical rotations. A few say each case is taken on a case by case basis (not really sure what that means).

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Aug 13, 2014

With California, you must meet their educational requirements before they'll license to you to work in the state. If you're an Excelsior Grad and you're licensed and the whole bit, with experience to boot, you'd have to complete a formal educational program that has concurrent theory and clinical components in the following areas: geriatrics, medical-surgical, mental health/psychiatric nursing, obstetrics, and pediatrics. Effectively that means you're going to attend an entire program from scratch. What may make things a little more interesting is that once that's done, you might be able to have your license endorsed into California because you took a program that met the educational requirements and you've already passed the NCLEX elsewhere and you have a license. That would be time-consuming and expensive, but maybe that's doable. Maybe.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Aug 13, 2014

Last look at CABRN website no out of state online programs are accepted. There used to be an ISU/ Sonoma State partnership but that was eliminated a few years ago.

Cali2015 · Aug 18, 2014

I just earned my ADN in Hawaii and plan to move to California next summer. If I enroll in a BSN online program, am I required to attend a California school for the BSN too?

Editorial Team / Moderator · Aug 18, 2014

Advanced degrees that don't affect your licensure or require additional licensure exams don't matter to states; i.e., as long as a state accepts your RN education, the education after that leading to BSN is not regulated because did not require NCLEX or affect licensure.

CaliLVN-RN · Nov 13, 2014

Hello everyone I am new to this website and I just enrolled into Excelsior program and I am a California student. My advise for people who want to get licensed in CA as a RN to JUST APPLY! People on this website are here to guide us and it's much appreciated but remember they DO NOT work for the BRN and most have not experienced trying to get licensed into CA as a RN after the cut off date.

However there is known case of someone who graduated from Excelsior after the cut off date and was eventually licensed in CA. I read about him on his blog a few years back. All he was told to do to meet the requirements was to get his BSN and he did get it. You can verify his license online too. So there is a possibility but remember everything is on a case by case basis. CA has told me that they really can't say yes they may license an Excelsior graduate without looking at their transcripts first. Without seeing transcripts they did say it will be a direct no. But the only way of telling is to just apply. I know the risks I will be taking by going this route but this is the only option for me at this time as time is running out and I'm tired of being treated as a second class citizen because I'm a LVN. If hospitals would keep LVN's I would stay a LVN, I'm happy with my scope and I don't see myself as any different than a RN. But that's just me. Anyway with that I wanted to share my thoughts on this discussion.