From International Student to California RN

How to become a California RN when you’re an international student?

Good morning everybody OK so we’re gonna talk about the California board of registered nursing um I always get scared talking about this just because I feel like if I do then I’ll get in trouble or they’re gonna find me and they’re gonna ban me or something but I wanted to share my experience with specifically the California board of registered nursing. so as you all know I am an international student so this will cater to the international students specifically the ones coming from the Philippines but I think this can also benefit all the other students in different countries out there because we all have pretty much the same process as an international nursing student. all right so in order for you to become a nurse in California, you need to be board certified and get your licensed through the BRN or the board of registered nursing. They will ask you for your transcripts, diploma, English exam, and fingerprints (either livescan or the hard copy).  when you send them your transcript they need to evaluate it so they have their own evaluator but for some reason when I called them they said that I can submit my CGFNS (which is another evaluator place for your transcript), but even if I sent it they will still evaluate my transcript anyway. (I also had my CGFNS because I was told by other students that it’s needed as well.

California RN License Qualifications for International Students

California License Application

Probably the most annoying thing about the evaluators is that they all don’t follow the same requirement which is kind of crazy because I had classmates and we all pretty much graduated together and at the same time but for some reason, some of them didn’t have to take additional classes before they take the board exam like for example for me when they evaluated my transcript they said that I needed to take an OB program first, and then for another classmate they had to take a Med Surg program, and then for another classmate they had no requirements and are able to get their ATT right away.

So I’m not sure how this technically really works but I believe the curriculum of your nursing school has to correlate with the curriculum they have here in the United States and sometimes if you don’t get your clinicals or your clinical hours at the same time that they’re doing it here in California then that means you have to repeat a program so I’m guessing maybe that’s why I had to take an additional OB class. ? I’m not so sure? Also, mind you I did this whole evaluator thing around 2016 and that’s what they told me that I had to take an OB program, I also already submitted all my other requirements like the finger print, diploma. At this point, though I was like, you know what this is way too much and I didn’t want to take another class so I don’t wanna do my board exam in California. So what I ended up doing is I applied for the Texas board of registered nursing and everything was fine, I didn’t have to take any additional classes but I had to take the jurisprudence test and that wasn’t so hard. (Each state has its own requirement).  And mind you they probably looked at my application for maybe two weeks and then I was good to go while in California it literally took at least three months for them to look at my staff and to evaluate it. Alright So awesome I have my att or my authority to take the test for Texas board the registered nursing and I also passed jurisprudence, but I said well you know what I don’t want to work in Texas and I wanted to work in Nevada because it’s closer to California. It’s only a 4-hour drive and I can see my family. Pretty much weekly. So then I had to do an endorsement two Nevada from Texas and seriously it took another maybe like two weeks and then I got my license for Nevada I’m telling you like all other states is a lot faster than California I believe the places that take a long time for your licenses is California and New York. That’s what I heard from other people that it takes forever there.

And then awesome so I started working in Nevada I became a psych nurse and then I became an OB nurse where I did labor and delivery postpartum and what’s cross-trained in the newborn nursery and also became a clinical instructor for OB and Peds. OK so then now I’ve been working there for about three years already one year in psych and two years in the OB field.

Around this time I heard from one of my other friends that also was also wasn’t able to get their license in California that if you work in a different state for at least two years you’re able to go back to California and you’re able to get your license so I said Oh my gosh OK so I’ve been working for three years already and I’ve also worked in OB for two years and I know that that’s the only program that I needed to come back to California.

Ok, so I was like alright it’s time for me to go back to California, and let’s see what they say regarding my application so I started the endorsement process from Nevada to California and when they saw my application they still said hey you can’t get your license still unless you take that OB program. And then I said Oh my gosh what! I have already been working as an OB nurse I teach OB I’ve been working for two years in OB and I still have to take this class. They responded with, yes sadly because that’s what the evaluator put in your files you still need to get or do your OB program. So at this point, I can’t fight with him anymore I’m like whatever let me just do an OB program, and luckily I got accepted to an OB program specifically for international students in Loma Linda. also, it’s really hard to get into a specific Med Surg or OB program or maternity program for international students. Seriously um some people take one to three years for them to be accepted into an international students program. So when I got accepted to Loma Linda I said you know what let me just take this and seriously it was $5000 for two months and I was doing pretty good in the class because I was teaching OB already so I pretty much breezed through it. and so I said you know let me just suck it up for two months and then I’ll be done and I’ll get my license. alright so then I’m done with my class and then, later on, I was like OK here is my paper here’s my transcript everything is good and I’m done with everything there now. They are now evaluating it again which I don’t understand because now the school is here in California and it’s recognized, but they still have to evaluate it again. And this took another probably three months. So I don’t know what is going on in the boards but man they take a very long time and when you call them it’s really hard to reach the phone line. the site does say that they open at 8:00 o’clock but for some reason, every time I call at 8:00 o’clock the phone is still closed but when you call at 8:30 they’ll be. And then now when you call they actually have to leave your number and they will return your call.  They’re either going to call you around five hours later or the day after but rest assured that you will get a call. What I usually do is right when they say your number is already logged in the system you want to make sure you call again and input your number again to make sure that it’s actually in the system.

Alright so that’s pretty much it with my experience with the burn up they just take a long long long long time but you’re gonna get your att or your license, in the end, you pretty much stretch just have to be patient with it it’s a long process

Are you an international student? Are you now a California RN? What was your journey?