Are you considering getting a California Nursing license? Then you’re at the right place. This guide shall discuss all you need to know about the professional salary, employment outlook, and licensing requirements in California.
This article will guide you on the California Board of Nursing Licensing Requirement. Let’s Start!
The California Board of Registered Nursing regulates nursing in California. This board manages both Registered professional nurses (RN) and Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) due to the high degrees of education and practice of nursing.
Registered nurses in California have a bright professional future because the state has the highest number of employed nurses and the highest average salary in the U.S.
However, before legally working as a nurse in California, you must acquire a California registered nurse license. This license ensures you’ve reached the proper education, supervised experience, and passed all the exams.
The path to becoming a nurse in any state in the US starts with education. If you want to become an RN, then you’ve to participate in one of these degree programs that take between 2 to 4 years to complete
Although the California Board of Nursing allows both graduates to apply for RN licensure, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing advises aspiring nurses to go for a BSN as it gives more opportunities in the job market and more responsibility and specialization in the workplace. Many nurses later pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in consulting management and education nursing.
Nursing is a growing field in the United States due to the aging population and nurses leaving the job.
In 2007, it was reported that California needed approximately60,000 full-time nurses even after an enormous investment of the state in nursing education in 2005.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that the fastest-growing jobs for registered nurses will be work in outpatient care facilities, physician offices, and home health care. RNs working in Private industries make as much as $66,650, those in physician offices make about $62,880, while others make less than $58,000.
Since RNs are in high demand due to their skills, the job search for new nurses isn’t hectic. Because of these, even part-time RN jobs come with many benefits,s as free tuition fees for continued education, insurance, and childcare.
The California BRN is a state board that regulates the nursing profession in California. They protect the health and safety of patients by ensuring only high-quality nurses are given licensure. The board is also in charge of investigating complaints and taking disciplinary action when necessary.
Also, the board supports nursing who have suffered from substance abuse or mental illness. It’s also their responsibility to provide the resources for new and out-of-state nurses to become licensed in California by examination or endorsement. The BRN also provides a pathway for nurses to renew their licenses to continue practicing.
Internationally educated nurses (IENs) are expected to meet specific requirements to receive a license by examination as Registered nurses in California. The requirements are:
► Transcripts: The first thing the California Board of Nursing will do is to evaluate your foreign transcript and nursing license. The application for RN licensing by exams requires you to use forms to get your transcripts sent directly from your foreign university to the California Board of Nursing.
Sending these forms early will ensure your licensing process doesn’t take long. Getting your foreign transcripts can take a lot of time, slowing your application process, especially if your school has never had anyone apply for a California license. The BRN must only accept transcripts sent directly by your school to them.
► Translations: This stage is only for those that studied in countries where English isn’t the official language, thereby having the documents in another language. You must arrange for an official translation if you’re in this category.
There are a few ways to do this; If your country has English as one of its official languages, you can arrange with your college to translate your transcripts into English and provide it with the ones written in the other language.
If not, you can hire a professional translator (who must be someone unrelated to you) to translate your transcripts. The translator needs to fill out a unique form. The California BRN recommends you get a translator that’s a member of the American Translator Association or a certified court interpreter.
► Fingerprints: The BRN requires your fingerprints to be checked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice if you’ve any criminal record. Ensure you take your fingerprints early, as processing time may vary and can slow down your licensing.
There are two ways you can have your fingerprints taken – livescan fingerprint or paper cards fingerprint. You should go for the live scan fingerprinting as it takes a shorter time to process.
However, it requires you to go to an approved California fingerprinting center. Live scan costs between $20-50, depending on the location. Make sure you keep your live scan receipt, as you’ll be asked to present it later.
However, if you can’t go to a California livescan site, you can email the commission and request paper fingerprint cards. However, you should know that paper fingerprints take a long to process.
When your transcripts and fingerprints are ready, the next thing is to apply for the RN licensure by exams. To use, you need:
At this stage, we expect that you’ve already sent your ‘Request for Transcript’ and your “Breakdown of Educational Program for International Nursing Programs” form to the university you studied at and had a translation of your documents ready if they’re not in English.
Your application is completed once your university or college sends your transcript to the California Board of Nursing.
Once BRN receives your application, they’ll evaluate your licensing and education to see if it’s comparable to the minimum standards of the California Registered Nurse program. Their standard includes coursework and experience in:
If you don’t have complete coursework, you’ll have to take the missing courses before qualifying for an Interim license or an NCLEX. This is especially common for candidates from countries with different nursing practice standards. For example, in some nations, males aren’t taught obstetric nursing.
Once your application meets the California RN standards in both education and experience, the board will:
If you pass the NCLEX exams, BRN will process your license. However, if you fail it, your temporary permit will be stopped, and you won’t be able to work as a nurse in California until you pass the exams.
You’ll not register for the National Council Licensure Exams (NCLEX) until the board sends you an Authorization to Test (ATT) notification which shows that your licensure by examination application has been approved. At that time, BRN will also provide you with the information you need about NCLEX and how to find a testing administration site. You must have an ATT to schedule an appointment and be allowed into an exam center on the date of your exams.
As of the time of compiling this guide, The NCLEX costs $200. Your scores on the exam will be available to California BRN within a month after taking the test. If you’ve passed, the board will process your licensure in no time.
The NCLEX-RN is the only examination required for California licensure by the examination process.
The exams are a computer-based variable length adaptive test. This means the system automatically adjusts the difficulty level, number of questions, and content based on your answers.
The test will continue until the system is 95% sure your abilities are above or below the passing standards due to your answers. As a result, you’ll be required to answer 75 to 265 questions. Test takers with the highest or lowest abilities usually answer the fewest questions.
The exams are primarily multi-choice questions, though other formats can be included. A short tutorial will be given to you to expose you to the types of questions being asked, and you’re not allowed to skip any questions or make random guesses.
Also, you should not bring any reference material, calculator, or test aid material into the exam hall. If a question requires calculation, a screen calculator will be provided to you.
Most of the content of NCLEX concentrates on the patient as the focus of care. The test is usually divided into four categories and subcategories of patients’ needs. You’ll also answer an approximate percentage of questions in each category. Here’s a breakdown of the classes and the rates: