I was wondering about the process of applying to take the NCLEX-RN for a California state license after graduating nursing school in Oklahoma in May. If some one can point direction on how to navigate their requirements and when to start the process.
Go to www.breeze.ca.gov and make an account there. It basically walks you through all the requirements and you can upload and save documents for each application section before submitting the whole thing. With an out of state nursing school, they will require ALL transcripts from all colleges…not just your nursing school. You’ll also need to get fingerprinted in CA. You MAY need to take supplemental classes for a CA license, but after they review your transcripts you’ll know. You could also get the out of state license…then apply for licensure by endorsement.
TTake the NCLEx-RN exam in Oklahoma then apply for CA license
You can either take the NCLEX in Oklahoma and then endorse to CA or you can just apply for the CA nclex through the BRN at rn.ca.gov. They have all the directions on the website. California processing times are longer than in Oklahoma. The website says up to 3 months.
Once you apply, you would need to send them all the required documents (e.g. live scan or manual finger printing, transcript, court documents if applicable, photo, etc), make a breeze account, and pay the fees.
To expedite the process, I called them frequently and emailed to ask what I was missing or ask how I could expedite it. I probably called 30 times, maybe got through <10 times to talk to an agent. The Oklahoma board requirements may be different ( such as the school course requirements) and you may have to take another class or two to meet CA requirements.
I took mine in my home state and then applied for the CA license. The process was super simple and smooth. The nursing board in CA takes a little more time but worth it to transfer.
