Take note that these tips are for the FIRST TIME CALIFORNIA STATE BOARDS TEST TAKERS. If you are going to reexamine there will be a different form to accomplish.
HOW TO OBTAIN THE APPLICATION FORM
First get a copy of the California Board of Registered Nursing Application Form. You will need ADOBE READER to view the file. The file is around 27 pages long including explanations and the actual forms needed.
APPLICATION FOR LICENSURE BY EXAMINATION
This is one of the first forms that you will need to accomplish basically it includes your personal information. Fill in the necessary information and here are some tips and frequently asked questions I encountered when filling up this form.
ADDRESS: If you have a relative or family member residing abroad whom you can trust and at the same time ask for little favors then if possible try using a US Address they say that it makes communication faster between you and the Board of Nursing just in case they need something from you. Also it is obvious that mailing time would be faster since letters are only transmitted to the same country as compared to having it mailed in another country. I also say ask for little favors because technically speaking when you mail your forms it would have to come from that US address too so what will happen is that if you are here in the Philippines you will mail the personal forms to your relatives address and they will be the one to mail it to the Board of Registered Nursing... sounds complicated but I hope you get what I mean. If you do not know anyone abroad then just use your address here in the Philippines.
Social Security Number: Most of us do not have this not unless you can legally work in the US so in most cases you just leave it blank.
The rest of the application are pretty much slef explanatory so this form has 2 pages. There is a part about an INTERIM PERMIT which basically says that they give you like a temporary permit to work while while waiting for the exam results which is valid for 6 months or until your results have been released. Personally, I did not avail of it since I won't be able to use it since I do not have papers to work in the US and most often than not they prioritize US nursing graduates for positions in hospitals. So I would rather keep the $35.
REQUEST FOR TRANSCRIPT
One of the forms for the California BON is the forms to be given to your school registrar and then they would be the one to submit it thru mail to the California BON. As for my tip just try to clarify everything with your school registrar so that less errors would be made in terms of processing.
BREAKDOWN OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR INTERNATIONAL NURSING PROGRAMS and NURSING PROGRAM VERIFICATION
Just fill out the parts where it asks you to fill which is basically the personal information and the rest will be filled out by your nursing program. Usually they mail it together with your TOR which was filled by the school registrar.
LETTER OF EXPLANATION or COPY OF LOCAL LICENSE
If you do not have your local license yet just email them your board certification that you passed which you can request in PRC once you know you passed the exam. And well if you have your license already then just scan it and print it and attach it together with the other documents you will submit.
FINGERPRINT CARD
You would have to request for this separately you can request by going to this link:
So to summarize everything here are the forms that you will mail to the California BON: Fingerprint Request. Read thru the instuctions there and wait for it to arrive in your mail. Then you can accomplish the fingerprint in the NBI in Carriedo. I am not sure if it can be done in other NBI branches. Once accomplished, mail it together with your other forms and DO NOT BEND the fingerprint card so if you can place it in a hard envelope the better. What I did was I improvised an envelope using a folder. They just need one copy but just in case the print is rejected provide them another copy so you would not have to mail it separately when they ask for another one.
Here are the things that YOU will mail to California BON:
Application for Licensure by Examination (2)
Letter of Explanation/ Copy of PRC License
Request for Disabilities Form (if applicable)
Fingerprint Card (2)
Things that the SCHOOL will mail to Cali BON:
Request for Transcript form + TOR and RLE Records
Breakdown of Educational Program for International Nursing Programs Form
Nursing Program Verification Form
As much as i am giving here tips and guidelines please refer and read the instructions that comes with the forms. There might have been changes in terms of fees and other instructions so it is important to refer to them still.
The processing of my application took about 2 months but then they requested for subject description so it took me another month to accomplish that. But I think the subject description is a case to case basis.
Last tip, oif you are to use Fed Ex or Special Couriers in mailing remember that they will not accept PO Box address that comes with the form so you can use this address instead:
Board of Registered Nursing
1625 North Market Blvd,
Suite N217 Sacramento, CA 95834-1924
Most of the people I met and honestly I also had my share of this "phase" which is having a problem of determining which state to apply to. But this is one of the most crucial part in terms of moving forward to your NCLEX-RN application process.
