How to get a Nursing License in USA

My writting english is not the best, but I have to practice right :)

My impression of getting something transferred to the States is first of all that they really don't like anything that is not American and second there is alot of people out there who is making money out of anything. Here is an short discription over my journey to get my education approved in USA. My hope is that anyone who needs help will write me and I really hope I can be helpful to anyone who is trying to get their education in USA.

It all started in California in August last year. August 18th I arrived in the States, in California/Los Angeles. I was exited, tired and pregnant. I missed my flight in New York, but got upgrated to first class, and what a treat :) I loved flying first class, don't think that I can go back to "monkey buisness" again:)

The very first step to get my Nursing License, was to get a Green Card, which I got and after that I had to wait for my social security card to show up, I waited for a looong time and no SS card. We went down to the SS office and they could inform us that I would not have got any with the mail, some misunderstanding with the papers in Denmark and the government in USA, so I applied at the SS office and was able to pick up my number the following monday, lucky me:)

I already researched how to get my Nursing License in Thule. I starts with getting the SS number, after that you have to get your fingerprints checked, fill out some forms and send them to the California Board of Nursing. Forget about calling them to ask any questions, it takes forever and if you get a hold of someone like an answering machine, they don't call you back:/ I got all my forms send, fingerprint card send in october, ready go, I was thinking maybe a month or two and I would have my license, how naive was I?

I got notice back from California, that they needed more information from my school, since the school ever been evaluated in California. But my school in Denmark had little resources to help, so they advised me to fill out the papers myself. Of I went to google land, I googled everything I could, wrote emails to all people I could find on the internet, who would be able to help. I got all the papers filled out, send back to Denmark, they looked them over to see if the answers was right and send them back to California. We are now in late november 2010. They got the papers and I was waiting for them to write me back to tell me that I was able to get my curriculum translated. I found a translater who would translate the papers for around 1000 dollars. I already but in alot of money, but there was no other way then pay the fee and get them translated. In January I wrote California Board of Nursing, again and no answer, I waited and wrote them again, got a note back saying that the person who had my case was on leave for a month and she would be back in february. In february I contacted her again, no answer, so I called, left a message, waited, no answer. I wrote them an email again and got the notice that she left her job and my papers were gone. I was very pregnant at that point, disapointed and I felt like giving up. After endless twisted and turning the story with my mother in law, I got myself back on track, wrote my school that they had to send the papers again. There was a specific piece of paper that was missing, I got that send and now I just had to wait. While waiting I got the translation of my curriculum started. It also took longer that expected and we are now in april 2011.

Finally I got everything done, ready to send from the school and from the translater, everything was send with tracking number, since I now didnt want to take any chances at all. I also had a new born baby, so everything just took a little longer.

My Nursing school in Denmark had exams and again I had to wait a month before they send the papers, but they did a good job.

In between all this I decided to start a process in Michigan, I thought, why not. So I started to apply in Michigan to. This a totally different process, it goes through a organization called CGFNS. The thing is, if I have a license in California I can transfer that license to Michigan, but since it was taking me forever to get the license in California, I thought I would just start in Michigan and get the process going.

Before the CGNFS approved my papers, I finally got a letter from California saying that Im now able to take the NCLEX exam. Im sitting here with my book, that I bought in California, its 1200 pages and to be honerst, it looks really boring. But im too exited to even think about that, let me get started. I feel like im in control again, now its up to me to take this exam and pass it. Only me, not some people who is in charge of my future... You might ask, why I havn't started studying yet, that is because I didn't know when I would be able to take the test, I started many times in LA, but I gave up because it took so long.

For all the people who might start a process getting a Nursing license in USA, feel free to send me a message: pboe@hotmail.com and I will try and be as helpful as possible.

This is my journey, I hope it was easier for other people, but im so happy that I am were I am right now. Wish me luck, im off studying....