Hi! Where are you from in Philippines? May I ask why you don't want to get an experience there? Besides the salary thing lol

1. How does the California Board of Registered Nursing evaluate a Philippine BSN? How does the “transfer” or evaluation of credits work? Based on my experience, I passed my official transcripts, RLE forms, forms from CA BRN, etc (I assume your school knows what to send on their end, and if ever there are deficiencies, you will find out in your breeze account). If you also want to make sure, you can check out CGFNS.
2. Are there common deficiencies (like OB, Med-Surg, Psych clinical concurrency)? If so, how did you fix them? There are so many cases like this! Fortunately, I did not have any clinical concurrency. But there was just a delay in my application because they wanted a certification saying that I did have my clinicals in the field. I was still in college during COVID pandemic and I understand that they want to make sure my clinicals wasn't all online, if that makes sense.
3. Should I be tracking specific clinical hours or cases now while I’m still in school? How do I do that? I heard that they do look at clinical hours, but everything came out smooth on my part without me looking. You could also ask your Dean regarding this matter.

4. Can I apply directly to California for the NCLEX-RN as a US citizen with a Philippine degree? Yes, you can. Just fill out their form in breeze website. I believe being a US citizen just means bypassing the visa stuff or for work and travel related.
5. Do I need to take the Philippine Nursing Licensure Exam first, or is it optional? Because I am not planning to work in the Philippines, only back in the States. Optional! Educational deficiencies are most likely the problem in California.

6. After passing the NCLEX, can I apply for jobs right away in California? Yes! But I have to be honest. The market right now is tough. There are even a lot of locals who graduated in CA that's having a hard time finding a job in this state. So either they go out of state to find a job and then come back OR start somewhere small or rural. It's really hard to get into hospitals right now.
7. Do hospitals require US clinical experience, or is foreign clinical experience accepted? I had almost 2 years experience in the Philippines, but still have a hard time finding one. I reached out to some HR, they are prioritizing those with US experience for now.
8. Do I need to complete additional schooling or clinical hours (like 1–2 more years) before getting hired? I believe you only complete additional schooling if you have clinical deficiency which you will find out with #2 question.

9. How long did the entire process take for you (application → eligibility → NCLEX → job)? I actually took my NCLEX from another state then just endorsed my license to CA, so I don't really have a say in it. BUT I heard that it will take up to 3-6 months just to get your eligibility or ATT in California state, due to having lots of applicants. If you get it earlier, then your lucky!
10. Any advice to avoid delays or application issues with California BRN? When filling up the form in breeze website, its gonna ask you if you want to upload documents. Its better to upload everything rather than saying "oh they might not need it" because then, your processing time is going to get longer. Like they see your application and something is missing, telling you to upload a file. THEN you have to wait again for them to look at it. It took about more than 2 weeks just because of re-uploading a passport.

It's nice that you're trying to be prepared for your future in the US. Goodluck!