Have you ever tried to reach the California Board of Registered Nursing? Let me tell you, it’s like entering a black hole. Many calls end with a recorded message that says, "Call back, queue is full" before hanging up. I’m a family nurse practitioner who graduated, passed my national boards, and accepted a job. But, despite being licensed in Oregon and Washington in a matter of days, I am still waiting in California. Every day I’m waiting is another day patients don't get the care they need.

California consistently tells us there's a healthcare provider shortage, but the licensing process is excruciatingly slow, leaving other qualified healthcare professionals and me stuck in limbo. I’ve poured over $1,000 into application fees alone. I’m not just frustrated, I’m determined to get to the bottom of this. To uncover the extent of the problem, I’ve filed three Public Records Act requests with the BRN and the Department of Consumer Affairs for detailed data on application processing times and customer service performance.

This delay affects everyone: hospitals, clinics, and most importantly, patients who wait in pain. We need transparency and efficiency from the Board of Registered Nursing. The fees we pay should support a system that works, and yet we wait months, sometimes nearly a year, to get the licenses that allow us to work.

I call on Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Board of Registered Nursing to overhaul this process. It’s time for a system that can handle the volume of applications they receive and recognize the urgency of getting qualified nurses into our communities.

Join me in fighting for change. Sign this petition to demand faster processing of nursing licenses in California. Let’s resolve this bottleneck and help the state address its healthcare provider shortage efficiently. Every signature brings us closer to the transparency and action our community needs.