The Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) and the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) recognize that the RN license renewal process through the new Breeze program has been a bit rough.  And if you’ve had to renew your licensure this year, you may have experienced this.  The good news is that most of the bugs have been worked out, according to Awet Kidane, the Chief Deputy Director for the Department of Consumer Affairs. Kidane is in charge of the Board of Registered Nursing’s online Breeze program.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re renewing or applying for licensure with the BRN:

RN License Renewal:  This system is new to folks and if the renewal isn’t completed correctly or fully that will cause a delay as it will have to then be processed by hand and the renewal applicant will have to be contacted for follow-up.

New Grads:  The backlog has been resolved. New grads will now be able to complete the application fully online, so that should help with the next set of graduates.

Nurse Practitioners:  NP license renewals were being delayed and furnishing licenses were also delayed. DCA is looking into this, but we do need to keep in mind that renewals for furnishing licenses can’t be processed online at this time.

Kidane says he and his Breeze team are dedicated to helping nurses with this process. If you or your co-workers are still having problems (as recently as March) with any of the above, please feel free to contact him directly. They can’t fix what they don’t know isn’t working. Kidane’s email address is: awet.kidane@dca.ca.gov

Also be sure to check the BRN website regularly for important updates and notices, such as fingerprinting and address change requirements. http://www.rn.ca.gov/index.shtml