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School of Nursing College of Health & Human Services

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Public Health Nurse Certificate

Section 2818(a) of the Business and Professions Code requires that in order to be employed as a public health nurse or use the term “public health nurse” in California, an individual must possess a valid California Public Health Nurse (PHN) Certificate.

The CSUS BS in Nursing program curriculum is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) to prepare eligible applicants for certification in public health nursing in California. Certification is granted by the Board of Registered Nursing after completion of curriculum and application to the Board.

Admission into programs leading to licensure, credentialing, or certification eligibility does not guarantee that students will obtain a license, credential, or certification. Licensure, credentialing, or certification requirements are set by agencies that are not controlled by or affiliated with the CSU and requirements can change at any time.

You must be a CSUS BSN alumni in order for us to process the PHN certification request on your behalf. For RN to BSN alumni who graduated after Fall 2017, you must have completed both NURS 174 and NURS 174C, totaling 6 units.

Applying for your PHN Certificate

Please note: You must wait until after your degree is posted by the University before you apply for your PHN certificate. Your degree conferral date must be posted BEFORE you apply, otherwise the BRN will reject it.

  1. Visit the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) website.
  2. Select the "Online Services" option, near the top right of the Navigation Bar
  3. Click on "Apply Online" option on the left side of the page. This should open in a new tab.
  4. You should now be in the BreEZe Online Services website. If you already have a BreEZe account, sign in. Otherwise, you will need to register for a new account.
  5. In the select new application section; choose "Board of Registered Nursing - BRN" from the 1st dropdown, and "PHN Initial Application" from the 2nd dropdown.
  6. Fill out your PHN application. When you get to the portion about your child abuse/neglect prevention hours, refer to the program breakdowns below and complete this section based on the program you completed:
    1. Traditional BSN: 30 hours in NURS 144 Coomunity Helath & 5 hours in NURS 138 Pediatrics - 35 hours
    2. RN to BSN: 30 hours in NURS 174C (if completed after Fall 2017) or NURS 174 Community Health (if completed before Fall 2017)
  7. On the application, you will be asked to submit a certificate for the child abuse/neglect program. Please ignore this section. When we submit your transcripts to the BRN, this will serve as your proof of completion of the courses you have listed.
  8. After you complete the online process, you will then need to submit the Request for Transcript Public Health Nurse Certification form to the Sacramento State School of Nursing.
    1. Please carefully fill out all sections in section A of the form. Do not fill out the sections in section B.
    2. Don't forget to sign!
  9. Submit the signed form to the School of Nursing. You may submit the form via email (PDF FORMAT ONLY) to Ashley Reynolds at a.reynolds@csus.edu, deliver it to the Nursing Front Office at Folsom Hall in an envelope addressed to Ashley Reynolds MS6096, or mail the signed Request for Transcript form to the following address:

    Ashley Reynolds
    Sac State School of Nursing MS 6096
    6000 J Street
    Sacramento, CA 95819

  10. After the School of Nursing receives your Request for Transcript form, it will be processed and submitted to the BRN alongside your Sacramento State unofficial transcripts. Please allow 7-10 business days for processing.

Reminder: Your degree MUST be conferred BEFORE submitting your form for processing. We will not process any forms until after your qualifying BSN degree has been conferred.

If you have any questions, please email Ashley Reynolds at a.reynolds@csus.edu

Request for Transcripts Form