|
Nursing in the USA
We have
compiled a concise guide to the process of becoming an overseas nurse in
the USA. We hope this helps you on your way!
In order to work in the USA as a Registered Nurse:
Overview
The salary
and benefits package that you receive as a nurse in the USA can vary
significantly from state to state. Health Insurance is normally included
in the benefits package, but the type of cover offered can also vary.
Holiday entitlement will usually be between 2 and 4 weeks a year.
Qualifications:
In the USA
the category of first-level of nurse is the Registered Nurse (RN). To be
eligible to nurse in America you must be a registered general nurse with
at least one-year postgraduate experience and have good English language
skills.
Requirements
Each USA
state has a nursing board. Each nursing board has its own set of
regulations for overseas-trained nurses. To work in the USA as an
RN, you have to be licensed by the relevant state board of nursing and
the license is only valid for that particular state.
To become a
licensed nurse in the USA, most states have two main requirements:
1. CGFNS
and
2. NCLEX-RN
Most states
in the USA require you to have both in order to be licensed, however
regulations vary from state to state and you should contact the board of
the state you wish to work in directly to find out what their
requirements are.
CGFNS
The
CGFNS Certification Program is designed for first-level, general nurses
educated and licensed outside of the United States who wish to assess
their chances of passing the U.S. registered nurse licensing exam, the
NCLEX-RN, and attaining licensure as registered nurses within the United
States.
The
certification program consists of three steps.
-
a
Credentials Review: CGFNS evaluates an applicant’s education and
registration credentials to certify that the applicant is a
first-level general nurse and meets all of the registration
requirements to be licensed as a professional in that field
-
a
one-day Qualifying Exam of Nursing Knowledge: The actual exam is
divided into two parts with a total of 260 questions. The qualifying
exam measures the applicant’s knowledge and is based on what nurses
must know and do when they practice nursing in the United States.
The qualifying exam is held 4 times a year in over 40 countries in
the world.
-
an
English language proficiency exam. The Test of English as a
Foreign Language
(TOEFL), the Test of English for International Communications
(TOEIC) and
the International English Language Testing System
(IELTS) are
currently being used to meet the English language proficiency
requirement of the Certification Program. TOEFL and TOEIC are
administered worldwide by the Educational Testing Service
(ETS). IELTS is
jointly managed by: British Council, and IDP: IELTS Australia.
Upon
successful completion of all three elements of the Certification
Program, applicants are awarded a CGFNS Certificate. The certificate
helps applicants in three ways:
1. The
certificate will help applicants meet state requirements for the
registered nurse licensure exam. Most states require a CGFNS Certificate
from nurses educated abroad before they can take the NCLEX-RN
examination.
2. CGFNS
certificate holders consistently have a higher rate of success on the
NCLEX-RN examination than internationally educated nurses who do not
hold the certificate.
3. The
CGFNS Certificate helps applicants to qualify for an occupational visa.
CGFNS was named in section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and
Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 as an organization qualified to
administer a screening program for healthcare professionals who are
seeking an occupational visa. For foreign educated nurses who have not
taken the NCLEX-RN exam, passing a predictor exam such as the CGFNS
Qualifying Exam fulfills one of the requirements of Section 343.
For more
information,
www.cgfns.org
Language Tests
Most nurses
educated outside the USA must pass an approved English Language exam
before practicing nursing in America. Applicants who received their
nursing education in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New
Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago or the United Kingdom, and their text books
and instruction were in English, do not need to take a language test.
NCLEX RN
Up until
recently (Jan 2007) you could only take the NCLEX in a USA territory.
Now you can also sit the NCLEX-RN in London, Seoul and Hong Kong.
World-Wide NCLEX Test Centres
For more
information,
www.ncsbn.org
Visa Application
U.S.
Immigration law now requires that healthcare professionals, other than
physicians, complete a screening program in order to qualify for certain
occupational visas. VisaScreen™, a program offered by The International
Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP), a division of CGFNS,
enables healthcare professionals to meet this requirement by verifying
and evaluating their credentials to ensure that they meet the
government’s minimum eligibility standards. CGFNS is named in Federal
law as a qualified provider of such a screening program.
The
VisaScreen™ Certificate is issued directly to the applicant who
successfully completed all of the requirements of the program. The
applicant then presents it to a consular office or attorney general
(when applicable) as part of a visa application.
For more
information,
www.cgfns.org
|
