The CGFNS Certification Process

The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) is an independent, private, non-profit organization established in 1977 to evaluate graduates of nursing schools located outside of the United States who are interested in practicing as registered nurses in the U.S.

A CGFNS Certificate is needed for an immigrant occupational-preference visa and admission to take the RN licensing exam (the NCLEX). Approximately 80% of the states in the US require international nurses to obtain a CGFNS certificate in order to receive permission to take the NCLEX exam. Notable exceptions are California, Florida, and New York. For specific information, contact the State Board of Nursing in the state in which you want to work.

A 2-Step Process

Step 1: Credentials Evaluation
To be eligible for CGFNS certification, you must be a graduate of a 2-year, government-approved general nursing program. In addition, you must have a valid license to practice general nursing in the country where you were educated.
Step 2: The Examination
The CGFNS examination is offered three times a year at locations in the US and abroad. Applications are due 3-4 months before your preferred exam date.


State Requirements Guide
Different states have different CGFNS requirements. In fact, some states do not require certification at all. The following reflects information released by Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). International nurses should contact the nursing board in the states they wish to practice to verify current requirements.

State-by-State CGFNS Requirements

State Requirements Guide Different states have different CGFNS requirements. In fact, some states do not require certification at all. The following reflects information released by Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). International nurses should contact the nursing board in the states they wish to practice to verify current requirements. State-by-State CGFNS Requirements State Requires CGFNS State Requires CGFNS Alabama Yes Montana Yes Alaska Yes¹ Nebraska Yes Arizona Yes Nevada Yes² Arkansas Yes² New Hampshire Yes California Yes³ New Jersey Yes Colorado Yes New Mexico Yes Connecticut Yes New York Yes4 Delaware Yes North Carolina Yes District of Columbia Yes North Dakota Yes Florida No Ohio Yes Georgia No Oklahoma Yes Hawaii No Oregon Yes Idaho Yes Pennsylvania Yes Illinois Yes Rhode Island Yes Indiana Yes South Carolina No Iowa Yes South Dakota Yes Kansas² Yes Tennessee Yes Kentucky Yes Texas Yes Louisiana Yes Utah Yes Maine Yes Vermont Yes Maryland No Virginia Yes Massachusetts Yes Washington Yes Michigan Yes West Virginia Yes Minnesota Yes Wisconsin Yes Mississippi Yes³ Wyoming Yes Missouri Yes Wyoming Yes

http://www.uslinksintl.com/cgfns.htm
The CGFNS International Certification Program (CP) is designed specifically
for first-level general (registered) nurses educated outside the United States who are eligible to practice as registered nurses in the United States. The program is comprised of three parts: a credentials review, which includes an evaluation of the secondary and nursing education, registration and licensure; the CGFNS International Qualifying ExamSM, which tests nursing knowledge and is administered 3–4 times per year in over 50 locations worldwide (if applicant base warrants); and an English language proficiency examination.
In order to be eligible for the CGFNS International Qualifying
ExamSM, you must have completed sufficient classroom instruction and clinical practice in:
• Adult health (medical/surgical) nursing
• Maternal/infant nursing (obstetrics), excluding gynecology
• Care of children (pediatrics)
• Psychiatric/Mental health nursing, excluding neurology
If you have not completed any and/or a sufficient number of hours in each of the above areas, you will be ineligible to take the CGFNS International Qualifying ExamSM until you complete an entire course (both theory and clinical) in the deficient area from a government-approved nursing school. You must also have been registered:
1. as a first-level (registered) nurse in your country of education, and
2. currently hold a registration/license as a Registered Nurse in some jurisdiction.
Verification of both registrations must be sent to CGFNS International directly from the licensing body(ies).

For an eligibility review, CGFNS International must receive:

1. The completed and signed Certification Program Application form.

2. A bank check or international money order (drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. funds) made payable to CGFNS International, or credit card payment (Visa, MasterCard or Discover), for the full Certification Program application fee in U.S. dollars.
DO NOT SEND CASH OR A PERSONAL CHECK.

3. Documentation of your secondary school (high school) education or external exam certificate with literal English translations, including a Certificate of Accuracy
(if not in English).

4. The completed Request for Validation of Registration/ License form from your initial and current licensing agency where you have held registration/licensure as a
first-level general nurse; or, in cases where your diploma authorizes legal practice, this same form mailed to CGFNS International from the institution that issued your diploma.*

5. The completed Request for Academic Records form and full academic transcripts from your school of nursing.*

6. One passport-size photograph, signed on the front and on the back.

7. Certified English translation of all documents not in English. CGFNS International will accept translations of documents submitted (such as transcripts and validations) only from the issuing authorities. If a translation of your documents can not be furnished, CGFNS International can provide an official translation of each document for an additional fee.
CGFNS Certification Program for Registered Nurses

Program Requirements 2008 Edition

CGFNS International is unable to accept any transcript or licensure documentation sent by email or fax. All official documentation must be in hard copy format with the appropriate seals and sent to CGFNS International by the issuing agnecy using mail or courier.

English Language Proficiency
Applicants may select one of the following four English proficiency
examinations to take as part of the Certification Program:
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).
Passing Score: 540 (paper/pencil version) or 207 (computerized version)
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT (Internet Based Testing), administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS)
Passing Score: 83
• Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS)
Passing Score: 725
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS), administered by the Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia
Passing Score: 6.5 Overall (Academic Module)
Applicants must take and pass an approved English language proficiency examination within two years of passing CGFNS International Qualifying ExamSM. The testing organizations must forward your English language exam scores directly to CGFNS International.
For applicants to be exempt from the English proficiency requirement, they must meet ALL of the following criteria:
• country of nursing education was in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland), Australia, Canada (all provinces, in Quebec the only approved schools are McGill University and Dawson College in Montreal, Vanier College in St Laurent, John Abbot College in Sainte-Annede-Bellevue, and Heritage College in Gatineau), South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland, Trinidad/Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados or the United States.
• language of instruction and language of texts was English. Certification Program Re-Applicant
for Examination requirements (For applicants who fail to pass the CGFNS International Qualifying ExamSM after being rostered during the first year of application)
1. The completed and signed Certification Program Re-Application
for Exam form
2. A bank check or international money order (drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. funds) made payable to CGFNS International, or credit card payment (Visa, MasterCard or Discover), for
the full Certification Program Re-Application for Exam application fee in U.S. dollars within 60 days of the application date. DO NOT SEND CASH.
3. Ifboth your initial and current licenses have expired, only then does CGFNS International need the completed “Request for Validation of Registration/License” form from your initial and current licensing agency where you have held registration/licensure as a first-level, general nurse.

In cases where your diploma authorizes legal practice, this same form must be mailed to CGFNS International from the institution that issued your diploma. Note: Some licensing/
registration authorities may charge a fee for verifying your license(s)/registration(s). You are responsible for any additional fees associated with processing your Certification Program application.

Certification Program Re-Process an Expired Initial Order requirements

(For service that has not resulted in the applicant being rostered for the CGFNS International Qualifying ExamSM within 12 months of initial application date due to program requirements not being met)
1. The completed and signed Certification Program Re-Process an Expired Initial Order application form

2. A bank check or international money order (drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. funds) made payable to CGFNS International or credit card payment (Visa, MasterCard or Discover) for the full re-process fee in U.S. dollars within 60 days of the secondyear re-applicant application date.
DO NOT SEND CASH.

http://www.cgfns.org/files/pdf/req/cp-requirements.pdf

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, http://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, http://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, http://www.cgfns.org/
http://www.21stcenturynurse.com/nursing_in_the_usa.htm#Requirements