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The Process
 

If the nurse resides in a foreign country, in order for her to work in the United States as a lawful permanent resident nurse, she must:

  • Obtain a CGFNS certificate or current nursing license from the state of intended employment;
  • Have a nursing diploma or degree; and be registered as a nurse in the country where she received her nursing education.

CGFNS stands for Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. The CGFNS program is comprised of three parts:

  • Credentials review of the nurse’s education, registration and licensure;
  • CGFNS Qualifying Exam, a one-day qualifying exam testing nursing knowledge
  • English language proficiency exam.

Upon successful completion of all three elements of the program, the applicant is awarded a CGFNS Certificate.

The CGFNS Certification Program was created to serve as a predictor exam and evaluation process for foreign-educated nurses to more accurately forecast which nurses were likely to meet the requirements for licensure as registered nurses in the United States.

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.

Applicants must have completed a senior secondary school education separate from their nursing education; graduated from a government-approved nursing program of at least two years in length; and received theoretical instruction and clinical practice in nursing care of the adult (including medical and surgical nursing), maternal/infant nursing care, nursing care of children and psychiatric/mental health nursing. All transcripts are required to come directly from source agencies.

Applicants must have a full and unrestricted license/registration to practice as a first-level, general nurse in the country where they completed their general nursing education; and hold a current license/registration as a first-level, general nurse. All validations are required to come directly from the source agencies.

CGFNS Qualifying Exam

The CGFNS Qualifying Exam of nursing knowledge is offered three times a year at more than 40 locations around the world. The Qualifying Exam measures an applicant’s nursing knowledge and is based on what nurses must know and do when they practice nursing in the United States.

The foundations of the Qualifying Exam are based on client (patient) needs. The traditional clinical areas of nursing practice -- nursing care of the adult, nursing care of children, maternal/infant nursing, psychiatric/mental health nursing and community health nursing -- are covered. The exam ensures that an applicant has the same level of understanding of nursing with various client groups, in various settings, as recent graduates of U.S. schools of nursing.

Both the CGFNS Qualifying Exam and the NCLEX-RN® examination are based on the same framework of client needs because it provides a universal structure for defining nursing actions and competencies across all settings for all clients.

English Language Proficiency Exam

Applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency as part of the Certification Program by submitting passing scores from an approved testing organization. Currently, applicants may take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS); the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), administered by the Chauncey Group; or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), administered by Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia.

Applicants must successfully complete one of the English exams (TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS) and the Qualifying Exam within a two-year period in order for test scores to be considered valid. The English exam may be taken prior to or following the CGFNS Qualifying Exam.

Foreign Registered Nurses applying to the Certification Program have the option to take

  • The Test of English as a Foreign Language, TOEFL
    (administered by the Educational Testing Service ETS);
  • The Test of English for International Communication, TOEIC
    (administered by the Chauncey Group); or the International English Language Testing System, IELTS, Academic Module (administered by Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia).

Minimum passing scores for RNs are as follows:

Option #1: TOEFL: 540 (or 207 computerized) TWE: 4.0 TSE: 50
Option #2: TOEIC: 725 TWE: 4.0 TSE: 50
Option #3: IELTS (Academic Module ONLY): 6.5 IELTS Spoken Band: 7.0 Option #4: MELAB (Overall): 79 MELAB (Oral Component): 3+ .

For VisaScreen, RNs would be required to complete any of the options listed above. For the Certification Program, RNs would be required to pass either the TOEFL, the TOEIC or the IELTS as listed above (NOT the TWE, TSE or the MELABs).

 

VisaScreen - Visa Credentials Assessment

U.S. immigration law establishes the requirement of the VisaScreen certificate for foreign health care workers (other than physicians). The International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP), created by the CGFNS, administers the VisaScreen. Applicants who successfully complete VisaScreen receive a VisaScreen Certificate, which can be presented to a consular office, or in the case of adjustment of status, the attorney general as part of a visa application.

The VisaScreen program is comprised of an educational analysis, licensure validation, English language proficiency assessment, and, in the case of nurses, an exam of nursing knowledge.

The educational review ensures that the applicant’s education meets all applicable, statutory and regulatory requirements for the profession the applicant intends to practice, and is comparable to that of a U.S. graduate seeking licensure.

In order to meet the educational requirements for the VisaScreen program, applicants must have:

Successfully completed a senior secondary school education that is separate from their professional education;

Graduated from a government-approved, professional healthcare program of at least two years in length; and successfully completed a minimum number of clock and/or credit hours in specific theoretical and clinical areas during their professional program.

The licensure review evaluates initial and all current and past licenses. Validations provided directly to ICHP by the issuing/validating institution, affirm that the applicant has completed all practice requirements and that the registration/licensure has no encumbrances.

The English language proficiency assessment confirms that the applicant has demonstrated the required competency in oral and written English by submitting passing scores on tests approved by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. Currently, to fulfill this requirement, applicants may take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Test of Written English (TWE) and Test of Spoken English (TSE), administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS); or the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), administered by the Chauncey Group, along with the TSE and TWE, administered by ETS; or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), administered by Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia.

Certain applicants may be exempt from the English language proficiency requirement if they meet all of the following criteria:

Country of professional education was Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States;


Language of instruction was English; and


Language of textbooks was English.
Applicants who successfully complete the VisaScreen program will receive a VisaScreen Certificate. The VisaScreen Certificate, which satisfies all federal screening requirements, can then be presented to a consular office or, in the case of adjustment of status, the attorney general as part of a visa application.

Anyone with an interest in selecting highly-qualified, foreign-educated healthcare professionals for employment or education in the United States will find the program highly beneficial. Federal agencies, healthcare employers, academic institutions, health and education ministries, professional regulatory boards and international management companies all make use of VisaScreen or other ICHP evaluation services.


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