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Tips for Foreign Trained Nurses Looking to Work in the US |
Many nurses outside the US dream of working there one day, we look at tips for nurses who met eventually make that journey.
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If you’ve trained as a nurse outside the United States and now want to work in the U.S., there are a complicate series of steps you must take. Foreign nurses who would like to practice as Registered Nurses (RNs) must first earn a VisaScreen Certificate from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). Once in the U.S., nurses need to satisfy licensing requirements of nursing boards in the individual states.
The CGFNS VisaScreen certification includes three parts. First, there’s a review of the applicant's credentials. You must be a first-level, general nurse and must have graduated from an approved nursing program which included at least two years of general nursing training. You must also have been registered as a first-level 'Registered Nurse' or 'Professional Nurse' in your home country. Nurses who specialized in an area of nursing without being licensed as a general nurse – for example, midwives, pediatric nurses and psychiatric nurses – are not eligible.
The second part of the certification process is a one-day CGFNS qualifying exam. Nurses whose credentials meet the CGFNS requirements can register to take the exam, or the NCLEX-RN exam instead. Finally, nurses must pass English language exams. These tests are waived, however, for countries in which English is the primary language. This includes Australia, Ireland, Canada (except Quebec), the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and some Caribbean states.
Canadian nurses are exempt from the VisaScreen requirement, unless they choose to emigrate to the United States. They can work in the United States if they have obtained appropriate state nursing licenses – many states honor Canadian licenses, while others require the NCLEX-RN exam. If a Canadian nurse wants to emigrate permanently, they’ll have to get CGFNS VisaScreen certificate.
“Licensure by endorsement” occurs when a state board of nursing grants a license to practice to nurses who meet certain qualifications in their home country. Several states have special regulations with regards to Canadian nurses and licensure by endorsement. New York, California, Florida, Hawaii, Alaska and Indiana do not require the CGFNS exam at all, however.
Nurses who are citizens of Canada or Mexico are allowed to work in the U.S. under the NAFTA status. Canadian nurses must have the a written offer of employment for a period of not exceeding one year; they must be licensed in Canada and in the state of intended employment; they must have proof of Canadian citizenship; and they have to pay a fee at the U.S. border to enter the United States.
Registered Nurses who are citizens of Mexico also qualify for NAFTA status, however the procedure for Mexican RNs to gain approval to work in the U.S. is much more complicated than Canadian RNs. Mexican RNs must apply for a special visa at a U.S. Consulate in Mexico, and show documentation to prove that they have a job waiting in the U.S.
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