An international
nurse is the booming future of the nursing industry. One of the most exciting
parts about a career in nursing is that with the right education, experience
and career strategy, a registered nurse can go nearly to any part of the world.
Some nurses enjoy travelling locally, while the other nurse simply enjoy a
diversity of work settings and desire to travel to a multiple locations for the
experience of forming ongoing professional associations, which they grow over
the longevity of their career.
For some, the call
for international nurse is the sense if exciting activity and unlimited
opportunities, many registered nurses choose the international path. If
international nursing is of interest in your career, there are numerous
important points that you must study.
Learn more by
reading the blog below on how to begin your international nursing
career in the United States of America.
Commission on Graduated of Foreign Nursing
Schools (CGNFS)
According to the
Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGNFS), is a “non-profit,
internationally recognized leader in the education, registration and licensure
of healthcare professionals worldwide.” It assists the public in relation to
developing health care policies and standards of professional practices of
migrating healthcare professionals. CGNFS is federally-approved to certify
nurses and other health care professionals.
The CGFNS program
is intended for the registered nurses who have been skilled in other national
and wish to work as qualified nurses in the US. Most boards of nursing require
foreign nurses to complete the certification program and credentials
evaluation.
This certification
program is divided into 3 parts: a credentials review, the CGFNS Qualifying
Exam and an English language proficiency exam. In addition, the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS) involves all health care professionals who look
for permanent occupational visas to obtain VisaScreen certificates.
Credentials Review
The credentials
review clinical practice in 5 major areas of nursing: adult medical nursing,
adult surgical nursing, neonatal nursing, pediatric nursing, and psychiatric
nursing.
CGFNS Qualifying Exam
The test is
intended to see if the nurses with international educations are certified to
practice in the US. To be entitled for this test, foreign nurses must have
significant experience in the nursing fields. It also requires a minimum number
of hours in classroom instruction and clinical practice in the above mentioned
5 major areas of nursing.
The CGFNS
Qualifying Exam are conducted thrice in a year in over 40 locations worldwide,
contact CGFNS Customer Service Department or consults the CGFNS Certification
Program Handbook or visit CGFNS
website.
English Language Proficiency Exam
You need to take
the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). TOEFL scores are valid for
two years.
The basic
necessities are the same for all international nurses; however, this may vary
depending upon geographical location, placement location, specific requirement,
program opportunity, additional immunization, training and documents may be
required.
While some
international travel may utilize to build new skills, other opportunities can
involve promoting a certain health care issue, for e.g. women’s health or
working in an educational facility to promote certain vaccinations or disease.
The processing may
take up 6 to 8 months. Depending upon the location the payment may vary, hence
it is of utmost importance to have specific details in writing before agreeing
to final contract. Not all international location pay well, but there are some
exceptions. Some opportunities may have other demands such as speaking the
language or adapting local dressing restrictions.
Lastly, being an
international nurse you get a limitless opportunity to help communities that
are in need of gifted nurses, ability to travel to new geographical locations,
chance to meet new people and gain a well-formed nursing experience. With the
right amount of preparation and career supervising, the life of an
international nurse can be rewarding and exciting with adequate variety and
specialized growth opportunities to last a lifetime.
How to Become an International Nurse by Health Care on Scribd
