CGFNS stands for
Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. It
is an independent non-profit organization sponsored by The American
Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing.
The Commission on Graduates of Foreign
Nursing Schools (CGFNS) is a internationally recognized
leader in the education, registration and licensure of
healthcare professionals worldwide. CGFNS protects the
public in relation to evolving healthcare policies and
standards of professional practice for migrating
healthcare professionals.
The CGFNS examination has been prepared
by nurses, leading U.S. educators and practitioners. It
tests a nurse's knowledge in the areas of Medical,
Surgical, Obstetric, Pediatric and Psychiatric Nursing.
Also it covers the five areas of the
nursing process, assessing, analyzing, planning,
implementing and evaluating for which first level
registered nurses are taught in the U S. The examination
is designed and molded in such a way as to measure an
applicant's qualification and background in the practice
of nursing and proficiency in the English Language,
which is imperative in this context.
Passing the CGFNS qualifying
examination is the first step to be taken by a foreign
nurse graduate who wants to practice nursing in U.S.A.
The two main
programs that CGFNS offers that are required by the
majority of the U.S. Boards of Nursing in order to
obtain registration/licensure as nurses in the United
States are the CGFNS Certification Program
(CP) and the CGFNS Credentials
Evaluation Service (CES) . The BCIS requires the VisaScreen Certificate from
CGFNS for healthcare professionals seeking an occupational
visa in order to work in the U.S.
Certification Program
(CP):
The CGFNS Certification Program is a
three-part program designed to predict an applicant’s
likelihood of passing the NCLEX-RN examination and
becoming licensed as a registered nurse in the United States. The three parts of the program
include:
1. Credentials Review (Conducted by Credential
Evaluation Service)
2. Qualifying Examination of nursing
knowledge
The CGFNS Qualifying Exam is open to
first-level, general (registered) nurses ONLY.
- Must hold an initial and
current registration/licensure as a first level
general nurse in their country.
- Must have obtained theoretical
instruction and clinical experience in a variety of
nursing areas.
3. English Language Proficiency
Examinations
Demonstrate competence in oral and written
English by passing the following exams:
Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL) with a score of 540
and higher on the hand written exam or 207 and higher on
the computerized exam .& .Test
of Written English (TWE) with a
score of 4.0 and higher & Test of Spoken English
(TSE) with a score of 50 and higher
or
Test of English in International
Communication (TOEIC) with a score
of 725 and higher & Test of Written English (TWE)
with a score of 4.0 and higher
&Test of Spoken English (TSE) with a
score of 50 and higher
or
For the MELAB, Parts 1, 2, and 3 and the Speaking Test,
applicants must submit a combined score of 79, with at
least a 3+ on the Speaking Test.
or
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with an overall
score of 6.5 and a spoken band score of
7.0 (Academic Module)
Applicants must successfully
complete all three parts of the Certification Program in
order to earn the CGFNS Certification.
Credentials Evaluation Service
(CES):
The CGFNS Credentials
Evaluation Service (CES) is a report prepared by CGFNS
for a Board of Nursing, university, immigration office,
employer, etc. This report analyzes the education and
licensure earned outside of the United States in terms
of how it compares with U.S. standards and expectations.
There is no examination included in this program; once
all documentation, fees and a completed application are
received, a report will be prepared and submitted to the
recipient (i.e., Board of Nursing, an employer, etc.) as
well as a copy to you, at which time the Board will
determine whether or not you are eligible to take the
national licensing examination for nurses in the United
States--the NCLEX-RN? or NCLEX-PN? Examination--This is
required for all nurses in order to practice in the U.S.
VisaScreen Certificate:
The International Commission on
Health Care Professions is a division of CGFNS
is launched in 1996 to administer its VisaScreen
program, which is a federally approved screening program
for foreign healthcare workers seeking an occupational
visa in the United States. VisaScreen enables healthcare
professionals to meet this requirement by verifying and
evaluating their credentials to ensure that they meet
the government’s minimum eligibility standards.
Applicants who successfully complete VisaScreen receive
a VisaScreen Certificate.
International nurses must satisfy the
screening requirements that include:
- An assessment of
an applicant’s foreign education to ensure that it is
comparable to that of a U.S. graduate in the same
profession
- Verification that the applicant’s licenses
are valid and unencumbered
- Determination of English
language proficiency
- Verification that the nurse has
CGFNS Certification or passed the NCLEX-RN
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