Finland - USA (2013)

World Registration

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Hello!

I'm currently in the process of obtaining my RN degree from Finland. I am a US citizen and was a resident of New York State. I have searched this forum for more information concerning the transition from Finland to the US and while I have found some information, the information I have found dates back to 2005, 2006, 2011, etc. Are there any recent threads where I can get more information?

What I know already:

Apply through CGFNS.

Wait for verification.

Fullfill verification requirements (if any).

Re-apply to CGFNS after requirements are met? (Extra application fee?)

Wait for ATT by Pearson (?)

Take NCLEX.

I have read that NYS should not be the first State to apply through for foreign Nurses and then I have read that some regretted not going through NYS...so I'm confused. Another post says Vermont is the easiest State to go through for Finnish Nurses but I've read through their licensure procedure and it seems quite lengthy. Which State provides the smoothest transition for licensure to the US? (Preferrably a State that gives licensure for interstate practice)

What are my options? Can someone please verify if I have the correct information and what my next steps should be.

Thank you.

/Sara

My degree program includes all the areas you have listed above. I just finished my first elderly and adult medical clinicals this year and will be starting mental health clinicals Spring 2014. I am taking theory in surgical nursing, surgical diseases and treatment, gynaecology and mental health next year as well. I will also be doing surgical and second level medical clinicals later on. We will also have theory in pediatrics.

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My degree program includes all the areas you have listed above. I just finished my first elderly and adult medical clinicals this year and will be starting mental health clinicals Spring 2014. I am taking theory in surgical nursing, surgical diseases and treatment, gynaecology and mental health next year as well. I will also be doing surgical and second level medical clinicals later on. We will also have theory in pediatrics.

You will need both theory and supervised clinical hours (and enough hours of each -- specific requirements vary from state to state) in med-surg, OB, peds, and psych to be eligible for licensure in any US state.

Best wishes for your journey.

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I have read in this forum that Finnish nurses who have completed the same program as I have have taken maybe max. one or two theoretical courses as required by the state they were applying to. Nowhere have I read that clinical hours have to be enough or that the credentials are evaluated based on hours of clinical practice. There have been no problems with the amount of clinical hours completed. The CGFNS evaluates the credits I have earned and I doubt this will be an issue since we do several and I mean several hours of clinical practice as nursing students in Finland.

--And if there are, I have yet to read about it. I don't understand why my actual courses are being brought up and being questioned here since it is not this forum that determines whether or not I have enough "hours" or credentials, that part is up to the CGFNS to decide..

Anyway, thank you for the new bits of information I got. It's a headache to start thinking about all the paperwork ahead but I'm hopeful things will go well after initial licensure in whichever State I decide to settle in.

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Specializes in Critical Care/NICU.
I have read in this forum that Finnish nurses who have completed the same program as I have have taken maybe max. one or two theoretical courses as required by the state they were applying to. Nowhere have I read that clinical hours have to be enough or that the credentials are evaluated based on hours of clinical practice. There have been no problems with the amount of clinical hours completed. The CGFNS evaluates the credits I have earned and I doubt this will be an issue since we do several and I mean several hours of clinical practice as nursing students in Finland. --And if there are I have yet to read about it. I don't understand why my actual courses are being brought up and being questioned here since it is not this forum that determines whether or not I have enough "hours" or credentials, that part is up to the CGFNS to decide.. Anyway, thank you for the new bits of information I got. It's a headache to start thinking about all the paperwork ahead but I'm hopeful things will go well after initial licensure in whichever State I decide to settle in.[/quote']

Just like to say that no one is questioning your course or what they are doing they are just trying to provide you with advice and a way for

You to get registered without wasting a lot of money in the process.

There is an hour requirement for a lot of countries this may not be the case in Finland. I have provided a link for Vermont board of nursing although this is from 2010 and things may have changed this is a guide for you. Although every board of nursing will have own requirements which will need to be met.

This is for the state of Vermont only.

http://vtprofessionals.org/opr1/nurses/education/NU_Education_Program_Hours.pdf

Cgfns will need to look at your course hours and also content. I have just been through this process but my university have done everything correctly and made the process smooth for me.

Also on most of the BON websites there will be an email contact and the BON are excellent and replying to emails.

Please remember this community is here to help you and not judge.

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Thank you. I have completed theoretical courses in Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology during my first year. And I guess we are pulling in more hours than average? Because my first clinicals in an elderly care setting equals to nearly 120 hours and my second clinicals in medical nursing equals to nearly 220 hours. I finished these clinicals recently. And the psychiatric/mental health clinicals next year is another 120 hours, if I am correct. Our medical/surgical nursing clinicals are almost 415 hours. And there are more clinicals in the final year which is nearly 340 hours of clinical practice. I will try to talk to my supervisor and see if I can do some clinical hours in pediatric/maternal/infant nursing. It shows for Vermont at least that the total requirement is 80 hours and I can try to see if I can do my clinicals at a maternity ward or day care to substitute for those hours. These are just the clinical hours, theoretical hours are much more. I'll have to look into it a bit more state specific.... but it's proving to be very difficult to find information !

--I should clarify that my degree program is towards attaining a Bachelor's Degree, equivalent to 3.5 years of study and gives you licensure to practice as a registered nurse in Finland. And it is a General Nursing degree.

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Hi,

Can I add more comments to this thread? I tried attaching 2 picture files of my course overview for the degree program but I don't have access/privilege to do it. I noticed we are going to be taking courses in maternity care, psychological development, diseases/illnesses amongst children and adolescents, etc.

Can I get any suggestions on how to get my clinical hours? What kind of document will the CGFNS accept for clinical hours completed at a maternity ward/day care? Do I have to get the documents from my school or can I get the hours confirmed through a work contract from a ward/day care facility I do my clinical hours in?

I have read more about the concurrency issues on this forum and it seems around 16 states have implemented specific clinical hour requirements in Pediatrics, OB, etc. Virginia and NYS are amongst those (I think).

I still haven't found any information on how many hours these states require in specific fields, it is very very difficult to find the hour requirements. Does anyone know of any website where I can find out the hour requirements for NYS/Virginia? Would it help to look up nursing school curriculum for specific states and see what their clinical hours requirements are for US trained nurses?

--Also, I would like to apologize if I came off as rude earlier. I didn't mean to come off that way, I do appreciate all the information I get here and that there are people who take their time to reply and notify us of issues we may not be aware of. It's not going to be an easy journey so I guess a little constructive advice is needed :)

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Generally clinical hours must be completed concurrently with classroom theory at school. Work hours will not count as a substitute. The minimum clinical and theory education hours are usually in the nurse practice act for the board of nursing. To get an idea you could see if any of the schools in the state specify number of clinical & theory hours but ultimately the determination as to what is acceptable is under the regulation of the board of nursing. Some states require significantly more clinical & theory hours than others.

It is always recommended that one obtains their nursing education in the country they wish to practice. Statistically US educated nurses pass the NCLEX first try at a rate over 85%. Internationally educated nurses have a pass rate at less than 40% first try. This may be due to language barriers, culture, or even that nursing education is tailored to the standards of the country/area where the education takes place (US nurses are taught to US standards, Chinese nurses are taught to Chinese standards, UK nurses are taught to UK standards, et cetera) or any number of other factors. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

All states have specific hour requirements for clinical & theory. 16-20 states (if not more) have specific regulations that may or may not be currently enforced that require clinical education to be taken concurrently with classroom theory. Some programs overseas permit students to complete clinical requirements after the semester is over and even after graduation.

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I should clarify that by "work document," I was referring to the clinical hours form that is provided to students by the school to be filled out with a clinical supervisor. This is what we have for all our clinical hours conducted. The school cooperates with a hospital/ward and the supervisors fill in a document of the hours that you have "worked" in that hospital/clinic and give you an evaluation. I didn't mean work as in compensation for clinicals. So, if I manage to get these clinical hours during the school year, it will counted as part of the actual program - correct? I am not planning on completing these clinical hours after graduation.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

As long as the clinical hours are a part of your standard curriculum and the school can provide the documentation to CGFNS. You can't submit your own personal copies

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Yep - that can be arranged. We have a Midwife specialization program in the same school (conducted in Swedish), I'll discuss this with my degree supervisor and see if I can conduct clinicals through that program and get the clinical credits added to my official transcript.

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Hi everyone!

I called Virginia BON and was told the total clinical hours requirement for the state of Virginia is 500 hours and that the board looks for an absolute minimum of 8 hours in all five areas of clinicals (although it is highly recommended to do many more hours). I explained to the administrator we were doing at least 415 total hours of med/surg and she was shocked :) I was told that doing 3 days to a week of pediatric and obstetric clinicals during my second year in nursing school would be sufficient in VA. I will talk to my degree supervisor about including these hours into my transcript and if they can be counted as credits towards my nursing degree.

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