Quickest Way for Getting Things Done and Licensed in US

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As most of you know, I have been recommending initial licensure in NY for quite some time. And for those of you that did not heed the warning, you now know why.

New York is three easy applications only, next you take the NCLEX exam, then you get a hard license and can endorse to almost any state afterwards. Because of the requirements of the Special Credentials Verification for New York, you do not have to do any of the running around to obtain your documents. CGFNS will obtain them for you....after you sign the release and send them the money.

NY also requires two short classes that can be done on-line, one on Child Abuse, and the other on Infection. Both are available for about $15 each and take only one hour or so.

NY BON application can be found at http://www.op.nyed.gov. You only need to submit "Form 1."

The Special Credentials Verification can be found at http://www.CGFNS.org, as well as the Visa Screen Application.

Once you have received documentation from NY that your credentials have been received and approved, submit payment to Pearson-Vue for the NCLEX exam. http://www.perasonvue.com. They are the ones that will actually send you the ATT letter, upon approval of the Board of Nursing. Be aware that this ATT (authorization to test) is only good for ninety (90) days. You will have onlt that amount of time to get the exam done in, otherwise you will lose your payment and have to start again.

Hope that this helps................ :balloons:

Most importantly, NY will issue you the license without a Social Security Number.

one has a ss#, what about her?

For New Jersey, I would just endorse to them, but definitely not thru CA.
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Biggest mistake your friends have made is going to be with endorsement, they can't endorse until after they have a SSN# as CA will not issue a hard license until then. They only send a letter that you have met all requirements but still need to submit the SSN#. Until you have a license number, you cannot endorse. So they really haven't saved themselves any time. They still need to deal with CGFNS for the Visa Screen Certificate....

You can also get a license in many other states and then just endorse to NJ....but CA is definitely not a good choice for any foreign nurse.

Hi Suzanne4,

I am a nursing student who has been educated in Canada. I am a Canadian citizen, but wasn't born in Canada. I'd definitely like to work in California sooner or later. So I just have a question regarding the point r/t CA BON.

My understanding is: the only problem with CA BON is that SSN# is needed to get a license, and without a hard copy license, it's impossible to endodrse if I want to work in a state other than California.

If my only destination is working in CA, then does it not become a matter at all? (As I would possibly be able to appy greencard through my husband, who is a nurse, I wouldn't even need to deal with the visa screen certificate.)

Thanks a lot. I learn a lot about US licensing issues from you (and others) in this website.

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one has a ss#, what about her?

If she has a SSN#, then she will get the license right away, the others won't.

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Hi Suzanne4,

I am a nursing student who has been educated in Canada. I am a Canadian citizen, but wasn't born in Canada. I'd definitely like to work in California sooner or later. So I just have a question regarding the point r/t CA BON.

My understanding is: the only problem with CA BON is that SSN# is needed to get a license, and without a hard copy license, it's impossible to endodrse if I want to work in a state other than California.

If my only destination is working in CA, then does it not become a matter at all? (As I would possibly be able to appy greencard through my husband, who is a nurse, I wouldn't even need to deal with the visa screen certificate.)

Thanks a lot. I learn a lot about US licensing issues from you (and others) in this website.

It also takes CA longer time to issue you the permission to sit for the NCLEX exam, as they do their own credentials evaluation. It takes usually at least four months for that.

I definitely suggest that you begin the visa process now, otherwise, even as a Canadian, you will need to go thru the Visa Screen process for the NAFTA TN Visa to be able to work in the US. The process doesn't happen overnight. :wink2:

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Processing for NJ has nothing at all to do with the CGFNS exam............

For any foreign trained nurse, you are looking at about three to four months, on average, before you will be permitted to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam.

i thought, they need to have a cg certificate, before they process the paper and eventually take the nclex exam in nj.

thanxs for yuor answer!! :wink2:

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NJ requires the CGFNS exam for initial licensure, but it is much easier and faster to get licensed in another state and then endorse.

I do not recommend the CGFNS exam for anyone, unless they want to practice in Michigan. They are about the only state where you can't endorse to them until you have 5 yeasrs of experience in th US as a RN before you can endorse. Illinois has required two years until recently, and they have since removed that and are just going with the credentials verification.

It will still take several months, NJ will wait until they get a letter form CGFNS, and then you get informed, etc., thn you pay Pearosn-Vue for the exam, and get your ATT and then schedule the exam.

You are right that NJ requires the CG Certificate, but everyone that I know has stayed away form that by endorsing to NJ after initial licensure in another state.

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Hi Suzanne,

Thanks a lot for your fast reply.

Probably I will take NCLEX through Minnesota BON. I think they require me to provide only verification of licensure, not even transcripts or educataion breakdown forms from my nursing schools.

And then I will apply CA license by encorsement. But CA requires foreign educated nurses to submit "Breakdown of educational program." So my question is that even though one has a MN license, does the CA Board still check his/her educational program using the same criteria they use in assessing foreign educated nurses who are applying CA licensure by examination?

Finally can I ask you one more question? CA Board says that "The Baord does not require appliants to pass the CGFNS exam....Although, if you have been evaluated by CGFNS, the Board will accept official copies of your nursing transcripts, including the clinical portion of your training, from this organization. Requests must be made in writing, and the appropriate CGFNS fee must be included for this service." Does this mean that I wouldn't need to ask my nursing schools to send educational breakdown and transcripts, if I went through the Visa Screen Certificate process? If the answer is yes, where and how could I make that request?

Thanks in advance. You are amazingly knowledgeable!

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Ca will require you to submit a copy of your transcripts before they will give you a permanent license. I even had to, and I am US trained.

CGFNS can provide the information to CA BON, but there is a fee for it. You will need to contact CGFNS to find out how much the fee is, I think around $20 or so, and what you have to send in to authorize them to release the files to CA BON. But check with them, because the evaluation done for the Visa Screen Certificate is not an actual credentials evaluation that Caliofornia is talking about.

They will still do a review of any applicant's credentials, just because you have a license in another state doesn't necessarily make things faster.

You can get a temporary license in CA, based on your MN license..............best way to do that is to go in person to the BON office in Sacramento. You can get that the same day....just if MN is not part of Nursys, then you will have to have them send in a verification of your license before you actually get there.

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Thanks Suzanne... :)

Actually I am afraid that CA might ask me to take some more courses due to my pedi clinical hours. :uhoh3:

If they ask me to do that, is it easy to find a course to make up?

Do you think CA accepts 60 something hrs for pedi clinical?

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It won't be CA to give you any issue, it will be CGFNS and the Visa Screen. Remember that you need that to work in the US.

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Very easy to make up the hours, they just have to be in an approved school of nursing.............I don't think that you will have any issue if MN accepted them. :)

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Hi,

I am sitting in Germany getting started on all processes. Sofar I have read every post on this thread. And most questions are cleared up now. Just these are remaining.

Once all the certification and licsensing is done, I will be looking for an employer as a sponsor. Now s.o. told me that this won't work in every state?

As I will be taking my children with me...what visa will they need...and who applies for those? They will attend school there and eventually should end up with a green card as well???

I was planning on going to Texas? I friend of mine from way back lives there and would help me and the kids get settled. Now this will kill the idea getting the processing done via Vermont as well I take it?

Will be grateful for any information on this.

Thanks, Mieke

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