Italian nurse in US

SpidersWeb, BSN · Jan 12, 2018

Hey Vanikiki,

I'm not from Italy but I'm from elsewhere in Europe.

I'm currently waiting for my immigrant visa interview and I'm expected to move to the US later this year.

I've learned a lot about the immigration process and unfortunately I have to advice you to stay patient for some time. In order to obtain a visa you'll need some working experience, 2 years, in acute care settings. Since you're a student at the moment, I hope you can use this advice and head out to the right path after nursing school so that your process will be smoot once you do get to apply.

I don't know about nursing school in Italy but since it's in the EU, I think the criteria should be the same as in my country. You can read about the Credential Evaluation on the CGFNS website. You'll need this CES report for the Board of Nursing when you're applying for the NCLEX, a licensure examination.

While you're waiting, you'll have the perfect opportunity to prepare for the NCLEX as this is something that every nurse needs to pass in the US to get registered and practice nursing. It's a different type of exam since it uses a computer adaptive testing method, so you should learn about this style as well in order to more easily succeed in the NCLEX. There are plenty of online resources to help you prepare for the NCLEX.

Let me know if I can answer any questions that you have about the process.

Vanikiki · Jan 19, 2018

Thank you so much for your thorough answer, I will be patient!

I read a lot that it's not easy to find recruitment agency. How much time have you spend for find it? and also.. How much money have you spend for CGFNS and NCLEX?

Alberto73 · Mar 16, 2018

Ciao Vanikiki, I'm an italian nurse, I passed my nclex july 2017. Then it took me a while to find someone willing to give me a job but I did it and now I'm in the final process of getting my immigration visa. What spidersweb said is right except that I didn't have two yrs of acute care experience (in total 17 months in acute/semi-acute wards). my suggestion is to study english very well (you'll need a good score on your IELTS) and to get your degree recognized by the CGFNS you will need theory and clinical hrs in Pediatrics/Obstetrics, Psychiatry and Community Nursing among the others...(at least these are the departments in which I had to do extra clinical hrs since I hadn't done it during the school). Good luck

SpidersWeb, BSN · Mar 16, 2018

Thank you so much for your thorough answer, I will be patient!
I read a lot that it's not easy to find recruitment agency. How much time have you spend for find it? and also.. How much money have you spend for CGFNS and NCLEX?

I was looking for a recruitment agency every now and then but nothing seemed reliable. Then I found Avant Healthcare Professionals and I've been very happy with what they have to offer.

They're sponsoring an EB-3 or permanent residency (green card) for me and my employment agreement is for 3 years after which I'm free to choose if I convert to the client hospital staff or start a new job elsewhere. So far they've paid most of my expenses, including everything related to the NCLEX (even plane tickets and hotel in London to take the test). Besides fees I paid to CGFNS ($350 for CES Report and $540 for VisaScreen) I paid for my IELTS (â‚¬250) and some school and work documents I needed to translate.

Avant's NCLEX review program was very comprehensive and 85-90% of their nurses pass the NCLEX on their first try compared to 30% of international students overall. Being able to attend the program was priceless.

SpidersWeb, BSN · Mar 16, 2018

Ciao Vanikiki, I'm an italian nurse, I passed my nclex july 2017. Then it took me a while to find someone willing to give me a job but I did it and now I'm in the final process of getting my immigration visa. What spidersweb said is right except that I didn't have two yrs of acute care experience (in total 17 months in acute/semi-acute wards). my suggestion is to study english very well (you'll need a good score on your IELTS) and to get your degree recognized by the CGFNS you will need theory and clinical hrs in Pediatrics/Obstetrics, Psychiatry and Community Nursing among the others...(at least these are the departments in which I had to do extra clinical hrs since I hadn't done it during the school). Good luck

You're right, Alberto73, the requirement is 1-2 years. But Vanikiki at least with a recruitment company you can apply with 8 months of work experience because you'll accumulate experience while taking the NCLEX and waiting for visa processing.

With regards to the IELTS, you'll need to take the Academic version and the criteria are:

- Reading - 6

- Listening - 6

- Speaking - 7

- Writing - 6

There are some great videos on YouTube to show you what level of speaking proficiency is needed for each band level, band 9 being native/fluent.

You can also take the TOEFL but I'm not going to write about it because I'm not familiar with it.

For the CES Report with the CGFNS, you'll need to have your school fill out and sign a transcript validation form with a breakdown of hours. I can't find the form online to link it here but there's a little table with different subject areas (care of the adult - medical, care of the adult - surgical, maternal/infant nursing, care of children, psychiatric/mental health nursing, gerontology/geriatric nursing, community health, acute care nursing and physical assessment as well as anatomy and physiology, microbiology, pharmacology, nutrition, chemistry and physics).

I was advised I need 40 hours of theory and 80 clinical hours in each category of the nursing subjects and there was no problem with a European degree. In each area I had at least twice as much hours as required, some times even 4 times as much.

Make sure you have your school sign and stamp and send the form directly to the CGFNS, just like you need to ask the Italian registration/licensing authority to send a license validation form directly to the CGFNS.

Let me know if you have any questions!