NCLEX what for? if retrogression?

suzanne4, RN · Dec 16, 2007

NCLEX is a licensure exam that is valid for the US only, it is not accepted in other countries for you to use.

And you are correct, with at least five years for even a chance of getting to the US, no matter what employers are telling you; it makes no sense for anyone to be in a hurry to get it done.

Chances are getting slimmer and slimmer to be able to get a green card to work in the US, and there are going to be many more requirements that are going to need to be met in order to be able to even start the process soon. Expect to see it required that you have a local license in place first, and even expect to see two years of work experience as once was the requirement.

There are just too many graduates that wish to work in the US, but there have not been any increases in the number of green cards issued and we do not expect to see an increase at all.

g_l · Dec 17, 2007

One of the most insightful tips i got from my mentors is this:

after graduating, get all the test you need to get(except language tests) before working. that way, you will be not burdened by two loads at the same time(studying while working).

and besides, it's a test of being qualified to practice in the u.s. as in other tests, isn't that an achievement to pass and even top it?

suzanne4, RN · Dec 17, 2007

But that does not always work as licenses are not always issued in the US if there is no SSN#, and even for the states that do issues it, you must have a SSN# to renew it.

As well as current work experience as an RN, or you will be retesting. So your instructors in this case do not always know best. Passing the NCLEX-RN exam does not automatically make you an RN in the US.

lawrence01 · Dec 18, 2007

Just chipping in a few comments.

Everyone must realize that no one is forcing anyone on anything. America is not forcing anyone to take the NCLEX or CGFNS and start the I-140 petition. No one is also forcing anyone not to take it and no one is forcing anyone to wait. It is your choice on what to do. If one is fed up on waiting and putting their lives on hold then you can do something else. That is your choice.

The essence of living in America is having that choice on what to do and they will give you lots of options as well on what to do but then you will have to take responsibility on your decisions. No one is gonna bail you out. The US Federal Gov't is not bailing out their own citizens that made bad decisions on contracting subprime mortgages, nor did someone force them to take those bad loans or force them not to take it. The decision was left up to them and they are not being bailed out of it by their Gov't. That's how things work in America.

Why make sweeping remarks such as no one will be allowed take NCLEX, CGFNS, or start the process by filing the I-140 petition. That is not how America works. How about those willing to wait and still take those exams and start the process? Are you going to make the decision for them? This brings everything up in that everything will be the sole responsibility of the individual. If you think there is no need to take the NCLEX and other requirements since there is a retrogression then just don't take it and don't start anything at all, simple as that but leave the option out for other people that may think otherwise. That's the American way.

If people are blaming America now, then what more if everyone are permanent residents or US Citizens already? Will you blame the US Federal Gov't if one chose not to contribute on their 401(K)s or not participate on a health insurance then don't have enough savings for retirement or ending up in debt when one cannot pay for health services? Everything is up to the individuals in America. If one cannot understand this now and if one cannot choose on the bombardment of choices and options one will be having when one is already working and living in America and then take responsibility for their own decisions then America may not be for you.

suzanne4, RN · Dec 18, 2007

Living and working in the US is a priviledge, it is not an automatic thing when you graduate from school. There are now many more applicants from your country than there are visas to work in the US; the number that are alkwed to come to the US on a green card per year is not changing, but the number of nursing graduates is exponentially increasing. And there are no jobs for them in your country, so why is it considered an automatic that the US will take you?

You need to wait your turn just like everyone else and without even thinking of taking cuts in line in front of others that have been waiting. We also expect the US to go back to the requirement of having a local license as well as experience before they will even consider someone for a visa. That only makes sense.

And people keep posting and writing that there license is going to expire, or the letter that they received since they passed the exam but do not have a SSN#. And that is not going to change. If it is going to be 5 years for even a chance to get to the US, then everyone will have expired documents, and that makes no sense to me to spend the money when the chances are getting slimmer and slimmer on a daily basis. If you are not already in the processing, please go to another country and get experience first, and legitimate experience where you are getting paid and not a volunteer.

Even English exams have an expiration date, and so do the Visa Screen Certificates. They will need to be redone. No one is forcing anyone to do anything, but we are trying to be honest with you as to what is going on here. Even a graduate of a US nursing school is no longer guaranteed that they will be able to remain in the US to work once they finish their programs.

These are things that you need to be aware of and consider before doing a thing. We can only tell you what is going on and then it is up to you to make an informed decision. Not anyone else can do that for you.

hazelblue · Dec 22, 2007

hi suzanne! im quite confused w/ the procedure in application for licensure exam...for example i passed the CA nclex-rn & got the official letter that i passed the test & need to submit ssn w/in 3yrs, the next step is to apply for VSC but u mentioned that there's also an expiration for this...how long is the validity of the VSC anyway & what is VSC for? ( sorry for sounding stupid, but i just want to understand everything before doin anything).

and u mentioned in other threads that if one's CA application is about to expire after 3yrs bec. of no SSN they can renew it ( by submitting again the CA application form & fingerprint card) to make that file valid again...my question is, can i renew it only once when i know for sure that i already have the greencard & thus be able to fly to CA instead of renewing it every 3 yrs so as not to waste so much money from renewing ever now & then?

thanks!

len_nurse · Dec 23, 2007

hi guys i dont see any reason why we have to take NCLEX when in fact there is a retrogression going on in the US. whats your thoughts about this?

helo there!!in my opinion,i don't think its a waste of time and money taking the nclex exam because i'm pretty sure it will open again soon.just like what happened last 2005.i was one of the applicant who was affected by the retrogression..but fortunately,when the retro was lift,our papers was processed very fast and we were able to get our visas in less than a year..patience is a very impt.factor here...good luck!!

RNHawaii34 · Dec 23, 2007

hi suzanne! im quite confused w/ the procedure in application for licensure exam...for example i passed the ca nclex-rn & got the official letter that i passed the test & need to submit ssn w/in 3yrs, the next step is to apply for vsc but u mentioned that there's also an expiration for this...how long is the validity of the vsc anyway & what is vsc for? ( sorry for sounding stupid, but i just want to understand everything before doin anything).
and u mentioned in other threads that if one's ca application is about to expire after 3yrs bec. of no ssn they can renew it ( by submitting again the ca application form & fingerprint card) to make that file valid again...my question is, can i renew it only once when i know for sure that i already have the greencard & thus be able to fly to ca instead of renewing it every 3 yrs so as not to waste so much money from renewing ever now & then?
thanks!

i don't think so. you cannot renew it only once. you can stretch it, like renew it within a year after expiration. otherwise, you have to continue renewing it.it will only cost you a renewal fee, you don't have to take the exam again. even for us, working nurses here in the us, we have to renew our licenses every two years. i think those new grads should not rush into taking there nclexrn...or they will just be frustrated waiting for retro to be over..i guess we talk about that again and again?

akoitoh, LPN, LVN · Dec 25, 2007

now im thinking that Iv made a wrong decision for applying for nclex exam after i read this thread..huhuhu so much confusion in my mind! :) OMG help

suzanne4, RN · Dec 26, 2007

You do not apply for the NCLEX exam, there is no application for that, the only thing that you can submit is an application for licensure.

Licenses have expiration dates on them, just like everything else. And most are good for only two years and then they need to be renewed. It is just that once a hard license is issued, you are assured that you will not have to retake the NCLEX exam again, unless you stay out of the field for years and let your license lapse.

But if you get the letter from CA, they do not issue a license without the SSN# and you have three years to gvie them that, if not, then your file gets destroyed and therefore your results from the NCLEX exam will go with it. This is why I have never recommended CA for initial licensure for someone that does not have a SSN#.

What happened with the last retrgression is completely different from what is going on now, and we do not expect it to end soon. Very different circumstances now than when just the PIC countries were affected. Now it has been all for more than a year. The US has a limit as to the number of green cards under the EB-3 that can be issued per year, that has not increased, nor do we expect to see it increased; there is also a limit as to the number that can come from one country, and that maximum from anyone place is just under 10,000. That may sound like alot, but when you figure in the spouses as well as children, as well as those from other professions, it does not leave that large of a number.

The push in the US now is to focus on training Americans to work as nurses and not focus on importing from other countries. By the time that most get thru their training program and then have to test and get thru immigration, you are looking at about two years of time spent when you can train someone under the actual American system in the first place and for less money than is paid out to bring a foreign nurse in. The other issue is that there has been a major increase in the number of nurses being schooled in the Philippines, many more than can be handled there and trained with a thorough education as was done in the past. Expect to see the US go back to its previous requirements of requiring the NLE to be passed before you will be permitted to even being approved to sit for the NCLEX exam, as was required back when the CGFNS exam was required by all not too long ago, as well as two years of experience as most other foreign countries are now requiring.

CGFNS exam was a weeding tool, expect the local license and the two years of current work experience to come back into play as before. This is one way to cut down on the number that are applying. Supply and demand now is the biggest factor and why you will not expect to see visas for about five years or so. Add into it the fact that there were so many I-485 petitions submitted this summer when there were no visas available.

Things are quite different now. Plain and simple.

promise2 · Dec 26, 2007

One of the most insightful tips i got from my mentors is this:
after graduating, get all the test you need to get(except language tests) before working. that way, you will be not burdened by two loads at the same time(studying while working).
and besides, it's a test of being qualified to practice in the u.s. as in other tests, isn't that an achievement to pass and even top it?

If you have high hopes on your american dream, patience is the virtue. If you want to be petitioned by a US employer, then you have to do your job which is to pass their reqs. nclex or cgfns...

no matter how long it takes, there will still be a solution for the NCLEX which is expiring very soon here and there... I believe that if you already have an agency or an employer, and they have a good reputation, they will be able to help you through with this... God still works in mysterious ways so we never know what will happen in this coming year to come... hopes will help us move on...