Nurses From Romania

marietacandy1 · Jul 26, 2009

by marietacandy1 download?mid=1%5f6004%5fAH%2bzo0IAAJ6aSmxXjQHVpycbsAo&pid=2.3&fid=Inbox&inline=1&stationery=1

Hello Everybody: I have a friend that just came to Colorado as a Visa Lottery Winner. Her and her Husband were both Family Doctors in Romania. My question is - What is the process they need to do in order to become a Nurse Practitioner here in Colorado? Do they need to go through CGFNS to get their credentials transfered or is there another route ? Thanks for your Information !!! download?mid=1%5f6004%5fAH%2bzo0IAAJ6aSmxXjQHVpycbsAo&pid=2.4&fid=Inbox&inline=1&stationery=1

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jul 26, 2009

by marietacandy1
Hello Everybody: I have a friend that just came to Colorado as a Visa Lottery Winner. Her and her Husband were both Family Doctors in Romania. My question is - What is the process they need to do in order to become a Nurse Practitioner here in Colorado? Do they need to go through CGFNS to get their credentials transfered or is there another route ? Thanks for your Information !!!

As family doctors they may not meet nurse requirements. They need to contact the state board of nursing (link can be found at the bottom of the page to US state nursing boards) and see what they have to do. If CES from CGFNS is required then they will have to get it done. If they meet RN requirements and pass NCLEX they will then have to be assessed regarding NP as long as they have the relevant documentation again with the state BON

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Jul 26, 2009

by marietacandy1
Hello Everybody: I have a friend that just came to Colorado as a Visa Lottery Winner. Her and her Husband were both Family Doctors in Romania. My question is - What is the process they need to do in order to become a Nurse Practitioner here in Colorado? Do they need to go through CGFNS to get their credentials transfered or is there another route ? Thanks for your Information !!!

If they are doctors, the best way is to get authorization to work as doctors. To become a NP one must be a RN

http://www.dora.state.co.us/Nursing/applications/APN-NPapplication.pdf

You were educated outside the U.S. or its territories, and are not licensed in another state or territory. However, you must first contact the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) to request the credentials review titled Healthcare Profession and Science Course-by-Course Report.

Then per the Board of Nursing.......the requirements for inclusion in the advanced practice registry shall include the successful completion of a graduate degree in the appropriate specialty; except that individuals who are included in the registry as of June 30, 2008, but have not successfully completed such degree, may thereafter continue to be included in the registry and to use the appropriate title and abbreviation. This would be a MSN.

Nursing and Medical practice are two different professions, it probably be easier, if they challenge the RN if able and then get their MSN.

elkpark · Jul 26, 2009

Physicians from other countries cannot automatically become RNs or NPs in the US. Medicine and nursing are entirely different disciplines (although there is obviously a lot of overlap). They would have to complete a nursing education program approved by the BON (Board of Nursing) in the state in which they want to get licensed (Colorado, in this case) and write the NCLEX exam, and complete an approved, accredited nurse practitioner program and the national certifying exam in the NP specialty they choose. An alternative option for physicians might be a "direct entry" MSN program (designed for people who want to become nurses who already hold at least a BA/BS in another field beside nursing) -- there are plenty of those programs that prepare people to become NPs.

There has been discussion on this board in the past that there are a few "MD to RN" educational programs in the world specifically set up to prepare non-US physicians to be eligible to write the NCLEX, but I think there are only a few of them.

There is no state in the US that allows people, regardless of background and previous education, to "challenge" the NCLEX-RN without completing some kind of program in nursing education acceptable to the state BON.

(MedSurg32RN, the reason so many foreign physicians want to become nurses in the US is because the medical community in the US makes it almost impossible to "get authorization to work as doctors" if you are a physician from another country (IMHO, this is v. smart of them and I wish the US nursing community would be as effective in protecting the interests of US RNs). In order to get licensed as an MD, foreign graduates have to practically "start from scratch," and get accepted into and complete a US residency, same as new graduates from US medical schools (in addition to passing the exams showing they're competent to enter practice here, regardless of how many years of experience they have someplace else). It's v. hard to get a slot in a residency program and the process takes years to complete the process if you can get in. So most foreign-educated physicians are looking for something else in healthcare to do, and nursing looks like an appealing "second choice.")

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Jul 26, 2009

(MedSurg32RN, the reason so many foreign physicians want to become nurses in the US is because the medical community in the US makes it almost impossible to "get authorization to work as doctors" if you are a physician from another country (IMHO, this is v. smart of them and I wish the US nursing community would be as effective in protecting the interests of US RNs). In order to get licensed as an MD, foreign graduates have to practically "start from scratch," and get accepted into and complete a US residency, same as new graduates from US medical schools (in addition to passing the exams showing they're competent to enter practice here, regardless of how many years of experience they have someplace else. It's v. hard to get a slot in a residency program and the process takes years to complete the process if you can get in. So most foreign-educated physicians are looking for something else in healthcare to do, and nursing looks like an appealing "second choice.")

I have a daughter in Medical School who just completed her USMLE. It is my understanding it is the same test that foreign medical students take. From what I have heard, it the visa part that foreign doctors have difficulty getting. In this situation visa is not an issue. I do know that they do have to complete their residency again. But this is also true for US doctors if they wish to change specialites ( such as Surgeon to Internal Med). The doctors do get a salary and benefits when completing a residency. From what I have read on the Doctors Forum is that foreign grads sometimes have difficulty passing the exam which don't make them competitive for a residency. Also the step II of the test is clinically based and a doctor needs to be proficient in patient communication which is also a struggle for non english speaking physicians.

As a nurse I have found doctors who work as nurses are not happy.

AirforceRN, RN · Jul 26, 2009

Nice Hijack....now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

I know a nurse here in Vancouver who is from Romania (Transylvania actually). I won't give out pers details but just wanted to let you know that it has and can be done. He has functioned on a temp license for a period of time.