nursing education in USA after doing diploma from india

suzanne4, RN · May 5, 2004

Hi all,
I am a first year male student of nursing doing a diploma course in india. I saw on the internet that in USA the authorities are making the rule that the minimum education requirements that allow a nurse to work is a Bachelor degree. As my cousins are staying there, i planned to go there after my studying and do further MSN studies if possible.
Now will the diploma education allow me to got there in the future or should i go for a B.Sc Nursing degree here. In that case will the B.Sc degree be considered equivalent to a bachelor degree(BSN) there .
Anyone currently working in USA, please kindly give ur suggestions.
Also is it possible that such a rule would come into existence considering the shortage of nurses in USA

Your B.Sc Nursing is the same as the BSN in the US. US requires equivalent to a BSN for entry on a green card and to pursue an MSN. How long is your actual program of study that you are currently enrolled in? Your best bet would be to go straing for the Bachelor's if possible. Dependin gon the state where you wnat to work, you may need to take the CGFNS exam. All nurses working in the US must take the NCLEX exam. You will also have to write your English exams. The score that you get form those is only valid for two years so don't try to get that done now.

Hope that this helps, please write if you have any more questions. :balloons:

And welcome from Bangkok! (I actually am an American nurse)

solo_luv · May 5, 2004

Hi Suzanne,

Thank you so much for your instant response.

Right now I am doing a 3 year diploma course which would allow me to become a RN in india.

There were some news on the internet which said all the current RN's in Newyork must possess a 4 year degree certificate to be allowed to continue their work.

Will this rule be applied to all the states in USA.

In that case will they recruit RN's (having only a 3 year diploma certificate in india) from india to work there even if they pass the CGFNS exam.

I wonder if they make the Bachelor degree to be the minimum eligiblity requirement in appearing for the CGFNS in the future. what's your opinion?.

Since my cousins are there, I am planning to work in USA in the future.

Please give your valuable suggestions..

suzanne4, RN · May 5, 2004

Ny is talking about it, but that ruling is because if you train in the US, you can work as an RN after just two years with either a diploma or an ADN Associate degree in nursing. It isn't NY that is requiring it for their nurses alone, it is the US Government in order to get a green card.

CGFNS will not permit you to sit for there exam with just the diploma.

NCLEX will not allow a foreign nurse to sit for the exam with just the diploma any longer because the Visa Screen is now required and that requires a four year degree.

Only way around that is to attend nursing school in the US. Then you would be able to practice in many states with just the two year program. But getting into school is getting more difficult and many have a waiting list.

Since you would be considered a foreign student and would have to pay full tuition for most programs, there are some private schools available and even some community colleges that are in smaller cities.

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

solo_luv · May 6, 2004

Hi Suzanne,

Is it true that the visa screen now requires a four year degree. I searched CGFNS.org website and found only that the Visa screen includes an "assessment of applicant's education to ensure that it is comparable to a U.S graduate in that same profession".

Does it mean the four year degree.

Since the visa screen also needs to be renewed after every 5 years, i wonder if the visa screen make it compulsory to have a 4 year degree in the future if not now.

Can you give me the link to any official websites that would post such notifications.

Again thanking you for the valuable suggestions and information.

Waiting for your reply...

suzanne4, RN · May 6, 2004

The requirements to obtain a green card are that you have a four year degree if you trained in a foreign country. If you do your training in the US, then a two year degree would be fine from a US accredited nursing program. Visa Screen only verifies credentials, it has nothing to do with evaluating your classes, etc. For the green card, it states that you must be a "professional" nurse, and this means the four year degree for their purposes.

Visa Screen needs to be done every 5 years and this just validates what you have done.

The green card is the one that has the requirements and that is the only visa available for a nurse to work in the US currently being offered.

solo_luv · May 6, 2004

Is that requirment applicable now. There are RN nurses with just a diploma coming to US.

suzanne4, RN · May 6, 2004

First, you need to find out exactly from your nursing school if it is equivalent to a BSN, if not what courses are lacking. If there are nurses going to work

as registered nurses in the US, then perhaps your program is equivalent to. The law specifies equivalent to a BSN, not that it must be a BSN.

And what type of visas are these nurses going on? Green card requires equivalent to a BSN. It also depends if they are going with a spouse who has a work permit and the spouse is allowed to work on some of those. That is something else to take into consideration. If you are applying for a visa on your own, and not through a spouse, you must meet the educational requirements set forth.

I am not an immigration attorney, I only know the laws that I deal with on a daily basis. If you don't believe what I am telling you, please consult a lawyer where you are. I just know what the US Immigration laws state.

solo_luv · May 6, 2004

Hi suzanne,

Sorry to bombard with you all the confused questions that i had. because nowadays lot of opprotunities comes through agencies in newspapers that allow RNs who have completed 3 yr course here to work in USA and they say that too with a green card.

That's why i was confused and the 3 yr course can't be equivalent to a 4 yr BSN course. I will have to directly check out with those agencies.

Can I get some information about the colleges that offer associate degree or BSN to international students. What would be the cost involved in each of them. can i get some scholarships or work part-time?

suzanne4, RN · May 6, 2004

Many colleges offer programs for either the BSN or ADN all over the US.

When were you wanting to go? Before you finish your training in India?

With being a student you are given an F-1 visa, a student visa, the US Government does not allow you to work with this type of visa.

If you look at the threads under "student nurse" you will find many programs discussed and talked about. With the private schools , the tuition is more, but you should be able to get in much quicker.

Let me know if you have any questions..................

p.s. I sdon't trust many of those ads that you see from recruiters. There is actually a large group of Indian nurses that went over to the US under an H1-B visa when they were still available, and none of them could pass the three parts of the English exams. They were in Michigan, my home town, that is why I know of it from a friend who works with an immigration lawyer based there..many of those contracts are essentially for slave labor at wages that are horrible..................... :uhoh3:

solo_luv · May 7, 2004

I would like to go for the studies as soon as possible. If i complete the 3 yr diploma course here, will i have the advantage of completing the BSN or other advanced programs in a short time(how much duration?).

Will i be able to convert the F1 visa into a green card later on. any other options?

what could be the apporximate tuition cost?.Can i get any scholarships or part-time work.

Thanks a lot ............

suzanne4, RN · May 7, 2004

Some of the schools may offer a work/study program, but other than that, with the F-1 visa you are not permitted to work. I am not sure what the tuitions are running for the various nursing schools currently. That you would have to check yourself.

For your diploma program, are you taking any classes at a college where you earn college credits? If not, none of your hours will transfer over for the BSN.

Is your program strictly hospital based? This is what you need to check on.....