steffibee

I did go through CVS with my initial application that they denied. They just want to see a german curriculum for general nurses to compare that one with mine for some reason. The guy I talked to said that my nursing school should just forward that to his office and that this doesn't have to go through cgfns. yeah, if they still deny me after that, I will either try a different state or see if there is a nursing school that will give me some credit and then just take classes.

Hi Suzanne, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I was out of town for christmas. My in Laws live in the Albany area, so i took the chance and went straight to the BON in Albany and talked face to face to the person who denied my case. They admitted that they simply threw my transcripts on the garbage pile just because the title "pediatric nurse" indicated that i was trained and educated in a specialty of nursing and that they didn't even look at any of my transcripts!! They only look if the title states "general or first level nurse" well, after I explained my case, they said I need to have my nursing school in germany send them a copy of the curriculum for general nurses so they can compare them to my transcripts. duh. Not like they could just LOOK at my transcripts or pull out somebody elses transcripts to compare them. But I guess that's all I can do for now and hope that they'll review it and finally pay some attention to my transcripts. i don't understand why there isn't something like a standard for how many hours of training they require. regarding your questions: I did my clinical and theory hours at the same time. It's basically the same training as a general nurse, just that general nurses don't get enough training in pediatrics in germany- their title doesn't allow them to practice nursing in pediatrics, that's why there's a special course for ped nurses like me -except that I am allowed to work in all fields of nursing since I get trained in all areas. But my title is registered pediatric nurse. and I guess that's where the problem is for the BON. I do have a greencard and live in NYC as a permanent resident. Hope you had a great christmas! best regards, Steffi

my training was 3 years total- This is the longest program for RN's. total of 1904 hours of theory- 647 in Pediatrics and 1257 in General Nursing (geriatric, maternal, mental, surgery, internal health, anatomy) My transcripts show individual hours for each subject in nursing school, like ethics, hygiene, nursing procedures etc. total of 3363 hours of practical training with emphasize in pediatric units, but also 300 hours in ob/gyn, 150 hours in operating theatre, 192 hours in mental units, 192 hours in home nursing, 154 hours in an adult icu. My professional title says I'm a first level pediatric nurse. However, my school sent a cover letter along with the transcripts explaining that I am trained in general and pediatric nursing and that my title allows me to work in all specialities of nursing in Germany. It's complicated but I've always wanted to work in pediatrics and german law requires a special training for nurses who want to work in pediatrics. I don't know if the transcripts my nursing school provides are unclear but there has to be a misunderstanding. The BON told me I could appeal but chances are slim and the lady I talked to on the phone said that they'd most likely throw it out. do you think I should try a different state? Take my transcripts to a nursing school and see if they give me any credit?

Suzanne4, thank you for your prompt reply. I graduated nursing school 3 years ago in Berlin/Germany. I did have maternal/mental health training along with all the general nursing students in both clinical and theory. That's what is so frustrating to me. The problem seems to be that there are no specific regulations on the requirements of hours in each subject. I understand that each case is unique but they said its not the hours of training but my title that doesn't even make them bother looking into my transcripts. I am the equivalent of an RN in Germany. General Nurses work in all fields of nursing except Pediatrics and I was trained for both Pediatrics and General Nursing. I've worked in Maternal/Pediatric and pulmonary intensive care for adults. The problem is that just because my job title says pediatric nurse people automatically assume that I have less education but that's not true. Unfortunately state law in NY says that they only accept applications from General Nurses. I'm pediatric but that doesn't mean I wasn't trained in general nursing as well.

hey there, I have looked all over the place to find some information for pediatric nurses from Germany. I live in NY and I applied for licensure through CVS and the BON in NY. the whole procedure took 1,5 years and they finally denied me completely because of my title "pediatric nurse" The lady I talked to at the BON in Albany even told me they don't even bother looking at my transcripts because of my title. I studied pediatric nursing in Germany, yet my title allows me to practice nursing in general and pediatric fields. German law requires a special course of study for nurses who want to work in pediatrics. general nurses are not allowed to work in pediatrics for their lack of pedi hours during college. I still received adequate training in general nursing and i compared my transcripts with a general nurse's transcripts- they are very similar. I have worked more in adult care in Germany than in pediatric units since graduating and it's so frustrating that they basically tell me that my whole education is worthless and I'd need to start all over with nursing school. Is there anyone who can give me some advice? The NY BON has been very unhelpful, I couldn't even ask them for a copy of my transcripts to take to nursing schools and I can't imagine starting all over. I would definitely be willing to take some classes but I can't start all over with college since we're having a baby on the way. any help is very appreciated!!!

First year as a student nurse- I caught everything! Still get a cold about once a year, but that's it. MissJoRN: RSV isn't contagious to grown ups as far as I know...

Intussusception, ouch poor kid, we have that quite a lot in my unit, pretty painful but he should be ok now! Keep an eye on him during the next night, and he might get a diarrea. hope he feels better soon!

My unit has no techs and the nurse-patient ratio varies from 1 - 6-9 so having most parents there 24/7 is a big (and very appreciated) help for us nurses, doctors and most of all the kids! However, I totally understand when a parent just needs to get out for a while for whatever reason! Having a child in hospital is a very extreme, overwhelming experience for a parent and taking breaks even very short ones is just necessary to keep them sane- we always encourage that! Most parents go for a break when the child's asleep and they always tell us when and how long they stay away. Also good teamwork and communication with coworkers is key in busy situations! @ BSN hopefully: your attitude towards the parents concerns me a bit ("if I like the parents I babysit the kid") you should be more aware of the parents needs! They need to rest too! and having a more relaxed parent makes work with the child a lot easier too! A parent asking us to sit next to the bed watching the child longer than 20 minutes happens very rarely. Most times we leave the door open and drop by a few times to make sure everything's ok.

OMG.... I just pushed the send button 5 min ago!!!!!! Why didn't I read this earlier?? I have been sitting over the CVS and Visa Screen (paper)application for the last 2 nights, and I just read in the handbook that an online application would speed things up, so I signed up, pressed send and then realized that I forgot to print out some of the papers and now I can't go back! Help! What am I going to do? Submit the paper application? Call cgfns? Kill myself? hahaha, kidding, but please HELP!!

hi there, I'm a pediatric nurse from germany and I want to work in NY here goes the questioning... :smackingf What comes first- the application to CGFNS (CVS) OR the Board of Nursing ? I specialised in pediatrics at the beginning of nursing school ( I know it's slightly different in the us) but I was also trained in adult care, medicine, surgery etc... but the main emphasis was in pediatrics. My german license/diploma allows me to work in both fields: as a general nurse AND pediatric nurse. Does anyone know about the specific amount of hours that are required in adult care? Thank u for helping me...