scottishRGN

Thanks. Any tips on who to look at/avoid? There are so many!

Hi Jane, I bought the kaplan book with the test Q cd a couple of days after i failed. I'm glad you recommendd it too - should have bought it sooner on retrospect. As for my plans i'm still a bit confused about what i'll do but every other plan i consider brings me back to working in the states at some stage so i think i'll carry on with my application to NYS and maybe save up to do some travelling in the mean time. Hows your job going? Are you enjoying ITU? I've been there since March 06 and love it. Its a 6 bedded unit with great staff & support so its been a good unit to start in. I came from my 1st job in CCU where i'd been for around 5yrs so it was a big change for me too having had no surgical & little resp experience. You'll be fine tho - to have come from Diabetic Research you must have loads of good experience. Well, good luck with all the visa screen paperwork. I found an agency called CCM recruitment, i don't know much about them but i've been looking at their website this wk an they look ok so far. O'grady Peyton & PPR helathcare also seem to have good opportunities. I'm still learning what to look for but hopefully they might be some help to you. Take care, Karen x

Hi, I might be misunderstanding you - do you mean the CGFNS exam? What everyone has said so far about needing the CGFNS visa screen is correct, however you do not need to sit their exam for California (only the NCLEX & english language proficiency ones). Hope that helps :)

Hi, thanks for the reply. I've actually just been on the CGFNS web page & i'm getting mixed up (its not rare!) It was the credntials verification not the visa screen i did. I don't suppose it matters at this stage anyway. I'll apply for that one the NCLEX is out of the way. Well done on passing yours :yeah:Did you study yourself or go on a course? I've been in touch with PPR Healthcare who seem to have some good courses. I haven't decided whether to go down that route yet or not. I haven't decided who to go with yet either. I'd initally thought i could get a temp working visa so had planned on choosing an agency & transfering my licensure every few months to allow me to travel. Since thats not an option i'm kind of back to square one. I'm going to do some research. How about you? Do you already have ajob set up? What area do you work in? Karen :)

Hi, I just wondered if there were any others out there at a similar stage to me. I've passed the CGFNS & have my visa screen certificate (though think it may expire before i get to use it). I sat & failed the NCLEX earlier this month so plan to re-sit around June. My main concern at the moment is i was given wrong information re: which visa to apply for & only learned recently thanks to this site that i need to apply for a green card. I'm now not sure which step to take next. It seems like a long wait for a green card but this is something i really want to do so i think i'll carry on with the application and just bide my time. It would be great to have someone else to compare notes with, so if anyone's in a similar situation i'd love to hear from you :typing Thanks, Karen

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I'll keep looking into it. I think i'll make some phone calls tomorrow and do some more thinking.

Thanks for everyones help. I'll need to look into this further. I spoke to someone @ the US embassy in London 2yrs ago when i 1st started thinking about this and she told me to apply for an H1C visa for foreign registered nurses when i had done the exams & secured a job with an agency. I've since passed the CGFNS & also got a visa screen cert from them. I recently failed the NCLEX so am waiting to re-sit that. My main concern now is that i don't want to commit to 1 hospital when i eventually do come over. The whole reason i'm doing this is so i can use my training as a way to fund some travelling as i really want to see a bit of America. Any more suggestions? Thanks so much for your help! (oh, i did a 3yr Diploma if thats relevant to anything else)

Thanks, i'll have a look x

I've looked into non-immigrant visas & have found a couple of agencies who would take me on, however i want to make sure i choose the right company. Thanks for your advice though :)

I'm looking for an agency who offers 12-13wk placements. I don't intend on applying for a green card which seems to be what most agencies want to encourage. Has anyone had any good (or bad) experiences with international travel nurse agencies?

Hi, i don't know if i'd be able to help or not (i work in the uk) but if there's anything specific you have in mind i'll try. Can i ask your advice too? I'm planning on coming to the states when i get through the NCLEX and have been looking at jobs. I see Telemetry is often advertised. I see you have experience there - what does telemetry all encompass? I used to work in CCU & wondered if it might be an option for me? Thanks & please ask if there's anything you think i can help with :)

Thanks so much! You've made my day Good luck with your upcoming exam too xx

How did you get on? I'm in a similar situation. I just failed the NCLEX - i had a pplied to NYS but am also thinking of applying to another state now. If you applied to NJ - were you allowed to re-sit the NCLEX more quickly or did you still have to wait the 45 days from your last exam?

Hi, I'm planning to do some travelling through the states and am hoping to nurse to fund my trip. I applied to NYS but failed the NCLEX this wk. I have to wait 91 days to re-sit but really want to do it again ASAP. Does anyone know if i can apply to a different nursing board in order to speed the process up? I'd be really grateful for any other tips you can give me about nursing in the US. Thanks!!

I work in ITU and at the beiginning of my shift (and if anything indicates deterioration) i'll listen for air entry and bowel sounds. We were never taught in our training how to do this so its something i have learned myself and with the help of more senior staff. Its taking me a long time to feel confident in doing these tasks but i'm aware how important they are. I plan to come to the US soon so am a little nervous about listening to heart sounds etc. Any tips?