grantsally1

Hi I used Trustforte Corporation for my evaluation, Oz to US. Not a problem, not expensive, very quick service, same day if you want to pay extra. You just have to scan and send you docs to them. I got my evaluatoin just in case it was required for my visa (E3), but it was never asked for by US consulate. You don't have to go through the CGFNS again. If only CGFNS had competition? You can see what the private sector offers as opposed CGFNS, much cheaper, quicker and friendlier. Good luck

Hi Candabeth. The most difficult part will be landing a job. A lot of Rn positions only require an associates degree however that is slowly changing some states faster than others. You will have to look at university and magnet status hospitals which require a percentage of Bsn employees. The visa will not be an issue, finding a job over others may be. Unless you have a specialty and or experience it may be tough going. I don't want to put you off but just spelling the facts as is now. Good luck.

Good to hear. It sounds like you have what the hospitals will desire. E3 visa is great and if you have a spouse they can get work authorisation. Also no need to fill out i94 cards everytime you leave and re enter the US. A lot of the HR in hospitals do not know about the E3. Even the US customs guy stamped my passport EB3 before correcting it the other day. He probably hadn't seen it before. Depends where in the US you will be going. I guess the west and east coast would see more E3's than other parts. H1B would be a hassle and cost for an employer making it much harder to land the job you are after. If you need any more info during your transition I am happy to help out. It is a long process but very achievable.

Hi booha I would not rush into signing up with an agency yet. If you sign up and break the contract you could be up for a lot of $$$$$$. Agencies will make promises to get you in but it does not mean they will be able to secure a job for you. I would apply direct to a number of the large hospitals which have their own recruiters. Look at large University hospitals etc. I don't think you can be fussy in where you want to go. You may have to look outside the State your are licensed to find a job and be preperared to endorse your license along the way. Are you an Australian citizen using the E3 Visa? If not what visa are you planning to use? You will require some experience in a specialty nursing area not so much to satsify the E3 criteria, but to secure the job at the hospital over others? Good luck.

My degree was a Bachelor of Nursing Degree (3 years) but it included everything required for general nursing under U.S requirements. I did not compete a 4 year BSN degree. I don't have specific clinical hours with me they are back in Aust. but I think I may have completed about 90 hours obs and peads each however I completed extra obs with midwifery training etc. Mental health about the same. Vermont BON used to have minimum required hours for theory and clinicals listed on their website and I exceed those expect the humanities theory subjects most theory so check out their website under Nurse Licensing. Each BON is different however I would assume them to be similar to Vermont, excluding humanities. CGFNS will basically give you an indication once they issue your CES report. If your are training is the same as a first level general nurse a lot of the BON's will use this to forward you toward the NCLEX. Most BON's have this information on their websites for foreign trained nurses. I would stick with CGFNS even though they are expensive and slower. You can now get a 10 business day turnaround with them once they have all your required documents but it will cost you more. Most BONS use CGFNS and they will issue you a Visascreen later on using the same information with your CES record so from my experience use CGFNS. I'm not sure the best approach for you regarding job hunting but I would not even concern yourself with that until you become licensed in the U.S and some others in that area may be able to assist you then. Pay rates vary on where you work and also your experience. My hourly pay here is not much less per hour than back in Australia however I am paying less tax here and the cost of living is exactly 50% less here than where I was living so financially I am better off than back home. But as I said you pay will mostly be a factor of your experience. RN wages in the US are fairly good when you look at the average wages in most States and cities. Hope this helps

Thanks Ghilbert I was persistent with the Hospital HR and was employed in L&D in CO. Heard many good raps about lifestyle in CO however some areas are expensive by US standards for leasing. Hospital hired external attorney to complete the paperwork as they had not employed prior on this visa type. The consulate only looked at the LCA. Very happy settling in adjusting to the computerized recording systems etc. Glad I did not use an agency. There is diffinetly a business to be had transitioning Australian nurses to the US bypassing agencies however that said it is getting harder with most BONs requiring socials upfront. Thanks again.

Hi there. Not sure who you are referring to regarding hours Cgfns or Vermont? I completed my uni degree in early 1990's when training, education was the same as the U.S (general) covering all subjects and had no problems at all other than the slow CGFNS process. I did complete high school. I applied to Vermont as they did not require SSN back then, they now do. They required 40 hours humanities which we study in high school ie history, language but only college hours are acceptable to them. This is just a Vermont thing that I wasn't aware of when I applied and would have not wasted my time and money if I knew this. I didn't waste more time with an appeal and went through NM instead who issued a license when I passed NCLEX. I then endorsed to CO and happily working in the U.S. now. I suggest you apply direct to Texas if you wish to work there. Endorsing still has issues particularly if you have no prior US nursing experience then you may have to supply your Aussie work history and even go before the BON for endorsement approval. As I mentioned before in other posts the e3 visa is the easy part, it is getting through hospital HR who have not dealt with these visas before which makes it difficult. You will have to stand out with a lot of experience or a specialty or both to be offered a position above others at the moment. Good luck.

Ghilbert is absolutely correct. At no stage did the Consulate ask to see any paperwork other then the certified LCA. A couple of basic questions and that was it. Not even a look a the job offer from memory or the Visascreen etc etc. You don't have to worry about the visa side of things at all, the hard part is getting the job offer. Your issue will be with hospital HR which haven't dealt with E3 visas before. Often they are reluctant to change or do something different. If other Aussies have been or are employed on E3 visas at the location it will make it a LOT easier for you. Thanks to Ghilbert, Dixie9 i think, and silverdragon with their advice, I did everything myself and did not use an agency. Most large hospitals will recruit direct and may use an immigration attorney. I doubt any agencies other than travel nursing will get you in the door with a hospital as they charge upwards of $10K fee for the privilege. And travel nursing requires prior U.S nursing experience. If you have experience you should be okay with a lot of searching but without experience you may struggle. I am now working in the U.S on E3 and loving it. It takes time and $$ but you have the option of E3 and most others don't. I did not have to complete make up courses as I completed my degree a long time ago when it was a general nursing degree which included obs, paeds and I did midwifery after that. At least you can now get GCFNS to do your report quickly by paying extra and not wait for an eternity. Believe me they were the most slow and frustrating part of the process. You have to expect that when they have no competition.

I had no problems with NCLEX and passed 1st time with 75 questions now licensed and working in U.S. I did my bachelor of nursing in early 1990 and it covered all areas unlike the same nursing degrees now days. You could do a 4 yr BSN in Australia rather than the standard 3 yr degree if you are thinking of returning to the U.S. You will pay more for a degree as a non resident in Australia keep that in mind. Good luck with your decision.

I'm not sure what you are asking. If you don't already have a license in any State, you cannot endorse to another State until you have a permit. You will have to apply for an initial license with your NCLEX passed. Also, please read up on New Mexico BON; they recently introduced a policy. When you apply for an initial NM license, you must show that you will remain in the State and not solely apply for licensure to endorse elsewhere immediately after. New Mexico doesn't require an SSN for application as yet. You should look at the State you wish to work in rather than finding a cheaper/faster approach, as it will take you longer, cost more and cause you grief by jumping State BONs. Also, the service at NM BON was not exactly friendly when I used them. I think they may be very snowed under with applications. Good luck anyway.

Well done on getting your license. I am around the same stage that you are and awaiting a job offer at the moment. I got my NM license last month and endorsing to CO now. If you have got this far by yourself like me, I wouldn't bother dealing with an agency just yet. There are a couple of things that may make it hard to gain employment in our situation. Depends on the hospital and if they are aware of E3 visa and the HR's prior history of recruiting 'outside the square' so to speak. A lot will probably think it is to hard but not know it is actually easy and cost free for them. The other obviously depends on the State and City your applying. Some States are doing much better than others employing new candidates. If you have the experience that they are after and are aware of the E3 visa you are half way there. I think agencies can charge up to $15k to the recruiting hospital for the privilege. I don't think many hospitals are that desperate to pay $$$$$ when they have an oversupply of applicants presently. good luck

Thanks for that steep bay. I will be using an E3 visa, which requires a job offer from the employer and doesn't have to supply an SSN at that stage. As soon as I get a job offer together with LCA from the employer, I can apply at a U.S. consulate for the E3 visa on the spot. If approved, I can apply for the SSN before landing in the U.S., which is then supplied to the employer before starting with them. You only need a valid Visa to apply for SSN outside the U.S. Not sure about other visas, though. I had no problems getting New Mexico License without SSN and am currently endorsing Colorado using an SSN waiver for foreign nurses for endorsement—$ 43 plus a $30 nurse verification fee. I don't know how R.N.s will circumnavigate the SSN issue with the boards of nursing when they all change to SSN requirements before any applications. It will be impossible for foreign nurses to apply for full stops. We all know we have to have an SSN before working, which is fine, but it makes it very hard to gain licensure, and that's the only issue most of us have. Regards and best of luck.

New Mexico doesn't require SSNs. I can confirm that as I just got a license issued there as a foreign nurse.

Just found out as well I passed the NCLEX RN exam. I am an Australian nurse and went to Hawaii and sat my exam in Honolulu on 21 st August. Computer cut off at 75 questions. Heaps of SATA questions. My husband did the p.vue trick about 3 hours after the exam and it said 'at this time you can't re register..... My official pass came in this morning!

Thanks for the quick reply. One less thing to worry about in this long process.

Hi Hoping that I pass the NCLEX next week I will become licensed in New Mexico. If that is the case will the Visascreen that I order shortly after have NM listed on it?. Or will it list that I have passed NCLEX and can be licensed in general? The reason I ask is, say I endorse to CO will this cause an issue if I present the visascreen to an American Consulate with NM listed on the visascreen and not CO when I may have a job offer in CO. I will be travelling the E3 Australian Visa route. thanks for any advice in advance

Good question. I'm not an expert in this area but can answer you with what I know. Once you have a state license you can endorse to others. They may require a ssn for endorsement. You don't have to go through the "whole process" again but obviously a new endorsement application and fee. California and new York are different again. New Mexico is in a state compact license with other states but this only allows those living in these compact states to use the temporary license permits whilst transferring between states to work. Not sure about agencies? The first step is ces report because without that you will not be able to move forward.

Hi Sezza83 I am in that process now and have been through CGFNS to get my CES report. I am booked to take the NCLEX in August (Hawaii) and hopefully become licensed in New Mexico shortly after that. I had no problems with meeting CGFNS 1st level general nurse equivalency. I hold a bachelor of Nursing (3 year) completed in 1992 and a dip in midwifery after that in 1997. I believe CGFNS primarily look at your bachelor degree content. I covered all areas in obs, paeds in my bachelor degree however I did not complete 'humanities' which Vermont Board required. I then applied to NM Board rather than going through a denial hearing with Vermont regarding the lacking of humanities hours nonsense. Humanities studies are completed in our High School level, not Uni but Vermont required 40 hours. With your subject breakdown you will have to get your Uni to complete the CGFNS forms for you. Maybe ask for a copy first prior to them sending the docs. Vermont BON has the minimum required hours for RN's to get licensure on their webpage. I suggest if you are really serious you get a move on as more and more states are requiring a social security number SSN prior to RN application which makes if difficult. Vermont just introduced a SSN for applications in May. If you believe you have the required hours i would suggest paying extra $$$ and getting your CES report expedited otherwise you are in for a long wait and perhaps all States requiring a SSN. Regarding employement we are also not really sure which State to aim for but have singled out Texas and a few others in the Southern areas of U.S. I will be looking at Labor and Delivery positions, Nursery etc and probably like yourself could work in any of these positions. As long as the position in the U.S requires a bachelors degree you can meet E3 visa Status. Certain Magnet Status Hospitals require experienced new applied RN staff to have a BSN. From reading threads you will need experience to go with that and a fair bit by the look of the job situation in certain States. Having gone through this process for 18 months now you have to be 100% committed otherwise you will waste you time and money. You have an option of the E3 visas most others DO NOT so it is something special to work toward. regards

Sorry typing on iPad. What I was saying you have to be 100% committed to going through the process. If you have a required Nursing specialty and experience you will find a job with the E 3 visa but the path there via cgfns, nclex etc is very time consuming and $$$. The first step would be to make sure you have all your nursing education to meet U.S general nursing standards. Best of luck.

Hi celestial2311. A few others answered your queries. We did apply to Vermont and new Mexico and went with NM and meet there requirements to sit NCLEX without SSN. No doubt that will change at some stage as Vermont which now requires SSN. At the end of the day you have to

Hi celestial 2311. I was reading your posts with interest. We are also Aussies and my wife has been through the painful and $$$ route to get her ATT number to take nclex in hawaii soon. We started the process about 18 months back and let me tell you cgfns are a nightmare to deal with. We will be using E3 visa and if she passes nclex obtaining a New Mexico license. My wife has been working as a midwife for 14 years and will be looking at labor and delivery type positions at magnet status hospitals. We are also looking at agencies but realize it is straight forward dealing direct with large hospitals HR departments and will probably not use an agency. I think you may be looking at the hardest state to gain employment in ca. We have toyed with Tx which has many magnet status hospitals and appears to be doing better than other states or nth Carolina. We will be traveling with 3 young kids of school age also and seeing as much as possible of the U.S.

Hi. No it does not. I have my ATT number through NM and plan to sit NCLEX in late August in Hawaii due to limited test in Sydney Aust. I read a couple of post stating you need a SSN to be issued a license after NCLEX. There is NOTHING on th NM website stating this. Regards SM

Hi. Im from Sydney and am stressing out big time about the NCLEX as well. I happen to be studying at the moment! I have no time frame to do the exam but my hubby really wants to get to the US early next year. We are both Australians and have no idea where we will go but have got approval from New Mexico Nursing Board. That process took sooooo long thanks to CGFNS. 14 months in total! Any way from what I have read on this site you have to sign an agreement when you do the exam not to give any info out to anyone about the questions/content. I have done a couple of practise Q's and noticed that metric and imperical were added. I am just starting with Saunders Comprehensive review and going through chapter by chapter, basically refreshing my very rusty brain. Ive been nursing for 18 years but have been a midwife for 15 of those! As for Pharmacology. OMG. I dont know where to start. I have the small Kaplan 'medications you need to know for the exam' book, but so far I have opened it and closed it again!!! I have noticed that they have generic names as well as other common names with each med. Some are very familiar. Hope this helps. I rekon heads down and bums up with the study doing one area at a time and add some practise Q's when you feel confident in an area. Im sure we will chat soon!

Thanks Dixie9 no doubt I will have queries pop up along the journey.

I will take you advice onboard. thanks