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Thank you Silverdragon. Do you know if I can apply for LVN or LPN if I get denied for RN? If so would I be able to use the same CVS from the RN application or would I have to pay for another CVS?

I do not require immigration I am a permanent resident with green card and full work permit since 2002 on spousal visa and parent of a us citizen which is why I left the entire topic of immigration out of my post. I am only concerned my diploma degree from a hospital affiliated vocational nursing school may not qualify me for a NYS RN license but might be sufficient for an LPN or LVN.

I know I've been been a remember for a long time and was on the verge of submitting my CVS application years ago but things came up, hubby abandoned me and my daughter so my savings intended for my licensing fees and classes went into surviving and paying bills. Now that I was able to accumulate some savings due to promotions and tax returns I am looking into finally going back into nursing, my true calling and passion! I know I will have to take refresher courses to be able to practice and be hired and I remember back then a couple of ppl told me I wouldn't qualify for RN bc I don't have a degree bc of the nature of Registered Nurse training in Germany but my initial question for now is (and I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner): Can I register as an LPN or LVN in NYS for a better chance of qualifying for licensure and employment and then down the road take an LPN to RN course? If so would it be the same process CVS + NYSBON + TOEFL + CPR/BLS and Abuse recognition course? Thank you so much in advance for your replies and advice

I'm from Germany, not far from Kaiserslautern and my best advice would be to look at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, one of the most renowned medical facilities in Europe and the entire military and is less than 30minutes from Kaiserslautern(also known as K-town). You might also want to try http://www.militaryonesource.mil/seco?content_id=267489 to research any and all spousal employment opportunities and possibilities b/c other than the previously mentioned medical center, every larger military post has at least a sort of group medical practice w/ primary care physicians and specialists. Plus it has a lot of additional info from where to shop, where to live, volunteering and educational possibilities. I hope this helps and good luck to both of you!

I know it's been a while but I got a little sidetracked... Honestly I wouldn't mind rather doing CES than CVS if it's faster and it appears to be less expensive as well! But I don't have any transcripts, all I have is my annual report cards, my exam results and diploma. I don't even know what those transcripts would be, I mean theoretically I know they are a breakdown of subjects and hours of what I was taught but never heard of anything like that back home, not until I started looking into getting my US RN license and I don't even know what they would be called in German...

Thank you again Silverdragon102. The only area I'm bound to by anything is Long Island and that's b/c I don't want to separate my daughter from her father. But he barely spends time now that we're living together so I'll have to see how much effort he puts into qt w/ her when we're not. Living expenses are extremely high and until I'm fully licensed I would have to live in a basement studio in a not so great neighborhood with my daughter and my pets unless I leave my proffesion and go into realestate or financial services or work around the clock and leave my 11-year-old to fend for herself. Even after getting my license I won't be able to afford much more b/c rent is the highest living expense(even though house prices and mortgages have dropped to a third) with 1500-2000 for a 2 bdr apartment. Nurse428: Thank you for the info. How long did your friend's CES take and does CES require CGFNS Exam?

Do you know which state is the most ideal for foreign trained RNs? If I had free choice of anywhere in the US where could I get licensed the easiest and/or fastest?

Thank you Silverdragon102 So if the other state would need CES would I have buy the service and fill out the application even though they don't have to request any documents from my country?

So I'm about to submit my CVS for NY - finally, if I can figure out how to change or delete some unnecessary educational info - but my situation has changed dramatically. Thinking I can take on a part-time or night shift position while waiting for my license so I can start house hunting, my husband reveals to me he doesn't want to be married anymore! I mean I should've seen it coming, on hindsight I realize he's been living like a single man for years, but still I would've liked a little time to prepare or at least a warning. And the timing couldn't be worse, my father just passed away rather unexpectedly (the day before Valentines - that'll never be the same) and I'm thousands of miles away and haven't seen him in almost 4 years! So now I have to figure out how to get the most highest possible pay to support myself and my daughter and pay for something bigger than a shoebox that'll allow pets with no credit history and possibly not working around the clock so my 11 year old daughter won't have to fend for herself b/c I have no grandma or other "free babysitting service" around me! But I'm ranting - sorry - my initial question is: would I be able to endorse the NY RN license for another state license should I decide to leave this life of working your behind off to barely make the rent b/c to be honest I know I'd be happier in a more country-ish small-town type setting and here I don't even know the names of neighbors I lived around for 6 years! Would the NY license endorsement be enough or would I still need the particular CGFNS service that state would require if I were to get licensed there initially? Thank you all in advance for reading my rant and your as always helpful replies! Susanne

Congratulations Nurse!! I can vividly remember my first time - 15 years ago - like it was yesterday! ... can't believe I have to go through it again sometime this year, but at least it will "only" be written/multiple choice, the first time was written, oral and practictical/clinical! Boy was I a wreck, I knew everything - just not at the right time, like when it was my turn...lol

Hey just wanted to wish you good luck for you exam!

Thank you for the fast reply, Silverdragon102.

I've spent almost all day searching postings to find the answer and if it is please forgive me and just post a link, please. I'm a permanent resident foreign educated nurse ready to get back to work after raising my daughter to elementary school age. I hope to apply for NY RN licensure, but I'm not sure as to which order to proceed or if there's a chance it might not even go through b/c it's been so long. Do I send out the CGFNS CVS application first? Then which order do I proceed in? When do I get the TOEFL? While trying to start the process I discovered info on a temporary or limited RN permit, is that something I might want to apply for b/c I'd like to start working asap? If I do would I have to apply for both CVS and CP or just one and which one? If both do I send them at the same time? I'm barely able to come up w/ the CGFNS fee and this is after saving dollar for dollar for a very looooong time so I can't do them all at the same time and therefor need to either send them in as I can afford them or find a job which I'm not sure as to how to go about it w/out a license or work history/checkable references.I am a little worried about my "downtime" being to long and was wondering if there were any "refresher courses" or partial subjects I can take (but have no idea how the school system works here) and if this is something I can do while working b/c I definitely can't afford tuition if it is indeed what I hear it's supposed to be. I live in Suffolk County, LI, NY and am not picky as to where I'll work at all, LTC, Hospital, private care, HH whatever. I know I can't work as an RN or even LPN but maybe as a nurse assistant or patient care assistant/tech(not sure what it's called). I'm only slightly bound as to hours b/c I have a daughter in Elementary school and a Husband working odd hours and don't want strangers rainsing my child so school hours, nights or hubby's days off would be best, I don't know if CNA or PCA positions are bound to strict shift schedules. Please any rype of info will be greatly appreciated! I am sooo ready to work and can't wait. Are there any foreign trained nurses that worked before they started the licensing process or during and what were you able to do? Were you just as confused about the wide varieties of job titles and disciplines? Thanks in advance!

Forgive me if thsi is a stupid question but what are transcripts? All I have from my nursing school are notes and reportcards and then of course the diploma itself!? Susanne

Magdalena, do you know why you had to do the whole education from the beginning? Why didn't they accept your german education? Susanne

Hi jdagol, how do you work as a Clinical Technician CTICU if you don't have your papers? Did you have to get a certificate or do any schooling for that? Susanne

Forgive me if this is a stupid question but what are transcripts? All I have from my nursing school are notes and reportcards and then of course the diploma itself!? Susanne

I don't mean to discourage you but the german economy is going down the drain, everything's expensive and there are hardly any full time jobs, especially in health care. I am still in touch w/ one of my classmates from nursing school who shortly after graduation did further education to run a home health care agency while still working as a nurse and he is currently back at a university majoring in education b/c good nurses are going home w/ 6-8€/h while they work you to death and the patient nurse ratio is outrageous! Plus living expenses including food, utilities, clothes and gas have skyrocketed, gas is currently at 1.51€/liter which would make it around 5.71€/gallon which translates to approx. $8/gal!! If you're in the city you may not need a car at all just keep in mind that public transportation runs on fuel and the ticket prices will be accordingly high. Sorry, I got a little carried away....lol Susanne

it's funny you mention the surgeon part - my last position was as an or nurse wher i started out assisting anaesthesiology and then the surgeon - until i got pregnant and wasn't allowed in the or anymore... thank you for your advice, susanne

thank you april, I'll try to find it, can you tell me how to get to this wizard? isit the office assistant? the only wizards I found are for mail and letters....

I'm not sure where to put this posting, New York, International,...... Bottom line: I'm German, have a 3-year degree in office management and a 3-year degree in nursing, came to NY in 2002 to be w/ my husband whom I met while he was stationed in Germany, stayed home to raise my daughter who's now in school all day so I'm ready to go back to work. BUT I don't have my RN license and can't afford the licensing process so I can't get my license w/out a job and can't get a job until I get my license! So I thought I'd start working on a resume and just go to hospitals and nursing homes and post it on websites to see if they have anything for me. But I have no idea what an American resume is supposed to look like!! And trying to find out online didn't do me a lot of good b/c I found so many different versions it just confused me.... CVS, Chronological, .... what are they? Basically my questions are: Can I possibly hope to find any kind of work in health care without my RN license? Can anyone check my resume or tell me where I can get it checked to find out if it is half way acceptable, if I'm on the right track or completely off? I wasn't sure if I should post it online since it has a lot of personal info, but I could always email it. Thank you for your time and for reading this far, I know I can get a bit wordy sometimes.... Susanne

not at all, there are listings and wanted adds everywhere... why, are you looking to work in NY or LI? I could give you a couple of links...

Thank you Suzanne, I will send you a copy. I sure am glad I posted this, it just didn't feel right. My husband keeps telling I basically had to kiss up to get this contract and keep on it b/c I want something from him. No I haven't signed it yet, I read it over and over and wasn't gonna sign it unless I completely understand everything. He did specify which Hospital, it just wasn't mentioned in the contract and neither was the department. I was thinking the same thing, the 2 year contract is, so I've heard, pretty much standard for sponsoring the entire Imigration and licensing process, which is a lot more money than the license only. The whole thing seemed a little fishy anyway. First of all he called me b/c he saw my resume on monster.com but asked me for my phone #, address and email address, which is all listed in the resume. Then he was supposed to send me an email with the contract a few days after our phone conversation but didn't. When I called him he asked me to send him anemail with specifics, I listed our phone conversation and my status, but figured details of his offer were his job and not mine. All in all it took him weeks to get back to me, he claimed to have been out of the country or out of town, not in his office....and kept promising to send the contract again and again. When he finally did, he claimed to have sent it to the wrong email address.

I am a foreign Nurse not yet US-licensed, living in NY as a Permanent Resident. For as long as I've been here I have not been able to get a job or come up with the money for the licensing process, but being that my daughter is about to start school and my husband now has a different schedule I can take on a PT job to finance it without having to worry about childcare eating up my entire paycheck or even more. I have received an offer from an Agency to sponsor the licensing fees in exchange for a 2 year contract. Some of the conditions are employment start date 30 days after valid license received $30/h, $32/h after one year (oral agreement, not listed in the contract) minimum of 35h/week, waived for the first 3 or 6 months to secure appropriate childcare (oral agreement, not listed in the contract) assignment in nearest University Hospital, department not specified (oral agreement, not listed in the contract) The Benefits look good as far as I can tell, they include Cigna Healthcare and Pharmacy, Delta Dental, Spectera Vision Plan, First Reliance Short and Long Term Disability as well as Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance, Flexible spending accounts, Group homeowner's, Auto, Voluntary Pet Insurance and MetLife Banking. These are just the subjects I am able to process and fully understand as my bureaucratic(?) English is not very good. I am worried that I might sell myself short or end up having to work somewhere where I'm not liked or mobbed or anything else that might make me uncomfortable and I have no choice but to do the job b/c they put me there and tell me to. I just would like to hear some opinions, pro or con, and maybe some experiences. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the entire contract or forward it via email, but if you need more info or details let me know. Thank you, Susanne

OK, when you say "apply to NY for licensure, can you give me a specific, a link or address or name? Do I contact the Board of Nursing directly? How long do you think I will have from the time I apply with CGFNS until I have to sit for NCLEX? Thank you for the recommendation, I already checked my library's website and they have it available. I shouldn't have any problems finding a job once I'm licensed, what I need right now is a job to finance the licensing procedure. $275 might notsound much to a working nurse, but for me it is pretty much impossible to come up with, at least it has been for the last 4 years. I had considered HHA, but it requires a 2 week class during which I'd need childcare for my daughter that I can not afford. I haven't been able to buy groceries or fuel for more than a week and have to wait a couple more days until payday so I cannot come up with any extra expenses without ending up not being able to pay the rent. And because I haven't been working for so long I was hoping to find something in the healthcare department so I could at least be in the field, even if not as a nurse. Unfortunately I don't know of the Job Titles that might be possible for me without my license. There must be something I can do like bathing or feeding patients or just taking them to or from treatments and therapy. Susanne