Psychiatric nursing in USA, looking for Info

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Specializes in General Psych, Forensic, Drug & Alcohol.

hello to allnurses, I'm a new member just registered today. I'm looking for some information about psychiatric nursing in the USA. I'm interested in working in the USA. I'm a registred mental health nurse in the UK. I would really appreciate any neccessary information.

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What information are you looking for? Places to work? Pay? What is your degree and what setting do you practice as a mental health nurse? I am a psychiatric RN.

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Specializes in General Psych, Forensic, Drug & Alcohol.

Hi Pronurse

Thanks for your reply, first of all. Well, I have got a higher education diploma in nursing studies which I attained at southbank university in london. I am a Registered Mental health Nurse in the Uk (RMN) My speaciality is psychiatric nursing and I have been qualified since April 2001. I have worked in an acute setting and currently working in forensic psychiatry ( Medium Secure Unit). Basically I'm looking to work in the States and I'm looking for any information like how I would go about it for starters, like recruitment agencies/bodies/hospitals etc contact information on relevant bodies/persons. In addition I'm also looking for infrmation on pay scales as well.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

To work in the USA you need to get your training checked out and you can do this at http://www.cgfns.org It costs, can be done online but you need to post everything to them ( get the school/university to post them if you post your transcripts they wont accept them) and they are slow. I have been waiting since last August and still not sorted. You can not sit the NCLEX without the CGFNS certificate with most US BON's and you need the certificate also for immigration.

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.
hello to allnurses, I'm a new member just registered today. I'm looking for some information about psychiatric nursing in the USA. I'm interested in working in the USA. I'm a registred mental health nurse in the UK. I would really appreciate any neccessary information.

Hi and welcome. I am from the UK and am currently working in Arizona in the field of ICU. I suspect that you may have to take the NCLEX examination in order to practice in the USA. I took it in 2002 and it comprises of 5 modules: Medical, Surgical, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Care of the Newborn/Obstetrics. If you have never done general nursing that may pose a problem as you have to prove you have done so many hours of study in those subjects in the UK. I may be wrong but I don't think so, as I studied with a midwife who also had to do the NCLEX despite not actually having worked as a general nurse since she was in nursing school. I would do a good search on google and see what you come up with.

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.
To work in the USA you need to get your training checked out and you can do this at http://www.cgfns.org It costs, can be done online but you need to post everything to them ( get the school/university to post them if you post your transcripts they wont accept them) and they are slow. I have been waiting since last August and still not sorted. You can not sit the NCLEX without the CGFNS certificate with most US BON's and you need the certificate also for immigration.

This is not true in every state. I never took CGFNS, only the NCLEX, and am now licenced in 2 states (AZ and VT). You don't have to have it for immigration either, and I certainly did not. I had a Visascreen certificate that had a CGFNS mark on it, but never took the exam. All my transcripts from the UK, and my NCLEX pass, were enough to qualify me for a Visascreen. It's mostly non-English speaking nurses that have to take the CGFNS.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Hi Rocknurse

I have been informed that from this year you have to have atleast CGFNS certification for immigration. I have also been told that I need this for AZ. I am flying to Phoenix in 2 weeks to sit the NCLEX and I have only been able to do this because I tried a couple of yrs ago with NY and my application with them is still valid. I have also read a few threads in the immigration forum which also states about CGFNS certification for foreign nurses. I did not state that they have to sit the exam just have CGFNS certification

Hope the job is working well and the move went OK.

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What information are you looking for? Places to work? Pay? What is your degree and what setting do you practice as a mental health nurse? I am a psychiatric RN.

I would suggest you narrow your interest as to where you would want to live in the U.S.A. because of different state regulations for nursing. Once you have an idea of where you might want to live, then you could contact the state board of education for that state. They regulate the nursing licensure.

Have you ever been to the U.S.? Forensic nursing... what a challenge!

From what I understand, I may be wrong, most forensic units are run by the state government in which they are located.

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Specializes in General Psych, Forensic, Drug & Alcohol.

Hi guys, Compliments of the season***, I havent been here for some time now and I'm so glad to be back. Many thanks for replies ans very useful information. I'm still in the UK and have now decided to to move to Brisbane, Australia so am now looking for information on psychiatri nursing there, pay scales and standard of living as compared to the UK..

Regards

David

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