1st year student nurse dreaming of the US

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hi all

I have just started 1 st year adult nursing( but have worked as HCA in A&E for 8 years) and i know im jumping ahead of myself a wee bit but would like to at some point, when qualified, relocate to the us. i have been searching the board for some things and couldnt really find the answeres i was looking for, so hope u guys can help.

firstly, can i go to the states on my own, do the exams, screenings etc aswell as getting in contact with some hospitals, apply for jobs and do the green card route. or do i have to use an agency? i have friends and family in san diego so thats really where i want to go and i have heard that with an agency u cant really pick where u wanna go.

secondly,i was thinking of sitting the NCLEX exam soon after i qualify( to have it out of the way)and i read that its only valid for 365 days and that a board of nursing need to determine your eligibility with in that time. but it might not be until a couple of years after that i plan to go out. is that possible or does it have to be done close to departure, if this make sense:confused:

thirdly, in regard to the clinical and practical hours i would have to top up, does any one know how many hours we are talking about for each( peads/maternity and mental health) u have emailed the CGFNS about this but have not heard anything back as of yet. planning on speaking to my uni to see if spread over my three years i can add extra modules( possible have to pay extra) so i can still qualify with the right amount of everything.

someone on a previous thread mentioned the option of going to the states to be a guest student to top up the hours, how would that work and where could i find some info?

also, have i got it right in thinking that these are the hoops to jump through

1. ATT

2. CGFNS

3. NCLEX

4.VISA SCREENING

is there anything els :eek: i have forgotten.

and to round it off nicely

what has been the best and the worst aspects of moving to the us?

p.s in second year i can choose a placement abroad if i want and have heard that its near impossible to get to do it in the states due to insurance? is this so?

sorry for the rant :chair:

thanks, hanna

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
hi all

I have just started 1 st year adult nursing( but have worked as HCA in A&E for 8 years) and i know im jumping ahead of myself a wee bit but would like to at some point, when qualified, relocate to the us. i have been searching the board for some things and couldnt really find the answeres i was looking for, so hope u guys can help.

firstly, can i go to the states on my own, do the exams, screenings etc aswell as getting in contact with some hospitals, apply for jobs and do the green card route. or do i have to use an agency? i have friends and family in san diego so thats really where i want to go and i have heard that with an agency u cant really pick where u wanna go.

secondly,i was thinking of sitting the NCLEX exam soon after i qualify( to have it out of the way)and i read that its only valid for 365 days and that a board of nursing need to determine your eligibility with in that time. but it might not be until a couple of years after that i plan to go out. is that possible or does it have to be done close to departure, if this make sense:confused:

thirdly, in regard to the clinical and practical hours i would have to top up, does any one know how many hours we are talking about for each( peads/maternity and mental health) u have emailed the CGFNS about this but have not heard anything back as of yet. planning on speaking to my uni to see if spread over my three years i can add extra modules( possible have to pay extra) so i can still qualify with the right amount of everything.

someone on a previous thread mentioned the option of going to the states to be a guest student to top up the hours, how would that work and where could i find some info?

also, have i got it right in thinking that these are the hoops to jump through

1. ATT

2. CGFNS

3. NCLEX

4.VISA SCREENING

is there anything els :eek: i have forgotten.

and to round it off nicely

what has been the best and the worst aspects of moving to the us?

p.s in second year i can choose a placement abroad if i want and have heard that its near impossible to get to do it in the states due to insurance? is this so?

sorry for the rant :chair:

thanks, hanna

just leaving work at the moment so will post later.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

firstly, can i go to the states on my own, do the exams, screenings etc aswell as getting in contact with some hospitals, apply for jobs and do the green card route. or do i have to use an agency? i have friends and family in san diego so thats really where i want to go and i have heard that with an agency u cant really pick where u wanna go.

it can be done without an agency, this gives you more say on where you want to live

secondly,i was thinking of sitting the nclex exam soon after i qualify( to have it out of the way)and i read that its only valid for 365 days and that a board of nursing need to determine your eligibility with in that time. but it might not be until a couple of years after that i plan to go out. is that possible or does it have to be done close to departure, if this make sense

to apply for nclex you have to go through bon and cgfns to get credential verification. i took mine march 2004 and still waiting in the uk to get out to the states. the eligibility is to book and take the exam not once you pass it.

thirdly, in regard to the clinical and practical hours i would have to top up, does any one know how many hours we are talking about for each( peads/maternity and mental health) u have emailed the cgfns about this but have not heard anything back as of yet. planning on speaking to my uni to see if spread over my three years i can add extra modules( possible have to pay extra) so i can still qualify with the right amount of everything.

a lot of university's will not provide you the opportunity to catch up on required theory and practical requirements to work in the states. see this link https://allnurses.com/forums/f124/adult-nurses-wanting-to-work-in-the-usa-119906.html

someone on a previous thread mentioned the option of going to the states to be a guest student to top up the hours, how would that work and where could i find some info?

you would need to contact a school of nursing in the states and enqury to whether they take guest students and how much it will cost. you may need a visa which will allow you to study in the states, that you would have to take up with the school of nursing.

also, have i got it right in thinking that these are the hoops to jump through

1. att once ok to sit nclex you go to pearson to sit nclex in london

2. cgfns just do ces

3. nclex

4.visa screening

is there anything else i have forgotten.

bon if you use the info on this link cgfns will do all the running for your paperwork ie transcripts https://allnurses.com/forums/f75/quickest-way-for-getting-things-done-and-licensed-in-us-98305.html

and to round it off nicely

what has been the best and the worst aspects of moving to the us?

p.s in second year i can choose a placement abroad if i want and have heard that its near impossible to get to do it in the states due to insurance? is this so?

yes it is not possible to get a placement in the states. your university should be able t provide more info an places to go

sorry for the rant

thanks, hanna

the process can take over 12 months so be prepared for a long wait so gain some good experience, that is if you meet all criteria

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hi anna

thank you for your reply.

i know that i am far of even being able to start the process but it feels so exciting that i can start preparing and atleast sorting my practice hours out before hand so im all good and ready.

also i talked with my uni and they do indeed do USA placements if i sort it out myself and apparently they have contacts with a company that do the indemnity insurance so fingers crossed i will go to san diego for 6 weeks next summer( much to my husbands panic, home alone with the kids.lol)

thanks again

hanna

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Anna has explained it very nicely.

Good luck

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Anna has explained it very nicely.

Good luck

thankyou :D

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
hi anna

thank you for your reply.

i know that i am far of even being able to start the process but it feels so exciting that i can start preparing and atleast sorting my practice hours out before hand so im all good and ready.

also i talked with my uni and they do indeed do USA placements if i sort it out myself and apparently they have contacts with a company that do the indemnity insurance so fingers crossed i will go to san diego for 6 weeks next summer( much to my husbands panic, home alone with the kids.lol)

thanks again

hanna

you are lucky that your university does US because I believe a lot don't. Best start looking because you will need some sort of visa to be able to do the placement and if you have problems now will just make it a lot harder when you try for a green card later

Good luck

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