UK to USA

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Hi All,

I am a UK adult trained nurse with 4 years experience. I am hoping to work in USA as a nurse. I am curious if anyone has successfully gone through the cgfns process and what the experience was like? Particularly if you were granted ATT or if you fell short in clinical/ theory hours? If so, how did you deal with this? Any suggestions or advice welcomed!

 

Thank you. 

Specializes in Perioperative.

Thanks so much for that info I'm up to date with all of that and underway. Was curious how you found working in theatre and what differences you found and if you enjoyed it? I'm tossing up applying for rep jobs or working in theatre there, Im an Australian educated and trained nurse I just happen to also work in the UK too. My email is [email protected] if you wanted to email. 😀

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Specializes in ICU.

Hello There, 

 

I am registered adult nurse from London. I am currently working in Neuro Intensive care unit. Have 3 years of experience in acute medicine and ICU. Completed PGcert/Gradcert in CCC. I would like to move to the US since my partner is there and I would like to do masters in nursing and work there as well. When I was student nurse, I had a clinical placement in health visiting where I was exposed to taking care of babies, toddlers and pregnant ladies and as an adult nurse, we do come across patient aged 16-17 years old, and mental health patients. But I suppose I haven't had enough maternity experience. I worked two bank shifts in the delivery suite, taking care of mothers who had given birth. Does this qualify? Has anyone been in my situation, and what did you do to succeed in this process?

Please advise on how to proceed with cgfns given all of the information provided above. I would be highly grateful. 

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Specializes in Trauma and Orthopaedics, Medical High Dependency.
hjellybean said:

Hello There, 

 

I am registered adult nurse from London. I am currently working in Neuro Intensive care unit. Have 3 years of experience in acute medicine and ICU. Completed PGcert/Gradcert in CCC. I would like to move to the US since my partner is there and I would like to do masters in nursing and work there as well. When I was student nurse, I had a clinical placement in health visiting where I was exposed to taking care of babies, toddlers and pregnant ladies and as an adult nurse, we do come across patient aged 16-17 years old, and mental health patients. But I suppose I haven't had enough maternity experience. I worked two bank shifts in the delivery suite, taking care of mothers who had given birth. Does this qualify? Has anyone been in my situation, and what did you do to succeed in this process?

Please advise on how to proceed with cgfns given all of the information provided above. I would be highly grateful. 

Hi there

Whatever credential evaluation service you used, they only look at your degree and training experience. I didn't have a paeds or maternity placement during my degree but seemed to have hour accumulated through health visiting placements. Same goes for psych I think my long term nursing home placement gave me hours for that. 
 

It really depends on what state you want to go to too as they all seem to have different requirements, so that's maybe a good place to start is contact whichever state board of nursing and they can give you guidance on what hours foreign educated nurses need.

You will need to contact your university once you apply to CGFNS for transcripts - CGFNS have specific forms someone at your school will need to complete. Keep at them to get it done and I can stress enough how important it is that they send them tracked for you - mine were unfortunately lost a few times which delayed my process massively.

Theres a lot of success stories on here - me being one of them even though it was a long stressful process! I'm in Pennsylvania, just waiting to take my NCLEX this month hopefully I pass and I'll have my license! 

 

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Specializes in ICU.

@ScottishNurse22 Hey I have done 6-8 weeks of placement in Health Visiting, Surgical Assessment Unit and A&E. Came across lots of pregnant ladies, young adults and toddlers during this placements. So do you think these hours are sufficient?. CGFNS has a format that we have to follow right? So meaning that I cannot ask my university to write a letter saying that I have covered all these areas in my nursing placements?. 

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Specializes in Trauma and Orthopaedics, Medical High Dependency.
hjellybean said:

@ScottishNurse22 Hey I have done 6-8 weeks of placement in Health Visiting, Surgical Assessment Unit and A&E. Came across lots of pregnant ladies, young adults and toddlers during this placements. So do you think these hours are sufficient?. CGFNS has a format that we have to follow right? So meaning that I cannot ask my university to write a letter saying that I have covered all these areas in my nursing placements?. 

Obviously I can't say for certain as like I said every state is different and don't know exactly what they are all looking for but sounds like you've had a good variety of placements that should be in your favor. CGFNS provide you forms that you forward onto your university and whoever deals with transcripts is responsible for filing them out. Im sure the person will be experienced enough in filing them in. 

When I had mine filled in I asked that they went through my placements with a fine tooth comb - I had random days at child development center and baby immunization clinic etc but in the end I don't actually know if they could recognize this or just my actual assigned placement.
 

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Specializes in ICU.

Has anyone taken the New York Board of Nursing exam, and how did you manage to complete the child abuse and infection prevention courses? Please send help. 

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Specializes in ICU.

Hello, 

I am just getting my university to send my stuff over to CGFNS, but they said they couldn't do trackable service, so is there any other way I can get them to send it trackable? I don't want my files to be lost and the process to be delayed.
Please help. 

Thanks.

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hjellybean said:

Hello, 

I am just getting my university to send my stuff over to CGFNS, but they said they couldn't do trackable service, so is there any other way I can get them to send it trackable? I don't want my files to be lost and the process to be delayed.
Please help. 

Thanks.

Hi Jellybean I'm currently going through the same process with my university not being able to offer trackable post due to not having a contact name at CGFNS.  Did you find away around this? and if so what did you do? 

 

Thanks 

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Specializes in ICU.

@kelly2407 Hello, Kelly. My university completed all of the paperwork and stamping, placed them in an envelope sealed with their address, and I took them to the post office (located on my university campus) and sent them as first class trackable. Ask the university if you can do this.

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hjellybean said:

@kelly2407 Hello, Kelly. My university completed all of the paperwork and stamping, placed them in an envelope sealed with their address, and I took them to the post office (located on my university campus) and sent them as first class trackable. Ask the university if you can do this.

Hi Jellybean unfortunately no my Uni won't accept this. I feel like I'm hitting a brick wall.  Can I ask which Uni you went to?

Thanks 

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Specializes in ICU.

Please send me your email address so that I can contact you about my university details. Also, they can not refuse you because, even with first class trackable, my post took two weeks to arrive at the exact address, and the chances of it going missing are very high because it was in transit from one location to another before arriving in Philadelphia. 

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Specializes in ICU.

Hello, there. I just received an update on my CES report, stating that it has been issued for NYBON and that all criteria are highlighted as "Meets all requirements". What exactly does this mean. Please tell me. Thanks. 

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