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Nursing Jobs in the USA.
Registered nurses looking for employment in the
United States of America, either from a short-term or long-term
perspective, and meeting the minimum requirements, can look forward
to a vast array of possibilities and opportunities within the
health sector there.
The U.S has long been a favoured destination
for those wishing to immigrate to a new land, and nursing offers
a great opportunity to settle in the U.S. permanently or even
to use contract-nursing jobs to fund an extensive travelling holiday
in America.
The skills brought by qualified, experienced
nurses from all over the world are in high demand right across
the U.S. right now, and there are many avenues that you can pursue
to finding employment there from applying directly with hospitals
and medical facilities, to utilizing the skills of a private agency. |
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Immigrating to the USA
By
Dan Danilov
A practical, easy-to-understand book, written by an experienced immigration lawyer, gives you the information you need to ensure an easy and hassle-free entry into the country. Highly recommended
reading.
Click here for more information
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If you're from overseas and
are looking for ways to approach hospitals and other organisations
with a view to job possibilities, you may wish to read our 'Finding
Jobs Overseas' article for ideas and strategies. Which ever
way you decide to approach the task of finding nursing jobs in
the U.S. however make sure that you are familiar with all the
immigration and professional requirements expected of you, and
that you meet those requirements before applying. For a general
overview of the immigration requirements for entering the U.S.,
click here.
The process to apply and to work as a registered nurse in America
has three distinct parts – your immigration papers, your nursing
papers, and the fees involved to have them all processed. The whole
process is reasonably straightforward (depending to some degree
on the country you are applying from), but can be quite a lengthy
process (allow anything up to 18 months) – so take your time
to make sure all your paperwork and supporting documents are correct
and complete, and allow sufficient time for your applications to
be processed before planning a journey to the U.S.
As with most countries in the world, the U.S has a regulatory body
that oversees and regulates the nursing industry in the U.S. Each
state within the U.S has its own regulatory body or Board of Nursing
that has legal authority over nursing regulations in that state.
It is with the board in the state you wish to work that you need
to obtain a license to practice as a registered nurse. Having some
idea about where you wish to work and live will make that particular
issue much easier.
To be considered for a licence to practice as a registered nurse
in the U.S. you need to hold an appropriate nursing degree or diploma
from a registered nursing school in addition to at least two years
of appropriate documented work experience. Even though some countries
allow registered nurses to work with suitable evidence of education
and experience, the U.S. requires all nurses to undergo an evaluation
examination before they can be licensed to work as a nurse. The
Commission
on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) conducts this
examination, and you must pass this certification to work as a nurse
in the U.S. The examination itself is the culmination of the actual
CGFNS certification program, and this program is intended for nurses
who have been educated in countries outside the USA.
For current and complete information about the CGFNS certification
program and application forms that you can download, visit the CGFNS
website, here.
The CGFNS certification program consists of three main parts –
A review of your credentials (education, registration and license),
a one day qualifying exam, and a test of your English language ability
(where required). Here's an overview of what to expect:
Review of your nursing credentials:
All documents supporting your nursing education and licencing documents
must be sent directly to the CGFNS by your issuing authority or
school. All the documents must be sent in English, with an accompanying
letter from your licencing board that states you have a full and
unrestricted licence to work as a registered nurse in your country.
If your documents are not in English, then the responsibility is
yours to ensure that your school and licencing authority can obtain
translated documents that they will then send to the CGFNS. You
are responsible for any fees that this may incur. The CGFNS authority
will then determine the legality of your qualifications and your
suitability to take the one-day exam.
The one-day exam:
The CGFNS one-day examination is held four times a year (dates can
be obtained from the CGFNS
website) in over 40 different countries. When you apply for
the CGFNS certification program, and pay the appropriate fee, you
will be issued a study guide for the examination. This guide will
prepare you for the course, the content, and the format of the questions
that you should be prepared to encounter. The guide consists of
4 practice examinations with about 1000 questions and answers. If
you need to undertake further study to enhance your prospects for
the exam, there are additional study resources that you can purchase
here.
The actual exam itself consists of two parts: the first of 150 questions
to be completed in 150 minutes, and the other of 110 questions that
must be completed in 110 minutes. All questions are multiple-choice
(which means you are given a number of answers from which you must
choose the correct one). The questions are designed to test your
knowledge about general nursing practices in the U.S.A and are not
limited to any one area of expertise so you should expect to be
tested across all nursing concepts. You will be notified of your
test results within two months of completing the examination. |
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