Once upon an era, nursing was not considered a lucrative and rewarding career, and people mocked nurses by calling them funny names. This is not the case anymore, with the demand for nurses in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries rising.
Today, many African families are being lifted out of poverty because one of their members is a practising nurse abroad. However, you don't pack your bags abroad to look for a nursing job. If you are coming to a country like the United States, you must pass qualifying examinations like CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools).
What’s the CGFNS Exam?
The CGFNS Qualifying exam assesses international nursing students' knowledge and understanding of the nursing profession's practices and standards in the United States and acts as a gateway to help them sit for the NCLEX-RN (the US registered nurse licensing exam).
The exam comprises:
1. Credentials review
2. Registration
3. Licensure
CGFNS often requires an English language proficiency test, and the exam is taken within a day. Successful applicants are awarded the CGFNS Certificate.
Read: How to Pay Your Foreign School Fees and Medical Bills in Naira
Working as a Registered Nurse in the USA
· The salary and benefits package vary significantly from state to state.
- Each state has its own nursing board in the USA, and a chosen state must license applicants.
- To become a licensed nurse in the USA, you can use the CGFNS or NCLEX-RN®.
- Foreign nurse applicants must take the CGFNS exam to help them scale through the NCLEX-RN® examination.
- The US Department of Labour, US Boards of Registered Nurses, the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, Universities, and employers consider the CGFNS Certification Program.
- With the CGFNS certificate, applicants can qualify for an occupational Visa.
- CGFNS Certificate holders can easily pass the NCLEX-RN® examination
A simple step to apply for your NCLEX exam
-
a) Apply for the Credential Evaluation Service (CES): The nursing board accepts CES from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), Educational Records Evaluation Service, Inc. (ERES) or the International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF).
b) Create an account with CGFNS Connect.
c) Pay for your Credential Evaluation Service (CES) Professional Transcript with the Pay4Me App
d) Print out the following forms.
· License Validation Form (Nursing and Midwifery Council Nigeria)
· Professional Transcript (university or School of Nursing)
· Supplemental form.( for any additional information)
· Secondary School Examination Certificate
· Authorization to release information
e) Pick a state in the United States and apply.
f) Check the state's nursing requirements.
g) You might be required to run a criminal background check
h) Take the Jurisprudence examination
i) Take your NCLEX exam
What’s the CGFNS Eligibility?
The CGFNS Certification Program is for first-level, general nurses educated and/or licensed outside the United States who want to write the NCLEX-RN® examination and attain their licensure as USA registered nurses.
According to the International Council of Nurses (ICN), applicants must hold initial and current registration/licensure as a first-level general nurse.
Who is not eligible?
A second-level nurse or enrollee, vocational, practical nurse, or nurse assistant is not eligible to be licensed as a registered nurse in the US or the certification program.
The CGFNS Exam
- . Applicants must submit their English Proficiency test scores from TOIEC, TOEFL or IELTS for an eligibility criterion:
- . For test scores to be considered valid, applicants must complete one of the English and qualifying exams within two years.
- . The CGFNS exam is a multiple-choice, objective internet-based test divided into two parts, with 260 questions.
- . Part 1 Exam has 159 questions and is written within 2 hours and 30 minutes.
- . Applicants take 1-hour break.
- . Part 2 Exam contains 110 questions and is written within 1 hour and 50 minutes.
CGFNS Credentials Review
Applicants must
- Completed a Senior Secondary School education before their nursing education
- Graduated from a Government-approved nursing program of at least two years in length.
- Received theoretical instruction and clinical practice in nursing care of adults (including medical and surgical nursing), material/infant nursing care, nursing care of children, and psychiatric/mental health nursing.
- Completed request for the school of nursing's academic records form and full academic transcripts.
What is the CGFNS Credentialing Report?
- Credential Evaluation Service (CES)
- Certification Program (CP)
- Visascreen (VS)
Why take the CGFNS Exam?
- Certification by CGFNS International opens employment doors for nurses and other healthcare professionals.
- CGFNS has an exclusive partnership with Canadian nursing regulators and the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) to evaluate and validate the credentials of foreign-educated nurses.
- CGFNS is the only organization approved by the United States Department of Homeland Security to validate the credentials of seven foreign healthcare professionals for occupational visas.
What’s Credential Evaluation Service (CES)?
The Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) Professional Report provides a complete analysis of nursing credentials earned outside the United States of America used for academic placement.
Most State Boards of Nursing (BONs) in America use the Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) Professional Report® to access applicants who want to take the NCLEX-RN.
With the CES Academic Report, academic institutions can analyze the education qualification received by applicants in their home countries compared to the United States educational nursing standard.
CES Required Documents
- Secondary school information
- Professional education information: CGNS receives this directly from the applicant's educational institution.
How Much is Credentials Evaluation Service Professional Report®?Servi
- Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) Professional Report Application: $485.00
- Expedited Review Service: $425.00
- Re-Evaluation: $295.00
- Reprocess an Expired Application: $225.00
- Additional Report Recipients (cost per recipient): $175.00
- English Language Proficiency Report (cost per report): $125.00.
- Additional License/Registration Evaluation (cost per credential): $125.00
- Additional Academic Credential Evaluation (cost per credential): $125.00
- Duplicate Report for Applicant (cost per report): $125.00
eDas™ – eDocument Authentication Service™ Report
- eDas – Document Authentication Service Report: $275.00 Report to 1 recipient
- eDas – Document Authentication Service Report (each additional): $125.00
VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment
- VisaScreen® Application:: $740.00
- Expedited Review Service: $650.00
- Renewal Application: $475.00
- Reprocess an Expired Application: $250.00
- Request for Paper Certificate: $195.00
- Certificate Verification Letter: $150.00
CGFNS Certification Program®
- cCertification Program Application: $495.00
- Re-Examination Application: $250.00
- Certification Program Evaluation: $395.00
- CGFNS Qualifying Exam Testing Window Change Fee: $50.00
- CGFNS Qualifying Exam Self-Assessment: $50.00
- Replacement CGFNS Certificate: $175.00
- Certificate Verification Letter: $125.00
Additional Fees
- Return Check Fee: $75.00
- Credit Card Denial Fee: $75.00
- Resend Certificate Fee: $100.00
Add-On Services
- eSAVED $35.00 per year
- Extended Storage of Authenticated and Verified Electronic Documents: $100.00 for 4 years
- Translations of Documents Per Page (standard size): $85.00
- Forwarding English Test Results: $25.00
Time limits for applications and payment
Applicants applying for the following services are given 12 months to meet the requirements of an order:
- CGFNS Certification Program
- Credentials Evaluation Service
- VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment
Orders will expire within 12 months if:
- The applicant is not registered to take the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® for the Certification Program
- A Credentials Evaluation Service report has not been issued
- An ICHP VisaScreen® certificate has not been issued
- Fee payment(s) has not been received in full
CGFNS Refund policy
CGFNS has a “no refund” policy for all programs, products and services.
How to Pay for Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) in Naira
- Download the Pay4Me App
- Register and complete your identity verification
- Go to the CGFNS website, register for an account, and start your application:
- Choose the appropriate credentials evaluation service based on your profession.
- Proceed to payment on the Pay4Me App.
- After payment, you will usually be required to upload or mail your official transcripts and other supporting documents.
Pay for CGFNS in Minutes using the Pay4Me App.
Read: How to Pay for Celpip Exam Online (in Naira)
