Glossary:
CGFNS services and programs and other organizations
CGFNS
Certification Program
A three-part CGFNS program for first-level, general nurses educated outside the United States who wish to practice as registered nurses in the United States: 1) a credentials review, 2) followed by the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® (of nursing knowledge) and 3) a test of English language proficiency. Meeting the credentials criteria and passing the two examinations entitles applicants to receive a CGFNS Certificate. Find information about the Certification Program at www.cgfns.org/sections/programs/cp/default.shtml
Credentials Evaluation Service (CES)
A CGFNS service designed for nurses educated outside the United States who need to have their educational and professional registration credentials evaluated. The service presents the results of this evaluation in the form of a CES report. The report describes the nurse&8217;s credentials in terms of their comparability to U.S. credentials. The report can be used for immigration, licensure, employment or admission to a U.S. nursing education program. The Credentials Evaluation Service can be used by all nurses educated outside the United States, including registered or professional nurses, enrolled or practical nurses and nursing assistants. Find information about the Credentials Evaluation Service at www.cgfns.org/sections/programs/ces/default.shtml
Credential Verification Service for New York State
A CGFNS service designed to meet the New York State Department of Education requirement that foreign-educated registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants obtain independent verification of their credentials’ authenticity through an approved credentials verification service. This CGFNS service independently collects and verifies the authenticity of an applicant’s educational and licensure/registration documents. Once the credentials are verified, the documents are forwarded to the New York State Department of Education to be evaluated as part of the applicant’s New York licensure application. Find information about the Credential Verification Service for New York State at www.cgfns.org/sections/programs/cvs/default.shtml
CGFNS Qualifying Exam®
A test of nursing knowledge for first-level, general nurses. The CGFNS Qualifying Exam® is developed by nursing experts and is designed to assess your knowledge of nursing as it is practiced in the United States, critical thinking ability and ability to apply nursing theory and principles to clinical practice. The examination is a component of three CGFNS services: the Certification Program, the International Standards for Professional Nurses Program (ISPN), and the VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment. Find information about the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® at www.cgfns.org/sections/programs/cp/cp-qe.shtml
International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP)
A division of CGFNS that administers the VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment, which meets the federal visa requirements for the screening of nurses and other health care professionals seeking entry into the United States.
International Standards for Professional Nurses Program (ISPN)
A CGFNS program offered in the People’s Republic of China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. Nurses who wish to participate in the ISPN program must: 1) reside in one of the countries in which the program is offered, 2) have graduated from a government-approved nursing school and 3) have their status as a first-level, general nurse verified. Nurses who meet the requirements will be approved to take the CGFNS Qualifying Exam®. Upon successfully passing the exam, the nurse will be awarded the ISPN certificate. Find information about the International Standards for Professional Nurses Program at www.cgfns.org/sections/programs/ces/default.shtml
VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment
A CGFNS assessment that meets federal visa requirements for the screening of health care professionals who seek entry into the United States. It includes 1) an assessment of an applicant’s education to ensure that it is comparable to that of a U.S. graduate in the same profession, 2) verification that licenses (both past and present) are valid and unencumbered, 3) English language proficiency testing and 4) in the case of nurses only, verification that the nurse has either earned a CGFNS Certificate or passed the NCLEX-RN®. The VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment is administered by the International Commission on Healthcare Professions, a division of CGFNS. Find information about the VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment at www.cgfns.org/sections/programs/vs/default.shtml
Other organizations
American Nurses Association
A full-service professional organization representing more than two million nurses in the United States through its 53 constituent state nursing associations. The American Nurses Association seeks to advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace and lobbying the U.S. Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the American public. www.nursingworld.org/.
Board of nursing
A U.S. state government agency that is responsible for the regulation of nursing practice. The authority to grant licenses to registered nurses and practical nurses is at the state, and not the federal, level in the United States. State boards of nursing are members of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
The organization through which U.S. state boards of nursing act together on matters of common interest. This includes matters of public health, safety and welfare, including the development of licensure examinations for nursing.
The NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) is an exam used by all U.S. state and territorial boards of nursing who are NCSBN members to test the entry-level nursing competence of candidates for licensure as registered nurses (NCLEX-RN®) and as practical or vocational nurses (NCLEX-PN®). Procedures and regulations regarding licensing are decided independently by each NCSBN member board of nursing. The license obtained is not a national license, but authorizes practice only in the state where the examination was taken, or in the multi-state compact of which the state is a member. https://www.ncsbn.org/index.htm
National League for Nursing
An organization dedicated to excellence in nursing education. It is the preferred membership organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. National League for Nursing members include nurse educators, education agencies, health care agencies and interested members of the public. It offers faculty development programs, networking opportunities, testing and assessment, nursing research grants and public policy initiatives to its 33,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members. www.nln.org/index.cfm
