The CGFNS Certification Program was created to serve as a predictor exam and evaluation process for foreign-educated nurses to more accurately forecast which nurses were likely to meet the requirements for licensure as registered nurses in the United States.

In order to be eligible for the program, a nurse must be educated and hold both initial and current registration/licensure as a first-level, general nurse as defined historically by the International Council of Nurses (ICN).

A first-level nurse is called a registered or professional nurse in most countries. A second-level nurse, often called an enrolled, vocational, practical nurse or nurse assistant, is not eligible to be licensed as a registered nurse in the U.S., and therefore, is not eligible for the Certification Program.

A general nurse must have obtained theoretical instruction and clinical practice in a variety of nursing areas. A nurse who specialized in one area without being educated and registered/licensed as a general nurse is not eligible for the Certification Program.

Applicants must have completed a senior secondary school education separate from their nursing education; graduated from a government-approved nursing program of at least two years in length; and received theoretical instruction and clinical practice in nursing care of the adult (including medical and surgical nursing), maternal/infant nursing care, nursing care of children and psychiatric/mental health nursing. Note: All transcripts must come directly from source agencies.

Applicants must have a full and unrestricted license/registration to practice as a first-level, general nurse in the country where they completed their general nursing education; and hold a current license/registration as a first-level, general nurse. Note: All validations must come directly from the source agencies.

The Qualifying Exam measures an applicant's nursing knowledge and is based on what nurses must know and do when they practice nursing in the United States. The foundations of the Qualifying Exam are based on client (patient) needs. The traditional clinical areas of nursing practice -- nursing care of the adult, nursing care of children, maternal/infant nursing, psychiatric/mental health nursing and community health nursing -- are covered. The exam ensures that an applicant has the same level of understanding of nursing with various client groups, in various settings, as recent graduates of U.S. schools of nursing.

Both the CGFNS Exam and the NCLEX-RN® examination are based on the same framework of client needs because it provides a universal structure for defining nursing actions and competencies across all settings for all clients.

Applicants must successfully complete TOEFL and the Qualifying Exam within a two-year period in order for test scores to be considered valid. TOEFL may be taken prior to or following the CGFNS Qualifying Exam.

Applicants must apply directly to ETS in order to take the TOEFL exam. For information or an application, contact: Test of English as a Foreign Language, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151 USA; telephone: (609) 771-7100; or e-mail: toefl@ets.org.

Certain applicants may be exempt from the English language proficiency requirement if they meet all of the following criteria:

1. Native language is English;
2. Country of nursing education was Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand or the United Kingdom;
3. Language of instruction was English; and
4. Language of textbooks was English.

Second, the opportunity to take the CGFNS Qualifying Exam and TOEFL at a number of locations throughout the world enables applicants to save both time and money by providing them with the opportunity to earn a CGFNS Certificate in their home country before traveling to the United States to take the NCLEX-RN® examination.

Attaining a CGFNS Certificate helps applicants in three ways. First, the certificate will help applicants meet state requirements for the registered nurse licensure exam. Most states require a CGFNS Certificate from nurse educated abroad before they can take the NCLEX-RN® examination.

Finally, the CGFNS Certificate helps applicants to qualify for an occupational visa. CGFNS was named in section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 as an organization qualified to administer a screening program for healthcare professionals who are seeking an occupational visa. The International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP), a division of CGFNS, developed VisaScreenTM: Visa Credentials Assessment to meet the requirements of section 343. For foreign-educated nurses who do not hold a U.S. license by examination, passing a predictor exam, such as the CGFNS Qualifying Exam, is a requirement of section 343.