What is the CGFNS?

It has always been known that there are some exams to take to be a licensed nurse in the US. One of those exams is the CGFNS or the Commission in Graduates of Foreign Nursing. A nurse educated from a foreign country needs to take it in order to be eligible to take the NCLEX-RN, the exam that every nurse has to pass to become a registered nurse in the U.S.

It all leads back to the early 1960’s when there were an increasing number of foreign nurses who immigrated to the U.S. to practice nursing. The U.S. immigration officials found it hard to identify foreign educated nurses who met the requirements to take the NCLEX-RN and the reality was, only 15-20% of them passed the U.S. registered nurse licensure exam. The CGFNS was then created to be the predictor of the results for the NCLEX-RN and also as an evaluation process for foreign educated nurses to accurately assess their eligibility to become a registered nurse in the U.S.

The certification involves a three-part program. It is comprised of credentials review, a one-day qualifying exam for knowledge in nursing, and an English proficiency exam. If the applicant successfully passes all three exams, he is then issued a CGFNS certificate.

The CGFNS Certification Program is designed only for entry level nurses or general nurses who are educated and/or licensed in a country outside the United States. To be eligible to take the CGFNS, a nurse must be educated and holds both initial and current registration as an entry level nurse or a general nurse as defined by the International Council for Nurses (ICN).

The CGFNS is just a stepping stone to become a registered nurse in the United States. If you want to know your chances of passing the NCLEX-RN, you better take this exam first. That way, you’ll gain more confidence when you take the NCLEX-RN exam when you know that you were a success with the CGFNS.

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