Work permit needed for RN arriving on KI

[h2oshore 0]

My fiance is an RN with years of experience including some study in the USA (is fluent) and is a college instructor in her home country.

I'm thinking there must be a way to avoid the many months needed to get a work permit to begin work as the nursing shortage is so well known.

Any ideas. Her POE will be Seattle.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Is she dual Canuck-Thai or Thai-only? That can make a massive difference.

[Zee Bee 61]

Does she need some kind of certification to be a nurse in the US?

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Does she need some kind of certification to be a nurse in the US?

I would think so - most 'controlled' professions (medical, teaching, engineering) usually require both evaluation of foreign credentials and some sort of training. When I was teaching in Edmonton, one of our programs was to 'upgrade' Internationally Educated Nurses (some of them were already at the level of Nurse Practitioners in their home countries); and even with our certificate, most of them found it hard to find comparable jobs.

It's worth looking into what the professional association of your state requires - check in advance so you can get that process rolling as well.

[payxibka 10,047]

Just try being a foreign credentialed pharmacist and see what is required to get transferred/evaluated/licensed....

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

She will probably have to spend some time converting her qualifications for the US. So if she can get that started asap when she arrives, you might find that she's not sitting around too long before her EAD comes through

[h2oshore 0]

She will probably have to spend some time converting her qualifications for the US. So if she can get that started asap when she arrives, you might find that she's not sitting around too long before her EAD comes through

Yes, of course she needs to pass a stateside nursing test which she will probably have done when she arrives.

I think there is no clear answer except that perhaps her EAD may come through without much delay.

Otherwise I think she will have to go through the same process as everyone else even though there is an RN shortage.

Fair enough I suppose.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Rn shortage or no shortage, she still has to be legally able to work. I'm a RN student--1 more year to go. I would assume she will have to get her credentials checked out and pass the NCLEX exam. Its not an easy exam. Great free forum for nursing is http://allnurses.com/ Best of luck

[Bassi and Zainab 1]

It doesn't matter how quickly the EAD goes through (and they won't speed it up because there is a shortage she would have had to come under a work visa), she can't work without being licensed to practice in the state that you plan to live in. That includes an exam, but also a lengthy review of her education and qualifications, they check with the country to make sure they aren't fraudulent and then many states also have a moral integrity section that requires you to prove that you are morally fit to practice as a nurse in the state and wouldn't reflect poorly on the profession. The process of becoming licensed is not a short or easy one for a foreign educated professional. So, in summary, I would say that it won't be a quick turn around for her to find work in the US as a nurse.

I'm not sure where you are in the visa process now....but you could start the process of getting her licensed by having her qualifications reviewed by a credentialing entity such as WES. Also get the listing of requirements and application for licensure from your state nurse licensing board.

Edited May 23, 2008 by Bassi and Zainab

[Donna A 4]

if there is such a nurse shortage why dont they let more student into the programs then. my daughter is in her first year of college now and hopeing to get into the nursing program but they only take the top 100 per year!!!!! kinda makes me wonder if there is really a shortage or not.

[Flames9_RN 358]

if there is such a nurse shortage why dont they let more student into the programs then. my daughter is in her first year of college now and hopeing to get into the nursing program but they only take the top 100 per year!!!!! kinda makes me wonder if there is really a shortage or not.

Who is going to instruct them? Can allow more students in BUT one requires more nursing professors, and many schools the minimum education one ca teach with is a Masters. So you add more students BUT don't add more staff, not a great place to learn and the quality is going to go down. Do you want that person as ur nurse? I'm not in it for the $$$, but one usually gets paid a lot better working in the hospital than at a school.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

if there is such a nurse shortage why dont they let more student into the programs then. my daughter is in her first year of college now and hopeing to get into the nursing program but they only take the top 100 per year!!!!! kinda makes me wonder if there is really a shortage or not.

Who is going to instruct them? Can allow more students in BUT one requires more nursing professors, and many schools the minimum education one ca teach with is a Masters. So you add more students BUT don't add more staff, not a great place to learn and the quality is going to go down. Do you want that person as ur nurse? I'm not in it for the $$$, but one usually gets paid a lot better working in the hospital than at a school.

Also, to spin the pot further....

In some cases, the process of hiring a nurse runs into godowns-worth of red-tape. Especially the case in parts of Canada (where I have been informed, a nursing shortage also exists), where the nurse can oft be hired in US and maybe even complete 1 visa term (on TN-1, one year) before their app is even perused for hiring in Canada.

[Flames9_RN 358]

I think Canada has started to get rid of some of that red tape. I know Saskatchewan has sent officials down to the Philippines to hire RN's. But countries just can't open the flood gates and allow nurses in without checking their credentials, and they have to pass the NCLEX exam, in Canada its called the Crne or something like that