Global Relevance on a Personal Scale
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(-0#"- 3&-&7"/$& "OOVBM3FQPSU $PNNJTTJPOPO(SBEVBUFTPG 'PSFJHO/VSTJOH4DIPPMT Global Relevance on a Personal Scale The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) is the internationally recognized authority on credentials evaluation and verification pertaining to the education, registration and licensure of nurses and healthcare professionals worldwide. CGFNS will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2007. The organization has certified the credentials of more than 450,000 internationally educated nurses and other healthcare professionals since 1977. VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Credential Verification Service Assessment Program for New York State The Federally mandated, leading A service providing the verification of healthcare worker certification program for documents required of internationally immigration and obtaining an occupational educated registered nurses, licensed practical visa in the United States for internationally nurses, physical therapists, physical therapy born: audiologists, medical technicians, assistants, occupational therapists, and medical technologists, occupational occupational therapy assistants seeking therapists, physician assistants, physical licensure in New York State. therapists, practical nurses, registered nurses, and speech language pathologists. International Consultants of Delaware VisaScreen® is administered by the A service providing credentials International Commission on Healthcare evaluations for licensure, employment, Professions, a division of CGFNS. and education for physical therapists and various other professions. GLOBAL Certification Program RELEVANCE A program of credentials evaluation, Annual Report 2006 qualifying exam, and English proficiency for first-level general nurses (RNs), often a requirement for state licensure, predicts success for the NCLEX-RN® exam and satisfies the immigration exam requirement. Credentials Evaluation Service A service that provides course- by-course comparisons of an applicant’s education to United States standards for licensure, further education, and employment. Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools President’s Letter Facing a Visionary Future For 30 years, CGFNS has served as a diseases, and the whim of politics. At the valuable resource by reviewing and same time, the promise of more equitable validating the credentials of migrating compensation, career opportunity, personal healthcare professionals, primarily nurses, freedom, and the opportunity to improve who seek employment in the United the family’s well-being at home provide a States. We have vigorously fulfilled our magnetic pull. mandate from the federal and various state These factors have created noteworthy governments to uphold the educational realities. Eighty-five percent of Filipino Lucille A. Joel and professional standards they created nurses, for example, work abroad even to protect the well-being of patients though the shortage at home has reached EdD, RN, FAAN throughout our healthcare system. More crisis proportions. Ireland, once a major CGFNS President recently, CGFNS has begun evolving into source country, now recruits heavily a similar resource for other governments, for importation. The U.S., reputed for Professor, professional organizations, educational its voracious consumption, neither Rutgers University, institutions, and related bodies around the College of Nursing consumes nor imports the most nurses. world. Our experience, contacts, systems, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and and knowledge set us apart from any other the United Kingdom outstrip its nurse/ group professing to serve as an “expert” population ratio. As a result, active in this capacity. recruitment has become an expeditious Migration Realities solution to workforce shortages all The international healthcare worker around the globe as well as in the shortage is a recurring phenomenon. United States. Today, demand continues to outstrip CGFNS Responds need around the globe—in some regions In serving markets around the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa at an CGFNS has developed a strong sense of alarming pace. the values of various cultures and how Shortages exist for various reasons. those values affect healthcare standards, Healthcare systems in developed nations systems, and practice. We remain have an insatiable thirst for nurses and respectful of the need to stay cautious other healthcare workers to fill a broad about future global strategies and of the range of roles. Healthcare workers in some need to observe and listen before moving nations are pushed to migrate because forward. We know that each local and of inadequate compensation and poor regional entity creates controls and working conditions, lack of professional standards appropriate to its culture and and educational opportunities, absence realities. We consider CGFNS unique in of professional autonomy, gender-based having a staff and colleagues well-versed oppression, daily exposure to violence, in taking this kind of “internal” view of HIV/AIDS and other communicable the global market. We will continue to learn about and respond to each market, how it functions and what it needs. In addition to developing market-driven strategies and tactics, CGFNS will continue to invest in infrastructure and other improvements that maximize our ability to deliver services. However, efficiency will never trump our mandate to safeguard the public well-being. Protection against fraud requires judiciousness and care in securing the original-source proof necessary to validate credentials. We will always remain true to the time and depth necessary to ensure the integrity of our processes. A Visionary Future CGFNS has earned worldwide recognition as the preeminent expert on developing systems and processes for reviewing and CGFNS 2004-2006 Strategic Plan Update validating educational and professional A number of initiatives supporting the four goals of credentials. The future holds great the 2004-2006 Strategic Plan are now in operation, potential, but where this will take us including the establishment of an official liaison remains visionary. relationship with United States Citizenship and Whatever course we take, the framework of Immigration Service (USCIS) Office of Adjudication on the vision remains clear. We will continue interpretation of regulation on select applicants and to fulfill our original mandate while a schedule of meetings regarding fraud; the launch evolving to broaden our reach into the of the International Centre on Nurse Migration in global marketplace. We will continue to partnership with the International Council of Nurses focus on developing deep understanding (ICN); the publication of Building Global Alliance III: of and responding to national and The Impact of Global Nurse Migration on Heath Service regional cultures and standards. We Delivery; the implementation of an organizational will continue to encourage migrating re-structure to increase effectiveness in programs healthcare professionals to develop and services; and the development of a test blue print cultural competency as well as professional draft that restructures the CGFNS Qualifying Exam, competency. We will continue to promote allowing the exam to be used as an international test the development of the highest standards of nursing knowledge and as a self-assessment tool. possible within the global context. 3 Chief Executive Officer’s Letter Moving into the Global Context In 2006, CGFNS accelerated its our advice about how to evaluate English- transformation into a world-class player language competence in 2006, and we in the global healthcare area. For almost helped the World Health Organization three decades, we have gained experience, (WHO) develop its Region 5 nurse knowledge, and momentum toward this migration flow policy. goal while helping 450,000 individuals We have maintained fruitful dialogue from all around the world migrate to the with healthcare boards, nursing councils, United States. As we enter our 30th year, and other bodies throughout the world CGFNS has taken miles of strides toward about the scope and standard of practice. Barbara L. Nichols the horizon. DHL, MS, RN, FAAN To a working group of the Global Health Chief Executive Officer Our history of service has enabled us to Workforce Alliance, which was created in develop a practical understanding of the 2006 to address the worldwide shortage 2006 Inaugural Inductee many and complex issues facing migrating of nurses, doctors, midwives, and other to the National Black healthcare professionals, their home health workers, we stressed the need to Nurses Association countries, and the countries to which they create policies that eliminate excessive Institute of Excellence are drawn. Today, our work belongs to all dependency on international sources for 2007 Distinguished Scholar, of our stakeholders, everyone who uses healthcare workers. Howard University College our products and services, wherever they of Pharmacy, Nursing live and work – whether a nurse seeking a and Allied Health Sciences, career opportunity in another country, a Division of Nursing state board seeking a means of validating The future for CGFNS a physical therapist’s credentials, or an offers virtually educational institution in a developing nation seeking knowledge about unlimited promise. international healthcare practice standards. Our future belongs to each of them and to the myriad individuals they touch. Through our many products and services, National Sufficiency, International