Requirements for a foreign-educated nurse (FEN) to practice as a nurse in the United States vary slightly from State to State. General requirements that should be met include:
- Educational / Professional requirements:
A graduate from an accredited nursing education program in your country of education (Ghana???). One should be a Registered Nurse with the Nursing council in your country. He or she should have practiced as a Registered Nurse for at least two years
- Register with a State Board of Nursing (BoN)
US has 50 States and each BoN’s requirement may vary from the other.
- International English Language Test (IELT)
NOT all BoN require this. If required, prepare and pass the IELT academic exam
- Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) Credentialing Evaluation
Apply to CGFNS International, Inc. to have your academic and professional credentials evaluated. This ensures that your documents are authentic and that what you’ve learned in your country is comparable to U.S. nursing standards.
- National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) Examination
Prepare, write, and pass the NCLEX examination. Currently, nurses in Africa may find either South Africa or India as the closest locations for this exam.
- Job Search
After successfully going through the above steps, you are now eligible to apply for job. You may choose to do the job search through a nursing recruiter/agency. The agency can also serve as your US-based employer for visa purposes.