CGFNS International Standards for Professional Nurses Program in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
The ISPN Program in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia consists of two components: a verification of first-level, general nurse status and an examination to assess nursing knowledge.
Doan Hong Nam, President, IIG Vietnam, is the CGFNS country representative for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. For the CGFNS Vietnam website, go to www.cgfnsvietnam.com.
Program description
First-level, general nurses residing in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia who wish to participate in the CGFNS-ISPN Program must have graduated from a government-approved nursing school and must have their status verified.
Nurses who meet this requirement will take the Internet-based CGFNS Qualifying Exam® that tests nursing knowledge and understanding. It has been administered worldwide since 1977 to nurses educated outside the United States who wish to practice in the United States.
About the CGFNS Qualifying Exam®
The CGFNS Qualifying Exam® is a single test of approximately three hours given worldwide up to four times per year that uses objective, multiple-choice and alternate-item type questions, such as multiple correct answers, charts and graphs. It is designed by testing experts to assess your critical thinking ability and ability to apply nursing theory and principles to practice situations.
The CGFNS Qualifying Exam® is a component of three CGFNS services: the International Standards for Professional Nurses (ISPN), the Certification Program and the VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment. The CGFNS Qualifying Exam® satisfies one of the immigration requirements for obtaining an occupational visa to work in the United States and is recognized as a prerequisite for licensure in many U.S. states and territories.
The scope of the examination
The four major areas of nursing — adult health nursing, nursing care of children, psychiatric/mental health nursing and maternal/infant nursing — form the foundation of the CGFNS Qualifying Exam®. The exam is a single test of approximately three hours.
Earning your ISPN Certificate
The International Standards for Professional Nurses consists of two components: an initial verification of first-level, general nurse status, followed by the CGFNS Qualifying Exam®. To be eligible to take the exam, you must be educated and licensed as both a first-level and as a general nurse, as defined historically by the International Council of Nurses. The International Council of Nurses’ historical definition of a first-level nurse is as follows:
A nurse is a person who has completed a program of basic nursing education and is qualified and authorized in his/her country to practice nursing. Basic nursing education is a formally recognized program of study that provides a broad and sound foundation for the practice of nursing and for post-basic education that develops specific competency.
At the first level, the educational program prepares the nurse – through study of behavioral, life and nursing sciences and clinical experience – for effective practice and the direction of nursing care, and for the leadership role. The first-level nurse is responsible for planning, providing and evaluating nursing care in all settings for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, care of the sick and rehabilitation. The first-level nurse functions as a member of the health team. (International Council of Nurses, ICN Constitution, 1983)
In most countries, including the United States, a first-level nurse is called a registered nurse or a professional nurse. If you are a second-level nurse in your native country, you cannot sit for the CGFNS Qualifying Exam®. In most countries, second-level nurses are called enrolled, vocational or practical nurses, or nursing assistants.
To be eligible for the CGFNS Qualifying Exam®, you must also be educated as a general nurse in the country where you received your nursing education. A general nurse has studied theory and has had clinical practice in a broad spectrum of nursing areas. Persons educated and licensed as maternity, children’s or psychiatric nurses, midwives and other specialized nurses are not eligible to take the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® unless they have also been educated as a general nurse. Physicians and other health care or allied health professionals are not permitted to take the exam.
When you pass the exam, you will be awarded the ISPN certificate, which attests to your nursing knowledge. The ISPN certificate also satisfies the examination component of the CGFNS Certification Program and the ICHP VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment.
Registration guidelines
TO COME
Exam dates and deadlines
| Test date | Application deadline | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2011 | deadline passed | |||||
