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Opposing views
“The ANA believes that to protect people
seeking health care in the U.S., all foreign-educated
nurses need to meet the basic screening requirements
spelled out in this rule,” says Cheryl Peterson,
RN, MS, senior policy analyst for the American
Nurses Association.
The ANA acknowledges the difficulty it may cause
for some Canadian nurses already in the U.S. However,
the group opposes a delay, noting that the IIRIRA
was originally passed in 1996.
“The DHS, concerned about how the new ruling
would affect health care facilities, already granted
a one-year transition period for nurses to start
the certification process,” she says.
“The issue is protection of the public
at a time of high mobility of nurses.”
CGFNS says its job is to protect the public by
helping nurses meet U.S. expectations regarding
competency. “The CGFNS is recognized by
statute as a credentialing organization qualified
to certify that foreign health care workers are
competent to provide health care services to U.S.
health care consumers,” says CGFNS CEO Barbara
Nichols, RN, MS, DHL, FAAN. To facilitate VisaScreen
certification, CGFNS implemented new technology
upgrades. The CGFNS and the International Commission
on Healthcare Professions cosponsored a series
of educational forums about the new ruling in
12 major cities in the U.S. and Canada for recruiters,
nurse executives, and other major stakeholders.
Canadian nurses may see a positive side to the
issue. Though visa certification signals the end
of reliance on U.S. endorsement (no exam) licenses,
it also means that these nurses may be able to
take advantage of employment opportunities previously
denied to them. Some 80% of employment opportunities
were never available to Canadian RNs who depended
on endorsement states for employment options.1
Farrer says many of her staff at Henry Ford Hospital
are in the VisaScreen process. “The hospital
is supportive and is reimbursing nurses the $325
CGFNS application fee,” she says. As the
July deadline approaches, Henson says that the
Henry Ford Health System is preparing to implement
contingency staffing plans, but the real concern
is for the long-range effects.
Lorraine Steefel, RN, MSN, CTN, is a senior
staff writer for Nursing Spectrum.
Reference
1. Canadian Nurses. Procare USA. Available at:
www.procareusa.com/canadian-nurses.
Accessed May 25, 2004.
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