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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.