What you *May* Need to be licensed in some states...
The answer: a comparative education evaluation/service.
Before You Begin
The very first thing you should do is join the community of other Canadian to U.S. nurses. We have a Facebook group, Instagram, a Youtube, and this website for tons of resources and support.
What is a Comparative Education Service?
A comparative education service (CES) is to prove the nursing education received outside of the United States is equivalent to the standards and educational requirements in the United States.
A Canadian RN is sometimes asked to prove their education qualifies them to work in the same capacity as an American RN. This is typically done by certain states, but not all. For example, I have personally never needed a CES report. But I got my nursing education in Canada and applied to Massachusetts and New York -- Neither state required me to get a CES report or they had alternatives (e.g. getting your university to fill out their Verification form and forward it to the BON).
What is the difference between a VisaScreen/Visa4Nurses and a CES?
EVERYONE who is not a U.S. citizen, has a greencard or another type of work visa already in the U.S. absolutely needs to get a VisaScreen or Visa4Nurses to work in the United States legally. In a prior article, I cover what the VisaScreen/Visa4Nurses are and explain that as a non-American, we cannot just waltz into their country as a foreigner and just expect that we are entitled to work there!
The VisaScreen/Visa4Nurses is just to be legally work in the United States. A social worker, IT professional, registered nurse, or even hotel manager needs one of these just to bring to the border to get a TN Visa. Basically, it doesn’t matter what shortage occupation you do, just to get into the country and legally be allowed to work, you need either the VisaScreen or Visa4Nurses.
*LPNs also need one, but do not qualify for the TN visa at the border but will still need a VisaScreen/Visa4Nurses for any of the other types of work visa (e.g. H1B, EB3, etc.).
This is the first thing to apply for, then the state license you want is the next challenge (and this is exactly what we do in Canada as we also have provincial nursing licenses). For example, I have my Ontario nursing license and an expired Manitoba license; so, there is absolutely no way I could just waltz into B.C. and start applying for nursing jobs (without a B.C. nursing license). And in Canada, we are often MUCH worse in terms of license costs and time spent waiting for processing compared to the United States. I think my Massachusetts nursing license took about 2-3 months. And My New York nursing license cost about $75 USD and is good for THREE years. That is about $25 USD/year...! That is super cheap compared to say, B.C. or some crazy expensive Canadian provincial nursing licenses.
Now, the CES or educational assessment is a different thing entirely. Some states ask for one because even if you are granted a VisaScreen or Visa4Nurses, they don’t have a visual of a course-by-course breakdown of your nursing program and without one, they may not know you are trained in the same capacity as a nurse from an American nursing school. Some states just want to do their due diligence.
is the CES only required by *certain* states? Are there any other situations that require a CES?
This is very important to note, there is another situation where you will need a CES. It is required.
First, you will need a CES report if the state requires it in order to grant a state license.
Second, you will need a CES report if you took your nursing education outside of a NAFTA country.
For example, if you graduated from nursing school in the
Philippines, you will need a CES to show at the border.
Which States Require a CES?
I wish I could give a list; however, states change their requirements so often, it would quickly become outdated.
Here are ways to find out if the state you want requires a CES (with the most up-to-date information):
- Check with the state Board of Nursing (BON) first and foremost. This should have THE ABSOLUTE most up-to-date requirements.
- Join our facebook group and find the state chat for the state you are interested in. Once in the chat, SEARCH in the chat first with a keyword like ‘CES’ before posting asking. The questions are OFTEN repetitive and many are willing to help but get annoyed if the same questions are asked over and over again (plus you might be able to get an instant answer by simply searching the chat first).
- As a last resort (I don’t really recommend this option that much), I’d check the CGFNS website. I have mixed feelings about this because it is coming from CGFNS so it is obviously a ‘money-grab’ and they’re clearly very biased. For example, CGFNS won’t say what other possibly cheaper/faster companies would be accepted or if you could send your own verification directly from your university to the state BON. The link is HERE.
Okay,I need one.
Where can I get a CES?
CES Options
There are two main options and some other potential (more limited) options:
CGFNS
Josef Silny
Other (e.g. Toronto CES, ERES, etc.)
Credential Evaluator Services
CGFNS CES
The Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) Professional Report provides a detailed analysis of nursing credentials earned outside the United States. For this report, CGFNS validates and authenticates all licenses, registrations, and diplomas obtained by an applicant. It also includes a statement of comparability of an applicant’s nursing education assessed against U.S. nursing standards.
As of May 22nd, 2024
Cost: $485 USD
Application Length of Time to Complete: 1 year (if it expires, you can renew it for a fee)
Estimated Processing Time: Approx. 3 months from receipt and approval of all documents
Expedited & Is It Worth It? $450 USD, ready in approx. 10 business days once all documents are in. Consensus among most nurses is that it isn’t worth it to expedite. Nurses report it seems like many get it even 24 hours later without expediting and others report expediting and saying it was a complete waste of money. Expedite and time and normal time seem to be the same.
Translation Services: $85 USD per page
Other Fees: CGFNS will report on 2 schools, 2 jurisdictions and a secondary education. Additional licenses and schools will cost more per entry ($125 USD), and English Language Proficiency Report (cost per report) is $125 USD
States Covered: All*
*CGFNS also has a NY thing where they forward all your documents to the NY BON which could be cheaper.
Other:
CGFNS may send documents by mail or digitally.
CGFNS will not return calls to a long distance number
With CGFNS, once you pay, there is a dashboard of things you need to submit and documents to forward to your university and college of nursing
Josef Silny
Our Purpose is to assist international students, U.S. citizens, and permanent residents educated abroad in foreign credential evaluation and translation to determine the foreign education equivalency in the United States
Our goal is to provide the best quality foreign credential evaluations and translations as well as exceptional customer service.
As of May 22nd, 2024
Cost: $400 USD ( not including shipping)
Application Length of Time to Complete: 1 year
Estimated Processing Time: Approx. 20 days from receipt and approval of all documents
Expedited & Is It Worth It? +$100 USD, ready in 10 business days once all documents are in. Consensus among most nurses is that it isn’t worth it to expedite. Nurses report it seems like many get it even 24 hours later without expediting and others report expediting and saying it was a complete waste of money. Expedite and time and normal time seem to be the same.
Translation Services: $100-300 USD total
Other Fees: Unknown, but shipping costs vary.
States Covered: 26 States: Texas, Washington, California, New Mexico, South Carolina, Illinois, Colorado, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Wyoming
Silny is not accepted in all states for educational eval (if states that require a Educational Evaluation (often called a CES). You may want CGFNS if the state you want to apply to won’t accept an educational evaluations from Silny. Note, some states aren’t listed (e.g. MA or NY) but don’t even require a educational evaluation in the first place.
Other:
Silny may send documents by mail or digitally
Other Options
Some other options include:
But it is unknown which states will accept these options, but if you only need it for the border (e.g. if you got your nursing education from outside of North America), then the Toronto CES might be a cheaper, easier option!
Helpful Tip: CHECk with the State Bon for what they require. Some states will take alternatives to a CES.
For example, some states will accept just a ‘Certificate Verification Letter’ which might only cost about $125 USD!
New York TIP: CGFNS has a ‘Credentials Verification Service for New York State’ where for $425 USD, they will forward all the documents and info they have onto New York. This might save some $$$!
