Nurse JG: NCLEX-RN Application for New York State

These and a lot more are the questions that I’ve been receiving from my friends, relatives and acquaintances since I got licensed as a nurse in the State of New York. I perfectly understand how they feel. I was once like them--- clueless of where to start in fulfilling my American dream. I’m blessed I have a friend who guided me all throughout the process (Hi Krish!).

Now, I think it’s time for me to help others too. I want to share how I did it not just to those who reached out to me personally, but also to those who are trying so hard to find answers in the internet. Though I can’t promise to cover everything that you need, I will try my best to put into detail everything that I’ve done to get my New York State Registered Nurse license.

Let’s get started!

In order to become a Registered Nurse in the United States, a candidate must take and pass the NCLEX. NCLEX stands for National Council Licensure Examination. This exam is being administered to ensure that a candidate is ready for entry-level nursing practice. It is equivalent to the Nurse Licensure Examination (NLE) here in the Philippines.

In order to take the NCLEX, here are the steps that I did:

In the Philippines, when you pass the NLE, you can practice nursing anywhere in the country. In the United States, it's completely different. USA has 50 states and each has their own Board of Nursing. Each Board of Nursing has their own set of requirements. So, in order to determine our step-by-step process, we need to choose a state.

If you ask why, I have 2 reasons. First, my aunt who sponsored my NCLEX is currently working as a nurse in Albany, NY. Given a chance to go there, my mind is at peace because I know I have someone who can help me in starting a new life in a new land. Second, my friend took the NCLEX for New York. I asked for her help and thankfully, she was so willing to help me out. Since she took the exam for New York, she can only give me information about NY state application. These are the two reasons why I chose The Empire State--- my sponsor is in NY and my guide took the NCLEX for NY.

Along the way, I realized that NCLEX application for New York State is pretty straightforward compared to other states. Social Security Number (SSN), fingerprint for Criminal Background Check and English Proficiency exam are not required. Yiiipee! Thank you, New York!

Note:
*New York State application is a bit longer compared to other States. If you are in a hurry, maybe New York is not for you, frenny.

For us nurses here in the Philippines, we cannot submit an online application. Therefore, I downloaded the “Form 1 – Application for Licensure (PDF)” at:
New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions website

I completed all pages as careful as I can. Whenever I see unnecessary markings on my form, I needed to print another. (Haha!) I wanted my application to be as perfect as it could be. Upon completion, I had it be notarized in a Public Attorney’s office and mailed it to the address stated at the end of the form.

I sent my application form together with a photocopy of my college diploma and a registration fee of $143. As the Office of the Professions does not accept cash, I paid through a bank draft from Land Bank of the Philippines. For Land Bank, you don’t need to have a dollar account for them to process the bank draft. You just need to have an account with them under your name (can be in peso) and must have sufficient amount to cover the fee plus bank charges. The process was pretty fast that I got the bank draft in 1 day. During that time, I was charged P6,715.80 all in. This amount may change as it depends on the dollar rate here in the Philippines.

I just had a little problem in mailing the form. I tried sending it through LBC, JRS and DHL but none of them accepted the mail because it contains a bank draft. According to them, it can be withdrawn by anyone at any time. They do not want liability. I tried my luck at Quezon City post office (located behind Quezon City hall) and hooray! They accepted it provided that I send it through express mail. They charged me P984.

Note:
*The bank draft was made payable to New York State Education Department, on a United States bank and in United States currency.

I read the training materials online (though these can be printed and reviewed offline) and completed the exam at the end of each course.

What I love most about Wild Iris is that, (1) we can refer to the training documents while answering the exam and (2) we have the option to pay for the course only after passing the exam. Meaning, there is no chance of failing here, frenny! We can take the exam as many times as we want! (Haha!)

Wild Iris automatically sent a report to the New York State Education Department after I successfully completed the course. I also downloaded and printed my certificate for reference.

Note:
*I paid thru credit card.

CGFNS stands for Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. This is an organization that assess the credentials of foreign educated healthcare professionals who wish to take the NCLEX and work in the USA.

Since I finished my BS Nursing degree here in the Philippines and is holding a Philippine Registered Nurse license, I needed to have CGFNS verify/authenticate my credentials.

To do so, I applied for Credential Verification Service for New York State at the CGFNS website.

The instructions are easy to follow. I just created an account, entered all the required information and paid for the application fee. Since I opted for an online application, I paid for $390 thru credit card. After such, I needed to download 3 forms:

Authorization for Verification of Academic Records/Transcripts
Authorization for Validation of Licensure/Registration
Signed notarized attestation

I completed these forms and mailed them to CGFNS (the address is stated on the form). Ooops! I had the third form be notarized in a Public Attorney’s office.

CGFNS began the verification only after they received the 3 forms and my full application payment. From there, my waiting time started. CGFNS needed to contact my school to verify my academic records as well as my licensing body which is the Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) to verify my license.

To give you proper expectation, frennies, it takes so much time! In my case, it took almost a year for my CGFNS Credentials Verification to be done. Well, it depends on how fast your school and PRC will respond to CGFNS.

Since it’s an office to office transaction, I cannot do anything but to follow-up with my school and PRC if they already received a request from CGFNS. In my CGFNS online account, I was able to track the progress of my application. The moment I saw that CGFNS is waiting for the response of my school and PRC, I never got tired to do a follow-up. I kept on going to my school and PRC every now and then. Patience is really a virtue, frenny.

I was truly overjoyed when I saw the status of my CGFNS as “Report Issued”. This means that, CGFNS has already forwarded a report to the New York Board of Nursing/New York State Education Department. Hooray!

After few weeks, I received a letter from New York Board of Nursing via mail that I am now eligible to sit the NCLEX exam.

Pearson VUE is an agency that administers the NCLEX exam worldwide. Test registration and scheduling are being done on their website.

Another waiting time again for me as Pearson VUE needed to wait for the Board of Nursing to confirm my eligibility. I was advised to wait for four weeks for them to issue my Authorization to Test (ATT).

Four weeks have passed, but I didn't receive my ATT. I made a follow up with the New York State Education Department/New York Board of Nursing by sending an e-mail to opunit4@nysed.gov and I got an immediate reply.

The day after, I got my Authorization to Test (ATT) via email.

Pearson VUE NCLEX registration fee is $200 and I paid thru credit card.

Note:
* Enter your name exactly as it appears on the identification that you will present during your exam
* The only identification accepted here in the country is our Philippine passport
* Enter a valid/active e-mail address as they will send the Authorization to Test (ATT) via email

With high hopes, I went back to my Pearson VUE account (www.pearsonvue.com/nclex/) and scheduled my exam on March 8, 2016. I gave myself time to prepare a little more, relax and breathe. As I took the exam here in the Philippines, I paid for an international scheduling fee of $150.

Note:

*Schedule your exam within the validity dates of your ATT. Your ATT is valid for 90 days and it cannot be extended for any reason.

March 8, 2016. I took a life-changing exam. The most strict exam ever! Do you wanna know my NCLEX experience? Please wait for my next post, frenny!

Child Abuse Identification and Reporting in New York State: Mandated Reporter Training ($30)
Infection Control Training for New York State Healthcare Professional ($40)
Licensure Registration Fee + bank charges (P6,715.80) *$143 + bank charges
Mailing of the application form and bank draft (P984) *Express Mail
CGFNS Credential Verification for New York State ($390)
Mailing of CGFNS forms (P984) *Express Mail
Notary of Form 1 + CGFNS forms (P200)
Pearson VUE NCLEX Registration Fee ($200)
Pearson VUE International Scheduling Fee ($150)

TOTAL IN DOLLARS $810

If today’s dollar rate is P50, I spent P49, 383.8 to get a license in New York State. Hoooh! Thanks to my sponsor, my angel sent from above. Thank you Tita Len!

For my whole NCLEX process, I started on October 12, 2014 and I was able to take the exam on March 8, 2016. It was indeed a long wait, frenny. Long, but worth it.

If you have questions, feel free to write a comment or send it to nursejudithgrace@gmail.com. But frenny, I prefer comments so others who have the same question as yours can read it.