Minimal Data Set for the Evaluation of International Nurses

Introduction The influx of nurses educated outside of the United States has great implications to the missions of boards of nursing. Boards of nursing must carry out their mission of public safety without putting up unnecessary barriers to those individuals who desire to work in the United States. It is the charge of boards of nursing that international nurses must be held to the same standards as domestic nurses including educational qualifications, English proficiency skills and holding a valid and unencumbered nursing license. An international nurse is defined as any nurse whose basic nursing education occurred outside of the United States including a U.S. citizen. The following minimal data set represents the minimal level of data needed by boards of nursing to make informed licensure decisions regarding international nurses. Standards set for international nurses by boards of nursing should not be higher or lower than those standards for domestic nurses. The standards for nurses educated both in and outside of the United States should be comparable. The purpose of these standards is to identify those elements considered essential in the evaluation of international nurses for regulatory purposes. They are designed for use by any evaluation credentialing organization that is evaluating the credentials of international nurses for the purposes of licensure in the United States. These standards were approved by the NCSBN Delegate Assembly during the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Annual Meeting in August, 2004.

Minimal Data Set for the Evaluation of International Nurses

The applicant must provide information regarding the following categories: applicant information, general education - high school, general education-post secondary, professional nursing education and professional licensure. Under each category, the specific elements must be addressed unless otherwise specified. It is assumed that the credentialing agency will follow the standards identified by the professional credentialing associations such as National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). In addition, a list of criteria for credentialing agencies is attached (Attachment A). References for the evaluation regarding country school systems and educational programs used should be comparable to the year that the applicant was in the school system or educational programs.

Applicant Information

Applicant Name (All applicable names) Mailing Address Gender Date of Birth Country of Birth ID Number assigned by credentialing agency Social Security Number (If available)

General Education High School (Secondary)

Purpose of Educational Program Name of Institution Address of Institution Date of Completion Nature of Instruction (e.g., Setting, Focus, etc.) Explanation of School System Comments: _____________________________ Comparability to U.S. High School Education References (Material used in the evaluation)

General Education (Post Secondary)

The information for each element in this category should be provided for each school attended. In an attempt to be sensitive to being overly prescriptive, specific courses in the humanities, natural sciences, behavioral sciences, and mathematics/analytical sciences were not identified. Instead, there should be evidence of some course work in each of these areas. Regarding the basic health sciences courses, given the variety among nursing educational programs, evidence of either a discrete course or integration of the content is acceptable. However, the evaluator should provide evidence if the content is integrated. Purpose of Educational Program Name of Institution Address of Institution Dates of Attendance and Completion Entrance Requirements Length of Study Nature of Instruction Explanation of School System Courses: o Humanities o Natural Sciences o Behavioral/Social Sciences o Mathematics/Analytical Sciences o Basic Health Sciences: o Growth & Development o Human Anatomy o Human Physiology o Microbiology o Nutrition o Pharmacology o Other________________________ Comments: _________________________________ Comparability to U.S. Post Secondary Education References (material used in the evaluation)

Professional Education

The information for each element in this category should be provided for each school attended. For the category of Professional Education, a transcript copy (including number of clinical hour), and, if applicable, a translation is required along with the credentials of the translator. It is possible that the content of some of the nursing courses listed below is integrated throughout the curriculum. If a discrete course cannot be identified, evidence of the integration of the content within courses is required.

Nursing Education

Included are those professional nursing education courses leading to a first level generalized (registered) nurse. Purpose of Educational Program Approved by a Regulatory Board Name of Institution Address of Institution Dates of Attendance and Completion Entrance Requirements Length of Study Nature of Instruction Language of Instruction Explanation of School System Nursing Course Work with a Clinical Component o Care of the Adult Medical Nursing o Care of the Adult Surgical Nursing o Maternal Infant Nursing (Obstetrics) o Nursing Care of Children (Pediatrics) o Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing o Community Public Health Nursing Professional Nursing Course Work o Ethics/Legal Issues o Communication o Management/Leadership o Teaching o History of Nursing Transcript: include source, translated copy, if applicable along with the credentials of translator Comments: _________________________________ Comparability to U.S. Nursing Education References (Material used in the evaluation) 5

Prior Health-Related Education

Includes Prior health-related education of individuals that could be used for advanced placement, i.e., MD, second level nurse (i.e., practical nurse), specialized nurse (e.g., midwife, psychiatric nurse, etc.) Purpose of Educational Program Name of Institution Address of Institution Dates of Attendance and Completion Entrance Requirements Length of Study Nature of Instruction Relationship to first level nursing education Explanation of school system as needed Transcript: include source, translated copy, if applicable, with credentials of translator Comments: ____________________________ Comparability to U.S. Education References (Material used in the evaluation)

Professional Licensure

In some countries, there is no existing licensing agency. Instead the diploma received by the nurse upon completion of a nursing education program serves as a licensing document. In such an instance, this section should be completed as much as possible. The comment line should be used to explain the specific circumstances in such cases. Credential Name Registration Number Issuing Agency Information Address of Agency Date of Issue Expiration Date Date of Validation of Current Licensure Source of Credential Professional Title Education Requirements Scope of Practice To what does the licensure give access Disciplinary Action Comparability to U.S. Nursing Licensure Comments: _____________________________ References (Material used in the evaluation) 6

Evaluation Summary

Summary of Evaluation Regarding Comparability of the Individual to an U.S. Educated Nurse? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Evaluator: _____________________________________________________________________ Date: _________________________________________________________________________

Attachment A Criteria for the Service of Credentialing Agencies

Evaluation Services Maintains qualified staff who have an understanding of nursing education and licensure in the United States to review credentials of international nurses and provide accurate summative statements. Accepts only official transcripts sent directly from the nursing school or appropriate agency. In most cases, a stamp, seal or other identifier will be used. If something other than an official transcript is used, the agency alerts the board of nursing. Requests a literal translation of the transcripts by an authorized translator. Maintains staff who are capable of determining if translations are legitimate. Can explain how the agency evaluates an international nurses educational system that is not easily compared with our system. For instance, Explains how the agency evaluates 10, 11, 12, and 13 years of education for primary and secondary education that exists in countries such as Canada or Philippines. Explains whether an individual who completed the 13 years of the Canadian primary and secondary education is considered by the agency to have completed high school education or whether the 13 years is considered completion of high school plus 1 year of college? Utilizes time appropriate resources/references for both nursing and non-nursing credentials. For instance, a 20 year-old transcript should be reviewed using references which describe the educational system during that period of time instead of references describing the current system Adheres to NCSBN guidelines or other board of nursing to delineate how nursing credentials are evaluated. Evaluates documents in a timely manner. Identifies and reports questionable and fraudulent documents to boards of nursing. Repository Services Stores documents in a secure area. Retrieves and sends documents in a timely manner. Retains documents for a stated period of time. Notifies clients of document retention time and any associated costs. Information Services Assists boards of nursing with incomplete or unclear credentials of international nurses. For instance, if the only document that is presented is a diploma, will the agency provide suggestions or resources on how to proceed. Develops and maintains a system that will enable rapid assistance for boards of nursing and applicants.