Active and current licensure as an RN in Washington State is required of all School of
Nursing applicants to the MN and DNP programs. Applicants must be licensed as RNs in the
State of Washington at time of application.
To become licensed in any state in the U.S. you must successfully pass the Registered Nurse
licensing examination called the National Council of the State Board of Nursing Registered Nurse
Licensure Examination (NCLEX). The same licensing exam is given in all states. In addition, in
order to take the NCLEX exam here in Washington State, all nurses educated outside of the United
States, including those educated and licensed in Canada, must first take a preliminary screening
examination called the Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) Qualifying
Examination. Your results on the CGFNS exam determine whether or not you are eligible to sit for
the NCLEX exam here in Washington.
The CGFNS is administered in numerous foreign countries and at six U.S. sites. It is not
administered in Seattle. It is recommended that you take the CGFNS exam before coming to
the United States. Below, you will find contact information for both CGFNS and the state
board that handles RN licensing here in Washington (every state has a board of nursing in its
state capitol. Ours is actually known as the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission).
The alternative to taking the CGFNS exam is to first get a nursing license in a state in the U.S.
which does not require CGFNS exam results, and then transfer the license to the State of
Washington. New York and California may not require CGFNS exam
results; there may be other states as well (for a list of state
boards of nursing go to:
https://www.ncsbn.org/515.htm).
Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS): Remember that it is recommended
that you take the CGFNS screening exam before coming to the United States.
Request information for registering for the screening examination by contacting:
Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission (Washington Board of Nursing)
Request information about RN licensing in Washington by contacting:
If you go to the Web address, click on 'Application Forms', go to 'Registered Nurse' and then
scroll down to 'REGISTERED NURSE LICENSE BY EXAMINATION (Trained outside United States)'.
We encourage you to contact both these agencies as soon as possible. It takes some time and
effort to get the necessary documents submitted. The earlier you begin the licensure application
process, the more likely it is that you will be licensed as a registered nurse in this state by
the January 15 deadline for the Master's and PhD nursing programs.
|
