Commission of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)
It was a big relief that after I had passed the IELTS exam could now have my credentials verified and authenticated at the CGFNS (www.cgfns.org). This is something all Internationally Qualified Nurses who wish to practise in New Zealand must do. I applied on the 29 September 2022 and was asked to provide the following documents: Identity, Employment History, Education History, Licence Validation and Language Proficiency (IELTS). At the time when I applied the hospital I had worked for and the University I had studied with, until 5 years back in time, had to fill out standardized forms on paper provided by the CGFNS. All these filled out forms then had to be returned by mail to the CGFNS in Philadelphia USA. The 27 of December 2022 I received an email that my credentials had been approved. The day after the NZNC sent me an email that they had received my report and documents from the CGFNS with an invitation to apply for registration at the Nursing Council. I was glad to read that 4 months ago the CGFNS has digitized and (former) Employers and Universities can now upload evidence online instead of returning filled out forms by mail.
Te Kaunihera Tapuhi o Aotearoa - Nursing Council of New Zealand
Directly after I had received the invitation I registered and applied at the NZNC (www.nursingcouncil.org.nz). But just when you think you have had it all, you`re wrong. First, when you apply at the NZNC you`ll receive a notification from Fit2work, an organisation in Australia that conducts a criminal background check and second, in my IQN (International Qualified Nurse) account I had to fill out my whole CV again and was asked a few days later to provide new evidence. But after more than 3 months, on the 5 April 2023, I received the following message: `I am pleased to advise you that your application for registration in the Registered Nurse scope of practice has been approved. `Yay! The last thing I had to do was to apply for an APC (Annual Practicing Certificate) ,which you have to renew every year, costing NZD 97.50.
This table illustrates all the costs made to obtain our registration at the NZNC and AEWV (Accredited Employer Work Visa).
* Costs made for the IELTS exams do not include airline tickets and accommodation.
- Airline tickets: 3 x Kjevik - Amsterdam and 1 x Kjevik - Bergen.
- Accommodation: 4 x AirBNB near test location.
** Travel costs by car and bus from Flekkefjord to Oslo are not included 3 X
- Loss of Euro 5000,-, NOK 56863,-, NZD 9146,- after selling the car due to falling prices because of the energy transition.
Job search
As I mentioned in part 1 I had a job offer waiting on an Emergency Department in a city on the North Island. Unfortunately did the hospital withdrew their offer 14 months after the job interview because they `could not wait any longer and had to move on`. First I had to pass the IELTS test and then the process to obtain my registration at CGFNS and NZNC took too much time. Therefor my advice to you is to do the things in the right order. This means that you first have to get your Nursing License to Practice, then you start looking for a job and when you have received a job offer and signed a contract you can start the application for a visa. We were really sad that we had to look for a different job but meanwhile things had changed. In NZ there is an incredible shortage of Nurses. Therefor hospitals have started, since 3 months, to support Nurses with their relocation to NZ. Something we would not have got from the hospital that withdrew their offer. In June 2023 we started a new job search and I had two job interviews with hospitals on the South Island. The second conversation I had with the Charge Nurse Manager from the ED in Dunedin convinced me to go for her ED. If things go as planned I will have my first shift on 2 October 2023 at Te Whatu Ora Southern Health. I`ll start working 32 hours a week and my wife 26 hours a week on a surgical ward. We really look forward moving to Dunedin!
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