Florida Board of Nursing And Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools Customer Satisfaction Survey and Analysis of Standards Anthony R. Jusevitch Regulatory Supervisor/Consultant Florida Board of Nursing

Background The Florida Board of Nursing currently has approximately 300 applicants from foreign schools awaiting permission to take the NCLEX. All of these 300 people are waiting for the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) education credentials report. This has become an issue not only with the Florida Board, which ranks in the top 5 on foreign graduate applicants, but also with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY This project was initiated by the issues raised between Florida Board of Nursing (FBON), foreign licensure applicants and the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS).

Florida is one of the top states for the number of foreign trained nurses applying to take the NCLEX. Over the past two years there have been numerous meetings, letters, e-mails and general correspondence between the FBON and CGFNS.

The guidelines and standards for credentialing agencies have been set by the FBON. This project will attempt to show how well the objectives have been met and the satisfaction in service the applicants have with the FBON and CGFNS.

Objectives Determine the time frame an applicant waits for the Florida Board to receive applicant’s CGFNS reports. Find out the countries applicants are moving to Florida from. Gauge the overall customer satisfaction of the FBON and CGFNS. Determine the level at which CGFNS is living up to its standards.

Objectives The survey questions below were sent to a random sampling of 100 of the 300 current pending applicants and the pool will be made up of the returned surveys. The project also shows the following statistical data on the tie it takes for a CGFNS report to be received by the FBON after the licensure application has been received. Percent of applicants waiting and time waiting in 3 month increments Countries applied from and the percentage from each

Credentialing Agency Performance Standards In addition to meeting criteria in Florida Administrative Code 64B9-3.014, the following 7 standards are desirable criteria for performance and the desired compliance rate.

Credentialing Agency. Performance Standards 1 Credentialing Agency Performance Standards 1. Agency provides a full, completed report to the Board of Nursing within 90 days receipt of application by credentialing agency via secure methods, including electronic formats. Compliance rate 90% 2. If applicant information is incomplete, a mechanism is in place to communicate status to applicant within the first 30 days and at least every 90 days. Compliance Rate 90% 3. Credentialing reports contain summary table with number of theoretical and clinical hours in areas of medical, surgical, pediatric, obstetrics and psychiatry. Compliance Rate 100%

Credentialing Agency. Performance Standards. 4 Credentialing Agency Performance Standards 4. Credentialing reports contain information on completion of specific courses in anatomy & physiology, sociology , nutrition, and pharmacology. If multiple theoretical content is integrated into course specific detail is provided about the content. Compliance Rate 100% 5. Agency responds to a BON applicant inquiry within 48 hours via e-mail or phone. Compliance Rate 90% 6. Agency Provides quarterly reports within 30 days of end of quarter to BON on a number of applications, reports in progress and reports completed. Compliance Rate 100% 7. Agency provides BON access to credentialing reports and report status via secure Internet.

The Information Listed Below is Illustrated in the Charts that Follow: The service given to and the experience of the foreign graduates with the Florida Board of Nursing and the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. The countries the applicants are graduating from and the percentage from each country. The number of months it takes to get a report completed by CGFNS. Additional fees paid to the FBON and the response time for CGFNS to the foreign applicants.

SURVEY OUTCOMES To facilitate the expeditious processing of initial licensure applications by exam candidates graduating from foreign schools the Florida Board of nursing has taken the following steps: 1. The FBON has approved two new credentialing agencies for the applicants to use. These measures show a. Create a competitive market b. Speed up the credentialing of foreign graduates c. Improve customer service for the FBON and the credentialing agencies d. Save the foreign graduates money e. Allow the FBON to more rapidly determine NCLEX eligibility for the graduates

SURVEY OUTCOMES 2. The FBON is now offering graduates from Canadian schoo programs were in English to sent their transcripts to the FBON and be evaluated for proper credentials by our nursing consultant staff to determine NCLEX eligibility. This measure bypasses the credentialing agencies, saving the applicants time and money. 3. Renewed and improved communication with CGFNS providing for a better avenue to resolve applicant conflict. It is the FBON’s wish to continue to work closely with CGFNS and the two newly approved credentialing agencies to reduce response time and to cut down on cost and redundancies. This is all done in an effort to improve customer service to the foreign graduates and to continue to license quality nurses into Florida and the United States.