New York Credentials Verification Service October 2005 ~ CGFNS Board of Trustees Meeting Presented by Donna Rae Richardson, JD, RN Director of Advocacy & Quality Assurance

NYCVS NYCVS applications have continued to increase. New York does not require Certification Program (CP) predictor exam or Credentials Evaluation Service Report. It does grant limited permit to practice to CP holders. New York is gateway state for nurses coming to U.S. NCLEX international has resulted in more applications for NYCVS.

New York Credentials Verification Service 1) Increase of initial and endorsement candidates for NYCVS. 2) From November 2004 to October 1 st NYCVS had 7,138 new applications and issued 5,992 reports. Represents 1,138 over budgeted projections 3) NY State Education Department’s acceptance of confirmation of CGFNS documents has increased responsiveness of schools.

Significance to CGFNS NYSED’s utilization of CGFNS for verification enhances the presence of CGFNS as expert on international credentials affects growth in VisaScreen and CES as NY applicants require one or the other for admission to U.S. and movement to other states. Monitoring of numbers of NCLEX international will help predictions of NYCVS and VisaScreen applicants and countries for testing. Tracking of NYCVS applicants with CES applications will reveal ultimate destination for nurses. NYSED’s recognition of CP for a one year limited permit to practice encourages employers and recruiters to target CP holders but a high passage rate on NCLEX international could diminish that.

Summary NYCVS has the potential to increase service requests of CGFNS to respond to applicants mobility.

Legislative and Regulatory Update October 2005 ~ CGFNS Board of Trustees Meeting Presented by Donna Rae Richardson, JD, RN Director of Advocacy & Quality Assurance

Legislative and Regulatory Update Federal actions on immigration have been mostly limited to regulatory actions. Although immigration reform legislation is planned, it is expected to address the effects of retrogression – past and future. 1) Unused quota balances produced 50,000 slots for nurses and their family members. 2) The early filling of H-1B quotas has increased the call for immigration reform. 3) PERM regulations for DOL and CIS requirements for documents at time of filing for visa increase the demand for CP certificates both initial and replacements.

Significance to CGFNS Turnover in executives at boards and councils of nursing in states and countries affirms the need for CGFNS to provide continuing orientation to its services and nurse migration and to monitor state activities. Natural disasters such as the Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affect the ability of CGFNS to receive official documents and to communicate with applicants. Such events portend the need for disaster response plans.

Summary CGFNS cannot rely on traditional nursing avenues for legislative and regulatory input. Collaboration with immigration community is imperative.

Quality Assurance October 2005 ~ CGFNS Board of Trustees Meeting Presented by Donna Rae Richardson, JD, RN Director of Advocacy & Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance Quality Assurance issues are identified by staff from review of files, follow through of applicant inquiries and complaints and system reports based on file status and document receipt. 1) Quality assurance checks of applicant files are performed randomly by program and by auditing staff work queries. 2) A statistical sampling plan is being implemented. 3) IT is working with QA to develop tracking and outcomes reports.

Significance to CGFNS Random quality assurance is conducted to identify data entry errors and misidentified documents. System reports assist in establishing ready for review timelines. QA also allows confirmation of data entered by utilizing QA data to facilitate discussions with postal vendors.

Summary Identification of more sophisticated selection and measurement tools for quality assurance will increase efficiency and utilization of staff.