The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), the organization charged with certifying nurses immigrating to the US, has announced that it will now accept test scores from both the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The new exams may be used for the CGFNS Certification Program and the VisaScreen credentials assessment program.

Until the announcement was made, only the Educational Testing Service's Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Test of Written English (TWE) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE) were accepted. Many people complained about the lack of competition and substandard testing conditions in some locations.

Applicants can contact these organizations at the following addresses:

TOEFL, TWE and TSE
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton , NJ 08541-6151 USA
Telephone: (609) 771-7100i
Email: toefl@ets.org or web at www.ets.org

The Chauncey Group International, Ltd.
664 Rosedale Road
Princeton , NJ 08540-2218 USA
Telephone: (609) 734-1550
Website: www.toeic-usa.com or web at www.toeic-usa.com

IELTS Administrator
Cambridge Examinations and IELTS International
100 East Corson Street, Suite 200
Pasadena, CA 91103 USA
Telephone: (626) 564-2954
Email: ielts@ceii.org
Website: www.ielts.org

Scores must be as follows:

Registered Nurses (RN), Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists, Clinical Laboratory Scientists (Medical Technologists) and Physician Assistants
Option #1: TOEFL: 540 (or 207 computerized) TWE: 4.0 TSE: 50
Option #2: TOEIC: 725 TWE: 4.0 TSE: 50
Option #3: IELTS (Academic Module ONLY): 6.5 IELTS Spoken Band: 7.0
Option #4: MELAB (Overall): 79 MELAB (Oral Component): 3+

For VisaScreen, Registered Nurses would be required to complete any of the options listed above, as listed.Ê For the Certification Program, Registered Nurses would be required to pass either the TOEFL, the TOEIC or the IELTS as listed above (NOT the TWE, TSE or the MELABs).

Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists
ONLY Option: TOEFL: 560 (or 220 computerized) TWE: 4.5 TSE: 50

Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses (LPN/LVN) and Clinical Laboratory Technicians (Medical Technicians)
Option #1: TOEFL: 530 (or 197 computerized) TWE: 4.0 TSE: 50
Option #2: TOEIC: 700 TWE: 4.0 TSE: 50
Option #3: IELTS (General Training Module): 6.0 IELTS Spoken Band: 7.0
Option #4: MELAB (Overall): 77 MELAB (Oral Component): 3+