DOES the stigma attached to the country's latest batch of nurses remain?

An American organization that determines the eligibility of foreign-trained nurses to work in the United States is not about to accept - just yet - applicants from among the passers of the tainted June 2006 nursing licensure exams.

In a statement posted at its website, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) said it was still reviewing "whether the licensure process followed in light of the challenged results of the June 2006 exam is comparable with that required for nurses licensed in America, as required by U.S. law."

After the evaluation, the CGFNS said it would determine "in the near future" whether the June batch applicants were eligible for VisaScreen certification.

VisaScreen refers to the program offered by the CGFNS' International Commission on Healthcare Professions that helps foreign health care professionals qualify for certain occupational visas. It does so by "verifying and evaluating their credentials to ensure that they meet the government's minimum eligibility standards."

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