The ethical code of conduct is governed by the individual state Nurse Practice Acts, which draw upon ethical standards adopted by the American Nurses Association. You can view those standards on the ANA website, at www.ana.org. Effectively, the ethical standards of care are the same in each state, although they are regulated by the states as individuals.

This may seem kinda hard for someone in another country to understand, and heck most Americans don't really understand it, but the 50 American States are sovereign entities united by the Federal Constitution. Any and all powers the Federal Government is not granted specifically by the US Constitution are the domain of the individual states. That's why you can only have a driver's license in the state in which you live, but can drive in any state, and why there is a Board of Nursing for each State. It's also why there is no Ambassador to Uganda from North Carolina--the power to negotiate with foreign governments is one of those powers given to the Federal Government.

There is a non-profit organization, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools that checks the credentials of foreign nurses seeking to enter the US (www.cgfns.org), and assists them with obtaining coursework necessary to apply to take either the NCLEX-RN or the NCLEX-PN. A foreign nurse seeking to come to the US must have a current, unrestricted license to practice nursing in their home country, pass, the NCLEX, and obtain a license in the state in which they plan to work and live when they arrive in the US. THey must also have secured a job before Immigration will grant a work visa.

There are private companies that recruit foreign nurses and help them thru the process. I don't know which are the good ones or which are the bad. Caveat emptor.

I am from Germany and have a diploma RN nursing degree from there since 1981. I came to the US in 1992 and have been trying hard to get my degree acknowledged with not much luck. I went to LPN school and graduated in 2003 and have been working since then in the medical field. As of last year I have been in RN school and I just found out that the State Board of Nursing Missouri does not deal with CGFNS anymore. I got an application sent to me to apply for RN Boards and am waiting on my german certificate to arrive as an original from Germany to state board and I am hopeful that I will be able to take the state board exam in the next four months. In the meantime I am still attending RN school here and keep learning. If nothing else works out I will graduate next May and take boards then....I have known several germans now that have gone through the whole schooling here in the states since nothing else seem to work to work asan RN . I hope this information helps somebody and please don't hesitate to contact me if anyone needs help in that regard.