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6 min read 6 stepsMay 8, 2026Verified May 2026

How to Convert Foreign Credentials in Healthcare

A senior-friendly guide to evaluating and converting a healthcare degree or license from another country to work in the United States.

At a Glance

Pick a Credential Evaluation Agency Approved by Your Field

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The US has several reputable credential evaluation agencies, but each healthcare board accepts only certain ones. For nursing, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, or CGFNS, is the gold standard and is required by most state nursing boards. For physicians, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, or ECFMG, handles credential review. For other healthcare fields, common agencies include World Education Services, Educational Credential Evaluators, and Josef Silny and Associates. Look up the licensing board for your field in your state and check which agencies they accept. Choosing the wrong agency means paying for the evaluation again.

Quick Tip

Most evaluations cost between 100 and 500 dollars. Some include translation services for an extra fee. Ask about senior or financial-hardship discounts when you call.

Request Sealed Transcripts and Licenses From Your Home Country

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Contact every school, university, training program, and licensing board you attended in your home country. Request official sealed transcripts, diplomas, and license verification letters. The agency will require originals or certified copies sent directly from the issuing institution. If you no longer have contact information, your home country's consulate in the US can often help. Some institutions take weeks or months to send documents. Start this step as early as possible. Translations into English are required if the original is in another language, and most evaluation agencies provide translation for an added fee.

Warning

Do not submit photocopies of your own diplomas as the official record. Almost every agency requires institution-to-agency delivery to prevent fraud.

Submit the Evaluation Package and Wait for the Report

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Once your transcripts and licenses arrive at the agency, submit your application form, the evaluation fee, your passport copy, and any other required documents. The agency takes four to twelve weeks to produce the report. The report will state the US equivalent of your training, such as a US bachelor's degree in nursing or a US doctor of medicine. The report goes to you and to any licensing board, employer, or school you ask the agency to send it to. Keep your original copy in a safe folder. You may need to share it many times over the next few years.

Quick Tip

Pay for two or three copies of the report up front. Each additional copy costs much less than reordering one later.

Contact Your State Licensing Board for the Full Pathway

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Once you have the evaluation, call or visit the licensing board for your healthcare field in your state. The board will explain the remaining steps, which usually include passing a US licensing exam, completing supervised practice hours, demonstrating English proficiency, and submitting a fingerprint background check. The board can also tell you whether a bridge program is required. A bridge program is a short course of study at a US school that closes any gaps between your foreign training and US standards. Some states are more open to foreign-trained healthcare workers than others. New York, California, Texas, Illinois, and Florida tend to have well-developed pathways.

Warning

Some states require US clinical experience hours, which can be hard to find without a license. Programs such as Welcome Back Centers in California and Upwardly Global nationwide help foreign-trained professionals find clinical placements.

Consider a Shorter Healthcare Role If Time Is Short

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If the full licensing path is too long for your stage of life, look at related healthcare roles with shorter retraining. Common bridge roles for foreign-trained healthcare workers include medical assistant, home health aide, certified nursing assistant, phlebotomist, medical interpreter, community health worker, and pharmacy technician. Most of these require 4 to 12 weeks of training at a community college or vocational school, often for under 2,000 dollars, and pay 15 to 25 dollars an hour. Many community colleges offer scholarships for older adult learners. The role still uses your healthcare instincts and serves the same patient communities, only under a different title.

Quick Tip

Pair a bridge role with continued study toward the full license. Working as a medical assistant while studying for the nursing exam is a common path.

Find Free Help Through Refugee Career Programs

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Several nonprofits help foreign-trained healthcare workers navigate credentials and licensing at no cost. Upwardly Global at upwardlyglobal.org pairs newcomers with career coaches who guide every step from evaluation to job interview. The International Rescue Committee, Catholic Charities USA, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and HIAS run similar programs. Most accept clients regardless of refugee status if they hold a green card. Community colleges and workforce centers often have a New American Workforce coordinator who can also help. Call ahead to ask whether their services are offered in your first language.

Quick Tip

Bring your credential evaluation report, your resume in English, and your green card to the first appointment. Coaches can start work much faster with these in hand.

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Many recent immigrant seniors arrive in the United States with decades of healthcare training and experience earned in another country. A doctor in the Philippines, a nurse in Nigeria, a pharmacist in Mexico, or a physical therapist in India often finds that the US does not automatically recognize the credentials. The path to working again in healthcare is real but takes time and money. For seniors near retirement age, the question is often whether the investment in retraining or re-credentialing makes sense, or whether a related healthcare role with shorter retraining is a better fit. Either way, the first step is the same: get a formal credential evaluation.

A credential evaluation is a written report from an approved agency that compares your foreign degree, transcripts, and licenses to US standards. The report tells US employers, licensing boards, and graduate programs whether your training matches a US bachelor's, master's, doctoral, or professional degree. The report does not grant you a license to practice. It does open the door to apply for one. Most healthcare boards in each state require both a credential evaluation and additional steps such as exams, supervised practice hours, and sometimes a bridge program at a US school.

For older newcomers, the timeline matters. A foreign-trained physician in their late 50s or 60s may need three to seven years to complete the steps to practice as a US doctor, including residency. A foreign-trained registered nurse can sometimes test and license within one to two years. A foreign-trained medical lab tech, home health aide, or medical interpreter can often work in months with much less retraining. Mapping your goals to the timeline keeps the work realistic.

This guide walks through choosing a credential evaluation agency, gathering transcripts and licenses, working with the state licensing board, considering bridge programs and shorter healthcare roles, and finding free or low-cost help. Plan to spend three to six months on the evaluation and a year or more on the licensing pathway.

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