Suja Thomas, the current president of the National Association of Indian Nurses in America (NAINA), has been appointed to Board of Governors of Alliance for Ethical International Recruitment Practices of CGFNS International. CGFNS International is the world’s largest credentials evaluation organization for nursing and allied health professions. It evaluates the education and provides license verification, testing, and credentials evaluation of nurses graduated in foreign nursing schools for eligibility for licensure and practice. It is considered a significant organization in the field of nursing and global healthcare as well as for the betterment of global healthcare delivery. In her role, Suja will be joining a team of twelve prominent and scholarly nurses and allied professionals in the United States in adopting responsible and transparent practices of recruitment of foreign-educated health professionals to the US.
NAINA acts as the voice of all Indian nurses in the United States and has chapters in several states in the country. She works as the Clinical Lead/hospital nursing administrator at the Samuel Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany. After graduating from Fr. Mullers College of Nursing in Mangalore, Suja took Master of Science in Nursing Education from Russell Sage College in Troy, New York, and Post Master’s degree in Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program from the same college and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. As the Adjunct Faculty at Manipal College of Nursing, Maria College in Albany, former teacher at Manipal Academy of Higher Education, primary care nurse and nurse practitioner, educator, nurse executive at Saint Peter’s Health Partners in Albany, and organizational leader, Suja possesses extensive experience and knowledge of the complex healthcare arena and insight into the pursuit of higher standard required in the care delivery. As the president of NAINA, she spearheaded a national conference of Leadership and Clinical Excellence Conference in Chicago for nurses all across the United States which received the appreciation of US Vice President Kamala Harris and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
In her role as a member of the Board of Governors, Suja will contribute tremendously to creating resources on career decisions for nurses who want to come to the United States. The Advisory Committee will be utilizing research-based knowledge in making changes in the recruitment landscape.
