Relief for retrogression hope???

elkpark · Jun 12, 2008

HR 5924 to encourage homegrown nurses in the U.S.? That is good, but the bigger question is, are they interested with the job?

There are plenty of published statistics about how many hundreds of thousands of US applicants are turned away from US nursing schools each year because the existing schools aren't able to accommodate all the people who want to become nurses. There are plenty of people in the US who are "interested with the job."

mpoova · Jun 12, 2008

There are plenty of published statistics about how many hundreds of thousands of US applicants are turned away from US nursing schools each year because the existing schools aren't able to accommodate all the people who want to become nurses. There are plenty of people in the US who are "interested with the job."

H.R.5924 proposes to collect around $ 90000000 from the petitioners to use as "capitation grants to increase the number of nursing faculty and students" domestically to help that US applicants "interested with job".

jano, LPN, LVN · Jun 12, 2008

If more nursing schools open in the U.S., the more they would be needing foreign trained nurses to become teachers and clinical instructors. This world is such a small place that people from different countries and culture are interdependent with one another. Remember America is a land of immigrants and that is a part of your heritage that you cannot deny. Studying nursing is not a guarantee that they will stay on the job unlike those foreign trained nurses who have been proven to be loyal and caring nurses especially the Filipinos because of our natural caring attitudes and high regard for families especially the elderly.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jun 12, 2008

If more nursing schools open in the U.S., the more they would be needing foreign trained nurses to become teachers and clinical instructors. This world is such a small place that people from different countries and culture are interdependent with one another. Remember America is a land of immigrants and that is a part of your heritage that you cannot deny. Studying nursing is not a guarantee that they will stay on the job unlike those foreign trained nurses who have been proven to be loyal and caring nurses especially the Filipinos because of our natural caring attitudes and high regard for families especially the elderly.

Why would opening more nursing schools in the US mean more foreign trained nurses to become teachers and clinical instructors? makes more sense for US nurses to go to that roll. Not all foreign nurses can be loyal and caring. I have been informed on a few occasions of foreign trained nurses who come to the US received their GC then totally left the hospital and did something else. I really think your comments was not made with thought and caring because there are good and bad regardless of place of origin and we have seen many post only going into nursing to get GC and into the US with no intention of nursing beyond what they have to.

suzanne4, RN · Jun 12, 2008

If more nursing schools open in the U.S., the more they would be needing foreign trained nurses to become teachers and clinical instructors. This world is such a small place that people from different countries and culture are interdependent with one another. Remember America is a land of immigrants and that is a part of your heritage that you cannot deny. Studying nursing is not a guarantee that they will stay on the job unlike those foreign trained nurses who have been proven to be loyal and caring nurses especially the Filipinos because of our natural caring attitudes and high regard for families especially the elderly.

Sorry, but your premise is completely off base and has nothing to back it up at all. First, your country permits a new grad to teach, you would not see that being done in any other country. Just not acceptable and it is being proven a very bad idea in your country with passing rates of exams way down from what they were a few years ago, down by about 30%.

And hate to tell you that it is even getting quite hard to get petitioned by a hospital in CA because of the number that have walked from contracts over here in the past year or two.

And how have the foreign nurses from your country been proven to be loyal when most of them do not even have jobs in your country in nursing?

Lets get serious here instead of making blanket statements that you most certainly have nothing to back them up with.

And because someone has taught in your country, it most definitely does not mean that they will even be considered for a teaching position in the US if they cannot meet the requirements here to be able to teach.

Your country needs to clean up its act first, they do not let foreign nurses into your country to work, so why does the US need to open its doors for th hundreds of thousands that are going to school there now? That just makes no sense.

And can we ask, what type of experience do you actually have as an RN working in your country? Is it actually a paying job or one that you are paying for?

And another thing that you need to be aware of: the reputation of the Filipino RN was started more than 20 years ago and they worked quite hard for that, only to see it torn down by new grads coming out of school that have no skills under their belt. Starting an IV, placing foley catheters, placing an NG tube, drawing blood are all routine experiences that one is expected to have by the time they graduate from a BSN program, but when you have 15 to 18 students per one patient, then it is hard to learn the skills that we take for granted.

Perhaps you need to focus on making things better in your country first, rather than telling us what we need to do here.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Jun 12, 2008

If more nursing schools open in the U.S., the more they would be needing foreign trained nurses to become teachers and clinical instructors. This world is such a small place that people from different countries and culture are interdependent with one another. Remember America is a land of immigrants and that is a part of your heritage that you cannot deny. Studying nursing is not a guarantee that they will stay on the job unlike those foreign trained nurses who have been proven to be loyal and caring nurses especially the Filipinos because of our natural caring attitudes and high regard for families especially the elderly.

Are you saying we should import foreign nurses with a BSN to teach, sorry the standard is MSN for most schools plus 5 years of experience.

suzanne4, RN · Jun 13, 2008

And even with experience of working in the Philippines, things are done quite differently over here to begin with. And there is no reason to import instructors that have never worked here either.

The issue is not the US needs to open things up, but the fact that your country needs to do something about all of the graduates that it is putting out and no jobs for them. Again, the US is expected to take everyone that wishes to work here? But your country will not let one foreign nurse get licensed there.

You need to look at your own country first, and trying to fix what is wrong there before telling us what should be done over here.

Just makes no sense at all to make recommendations as to what the US should be doing when you have no vote in the matter.

Promin · Jun 13, 2008

It's an interesting discussion here. A lot of wishful thinking from both sides. I think there are enough Americans who want to become nurses, but just like it was mentioned hundreds of times here there are not enough clinical instructors to teach them. And the reason why is because they are not paid enough. I think that retrogression will be lifted for the one simple reason - hospitals need cheap labor and they have a powerful lobby in Senate.

I live in Central Valley, CA and I see a lot of frustration from the students who are unable to get into the nursing program here. At the same time there is a real shortage of nurses in Central Valley too. Fixing the problem requires the appropriate mechanism first of all and until such mechanism exists available spots will be covered by foreign nurses.

suzanne4, RN · Jun 13, 2008

It's an interesting discussion here. A lot of wishful thinking from both sides. I think there are enough Americans who want to become nurses, but just like it was mentioned hundreds of times here there are not enough clinical instructors to teach them. And the reason why is because they are not paid enough. I think that retrogression will be lifted for the one simple reason - hospitals need cheap labor and they have a powerful lobby in Senate.
I live in Central Valley, CA and I see a lot of frustration from the students who are unable to get into the nursing program here. At the same time there is a real shortage of nurses in Central Valley too. Fixing the problem requires the appropriate mechanism first of all and until such mechanism exists available spots will be covered by foreign nurses.

Not sure why you think that it is going to be lifted. Not sure if you understand the reason for the retrogression either. It has nothing to do with the number of jobs that there are or anything like that, but the fact that the US has a limit on the number of green cards that it issues per year and the number that are wishing for one far exceedsl the number that are available per year. And the US has never had an open door policy that all that wished to come here to work could.

And as I have mentioned above over and over again, we have had periods in the US and too long ago where there were no nurses that came to the US with even a temporary work visa for a period of five years.

There are still more graduates in some areas in CA than there are jobs available for them to even start off with. The issue is that there is a limited number of new grad positions as well. Not sure where you are in the Central Valley, but do not think that things are as bad as you are imagining.

And yes, I have lived and worked there.

space woman · Jun 13, 2008

There are plenty of published statistics about how many hundreds of thousands of US applicants are turned away from US nursing schools each year because the existing schools aren't able to accommodate all the people who want to become nurses. There are plenty of people in the US who are "interested with the job."

Doesnt sound like any country gets it quite right. I was trainned in Engalnd, no education fees and i got given 6000 pounds a year for being there. Sounds good, BUT there is always a BUT, no nursing jobs being releaced in my town as the hospitals are too in dept. Im not ungreatful for my free ride but why does the goverment pay nurses to do thier trainning when the hospials are so short of money??

Needdless to say I no longer live in the UK!! :confused:

Promin · Jun 13, 2008

There are still more graduates in some areas in CA than there are jobs available for them to even start off with. The issue is that there is a limited number of new grad positions as well. Not sure where you are in the Central Valley, but do not think that things are as bad as you are imagining.
And yes, I have lived and worked there.

First of all I'm not imagining, this is the reality. Second, if hospitals lobby for more schedule A visas that means they need those workers. The reason they need them is because they cost less. This is capitalism. Welcome to America!

TravelingBSNRN, BSN, RN · Jun 13, 2008

Hi Suzanne,
Hope is free, miracles do happen!

I totally agree! To all foreign nurses wishing to become a US nurse, don't let anyone in this forum or anybody at that matter discourage you to follow your dream. It may take you 5 years, 10 years or 20 years to be able to come here because of the backlog but do not ever lose hope.

America's doors will always be open to foreign nurses. Not for the moment but probably in the near future. For the meantime, you can apply to other countries. There is a nursing shortage in other countries as well. Get more exprience until such time visas for the US will be available again.

Again, don't let anybody take your dream away from you! Good luck to all foreign nurses.