international student, AZ/CA, BSN or ADN

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Hey all!!

I wasn't sure if i should've posted this into the student forum or the Arizona forum, or the california forum because this thread is about all 3 of them, but anyway...

Chances are that my questions have been asked before, i searched the forum but i wasn't quite satisfied with the answers so far, soooo, please be kind :D

I'm a 19y old Belgian man, interested in moving to Arizona (or California, I'm not sure) to study nursing at either Pima Community College or the UofA (Tucson AZ) or Long Beach City College (Long Beach, CA). I visited both cities last summer to see some friends, and it was truly the best time of my life.

My dad is a nurse over here in Belgium and i've seen his work & what can i say, I love it! The reward he gets from helping people day in day out is quite motivating, and I want to do the same thing now.

Ok so my question is.... do you think that I, as an international student, could get a job as an RN (associate degree) in Arizona or CA upon graduation, or is a Bachelor degree required? As we all know, immigration is a b*tch (although it's easier for nurses to immigrate, or so I've heard, because there's a huge shortage) and the cost of attending a community college is a lot less compared to a university (especially for an international student like me), so if i needed a BS I'd have to go a university, which is like $12,000-18,000 a year (tuition) depending on where i go :uhoh21:

I don't care what degree I'll get as long as i can work as a nurse, help people & earn my daily bread :) But I'm kind of sick of Belgium & would like to live somewhere else, i love new experiences (DON'T PANIC, there's a shortage so I won't steal american people's jobs :chuckle)

The admission process for the nursing department of PCC is based on lottery, and in Long Beach they work with a waiting list. As an international student I'm obligated to remain in fulltime-status, so if i don't get "elected" I can either pack my bags & go home (or, you know, cuz' I'm an animal, they'll kick my european ass & deport me :uhoh3: ) or pay boat loads of money for courses I don't need just to be OK with Immigration

If any of you study, or have studied at one of these colleges, could you tell me about your experiences? Do you think it's possible to get my RN associates degree in, say, 3-4 years?

Or, generally speaking, does a BS offer a lot more chance to get hired?

and one more, do you think I'm safe in Arizona or is it better for international students to move to California instead?

Deadline for admission into the summer term is March 25th, I really hope I get some response before that date

Thank you SO much!

Much love

Hannes

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Hannes,

You need to work on the admission process now! I am an international student and I have been through most of the things you have described. I had to wait one year before I got admitted in the Nursing program. I have to be in status at all times and the money is three times more than the normal students of this country. However, I will reap the benefits as soon as I have graduated. I have gotten a scholarship from the Hospital and I am truly thankful.

It will take you maybe three years to do your associate if you take 16 credits per semester at the community college. It too me less than two years to earn 70 credits because I have never taken less than 15 credits in school. The resources here are good for nursing students and life can be very difficult for you as an interrnational student becuase most people tend to look down on you especially since the era of terrorism. Just be focused and keep ypur eyes on the "prize". You have to work hard to achieve good grades.

I wish you all the best!

Ann.

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thank you for replying Ann!

although, i don't see why people would be looking down on me, I'm a human being just like anyone else, i speak english on a near-native level, hell I act like an American! :chuckle

Besides, if some people want to look down on me just because i happen to be born in Europe, that just means that those people are stupid, braindead, downright retarded! and kinda shallow too, so I couldn't care less about them, their idiocy is to be mocked, not me :) I have a strong personality, i THINK i'm smart & I can defend myself :) Besides, I'm not inferior to Americans, I'm not superior to Americans, no one is "better"

I really hate it when some Americans feel superior to Europeans somehow (or anyone non-American for that matter) it irritates me to no end :angryfire we're all human! A little open-mindedness is something I'd expect from fellow nursing students

About starting the admission process... i don't know what country you're from but i have 2 Belgian friends who study in Florida & California & once they got their I20 form it took them only 1 week to get their student visa from the embassy. It's really easy to get it here.

If I miss the summer deadline I'll just go to school in August (fall semester). And in a worst-case scenario, I'll just study here in Belgium.

By the way, how did you get that scholarship if I may ask? I thought only Americans were eligible?

Oh, and don't let ANYONE bring you down! Just because you're not American doesn't mean you're an animal, you're not inferior! Remember that you're just as valuable as any other human being on earth. We're all equal!

thanks for replying & I wish you lots of luck in your nursing studies, and your future career!

byebye!

Hannes

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

I think the reason she said you need to get started on the process NOW is because most schools have application deadlines of late-winter for the following fall. I can't speak for PCC (I live 1 1/2 hours north of Phoenix) but at my school, the deadline for application for entering nursing school this fall was February 1st. So you may find that you wouldn't be able to get into any nursing programs until next January, or possibly even fall of 2005.

As far as whether or not you would be able to find a job as an RN/ADN graduate, most definitely YES.

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oh ok, i thought i could only apply to the nursing program once i finished my pre requisites (i need to do those first)

I think it's all very complicated :imbar

And it's comforting to hear i can find a job as an ADN, i just hope the INS (immigration service) will accept my immigration application since i don't have a BS, but from what I've read now I think I can :)

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
oh ok, i thought i could only apply to the nursing program once i finished my pre requisites (i need to do those first)

Gotcha! I was assuming you were wanting to get into a nursing program immediately.

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