Attention: Philippines nurses - there is no nursing shortage in America

[oneproudigorot]

I came across a thread in this forum. A lot of those forumers, mostly american nurses, posted that there is really no nursing shortage in America. I think that's really very disturbing considering that I gave up a very good career just to take up nursing.

I am at a dilemma, should I push through with my american dream. I am done with my CGFNS, IELTS and NCLEX but everything crumbled since i read those posts.

How ironic that we are made to believe that america needs nurses when there are a lot of inactive american nurses who chose not to practice. What if the US gov't does something to make those nurses go back on the floor then where will we be?

[oneproudigorot, MSN, RN]

I am beginning to love my nursing career. This is going to be my first month as a nurse. In the hospital where I work in, you may be dealing with several types of cases and clients just in one unit. They are in private rooms though. In one shift I may encounter a neonate in distress, a mom in labor watch, a dad in for a broken jaw and a kid with Pott's.

I think this setting makes me learn more about different approaches on how to deal with clients with different problems. I may decide to go to a more specialized area soon.

While my "American Dream" is far from being a reality, I will take time to learn more skills and acquire knowledge from my experience on the floor.

If I'd be so unlucky not to be able to go to America, I'd be glad to serve the impoverished Filipinos. My healing hands are enough if they can't afford more sophisticated gadgets, medicines etc... After all, nursing is caring. That's what matters most.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I assume the resentment you refer to (and I'm not saying you hold such resentment, just acknowledging your comment) is based on American nurses feeling foreign born nurses are a threat to their job security and their income? So are units with foreign born nurses often high tension in your opinion (and the opinion of others who'd be so kind to respond to my inquiry)? Do foreign born nurses get viewed as pushy (as one poster implied)?

I am only basing my comments on what I have read here as I live (now) in an incredibly homogeneous small town environment in which all of the white people here are related to all of the other white people here and the several immigrant non-white families (and I do mean several) are often viewed with suspicion.

I spent the first 51 years on my life in NYC, where I was very accustomed to working with foreign nationals and naturalized citizens, and I miss it. I miss the groups who spoke Tagalog, and picking up Russian from some friends, and Spanish from others.

I have read, on this site, some very hateful comments about Phillipino nurses just wanting to "take" from us without contributing anything and then leaving. Well, I find that mindset bizarre. First of all, they are giving us themselves, and their skill and expertise. Secondly, I know that my first generation relatives sent money "back home," as did those of every group fortunate enough to get here.

But I have read some very jingoistic and anti-immigrant-nurse stuff on this site and it saddens me. Again, we turn against one another instead of the corporate greed and ridiculous medical decisions made in this nation. Rather than pull together we snipe at one another. Sort of like the nursing floors I've worked on.

[jonRNMD]

There is sometimes a bit of resentment towards immigrants because they often are willing to work for less pay and under more difficult conditions because, let's face it, being poor in America is being rich in the Phillipines.

I do have a personal experience regarding this matter. I was talking to a US born respiratory therapist when 2 of our new nurse orientee's happen to walk by. one was an indian born nurse and the other a chinese born nurse. the RT then told me "these God damn foreigners are taking our jobs". I speak american english without any trace of a foreign accent so she thought I was US born inspite of my ethnic chinese looks. I then told her that I myself just migrated from the Philippines 2 yrs ago. She then stood up and without a word walked away

most American nurses have the impression that immigrant nurses are depressing wages and are more willing to work for less pay because most of them do not know the fact that immigrant nurses being petitioned for immigrant visas are being paid market-rate wages. it would be a federal offense for a hospital to pay an immigrant nurse lower salaries compared to american nurses. both have to receive market-rate wages.

[pinoy_guy]

i hope that i didn't offend you, because that was the opposite of my intenation.

no offense taken.

there are days that i think isn't not my day and i wished i called in sick..

believe me, there are days when i wish i called in sick too.

like last week, when i was assigned the patient with the c diff...and she was going on the bed every hour. i almost went home sick, to see who among them would be taking the patient, as it's becoming obvious they always fight over who gets the easy patients.

they were smugly pointing to each other on who should help me clean up.

i wanted to see them fight over who'll take over the care of the 400-pounder with loose stools.

if i'd be so unlucky not to be able to go to america, i'd be glad to serve the impoverished filipinos.

i wish you success in your dreams.

[Daly City RN]

I am beginning to love my nursing career. This is going to be my first month as a nurse. In the hospital where I work in, you may be dealing with several types of cases and clients just in one unit. They are in private rooms though. In one shift I may encounter a neonate in distress, a mom in labor watch, a dad in for a broken jaw and a kid with Pott's.

I think this setting makes me learn more about different approaches on how to deal with clients with different problems. I may decide to go to a more specialized area soon.

While my "American Dream" is far from being a reality, I will take time to learn more skills and acquire knowledge from my experience on the floor.

If I'd be so unlucky not to be able to go to America, I'd be glad to serve the impoverished Filipinos. My healing hands are enough if they can't afford more sophisticated gadgets, medicines etc... After all, nursing is caring. That's what matters most.

.....................................................................................................................................

I remember when I was a student nurse in the 1970's (yeah, I'm kinda old) I got praised from my clinical instructors for being able to "improvise" when supplies or equipments we read in our textbooks (by American authors) were not available in the Philippine hospitals we were assigned in our rotations. Generally speaking and understandably so, Philippine private hospitals were better equipped than publicly-funded Philippine hospitals. Imagine my surprise when I was already a (new) nurse here in the U.S. I tried to improvise the equipment that was not available in our unit and I was reprimanded (by an orderly!) for doing so. "Go down to the Central Supply Department and get it there!" the orderly told me. That was an eye-opener for this then newly-minted LVN. Supplies are available in American hospitals. I should have known!

When I became an RN and once I acquired enough experience I became a preceptor to newly hired RN's. And whenever I was a preceptor to new RN's from the Philippines I made sure that they transitioned quickly to American nursing, but I'm sure they will not forget what they learned in Philippine nursing schools and hospitals and they will be forever imaginative and able to improvise when the opportunity presents itself.

I did not get the chance to work as a licensed nurse in the Philippines because I left for the U.S. right after graduating from nursing school in 1978, therefore I am amazed at the diversity of the cases you are currently handling over there. You are acquiring a lot of experience over there. If and when you achieve your "American Dream" I think you will be quite ready when you get the chance to work as a nurse here in America. My advise to you is to take review classes for the NCLEX. Then do self review. When I was preparing for the NCLEX I studied my review books everyday for six months over and over and over. By the sixth month I already knew most of the the answers to the test questions just as I was starting to read the first few words of the test questions! Remember, I worked full time as an LVN at that time. I had the added pressure to pass the NCLEX because I needed the extra income of an RN to support my growing family. I thanked God that I was able to pass the NCLEX on my first try. I still thank God EVERYDAY for giving me the opportunity in life to work as an RN here in America.

I would advice you to try to pass the NCLEX (I'm pretty sure you will) while you are still in the Philippines. I imagine it would be less stressful for you as you don't have the added pressure and worries of paying your bills here. Yeah, bills will be following you here all the time and anywhere you go! But have the firing passion when you prepare for the NCLEX. Remember, it is your future and no one else's. And the competition is more intense now more than ever.

I've read that there are now about 600,000 Filipinos enrolled in Philippine nursing schools at this time. This is mind boggling! I imagine most of these Filipino nursing students would rather come and work here in America than anywhere else. The working conditions and wages are better here than in other foreign countries. I met up with former classmates from my nursing school when I visited the Philippines in 2003. We had a "mini-reunion" that was attended by about 7-8 former classmates and their spouses. One former classmate who was visiting from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at that time told us that as a nursing supervisor there she was earning $1,000/ month or $12,000 per year if you do the math. This year, newly hired RN's in our busy acute care hospital located here in the San Francisco Bay Area are offered a starting salary of $85,000/year. After several years, with overtime and holiday pays registered nurses in our hospital earn well over $100,000/ year. Granted that the cost of living is very high here in the SF Bay Area, that salary is still quite enviable. If you are going to earn a living anyway then why not seek the place where you can earn the most. Remember, most of us will be supporting our own family here in America and our extended families in the Philippines.

Don't forget that you are a nurse first and foremost whose mission is to help, care for and sooth the suffering of your patients. That mission is a source of self pride and enviable indeed!

..............................................................................................

[oneproudigorot, MSN, RN]

.....................................................................................................................................

I remember when I was a student nurse in the 1970's (yeah, I'm kinda old) I got praised from my clinical instructors for being able to "improvise" when supplies or equipments we read in our textbooks (by American authors) were not available in the Philippine hospitals we were assigned in our rotations. Generally speaking and understandably so, Philippine private hospitals were better equipped than publicly-funded Philippine hospitals. Imagine my surprise when I was already a (new) nurse here in the U.S. I tried to improvise the equipment that was not available in our unit and I was reprimanded (by an orderly!) for doing so. "Go down to the Central Supply Department and get it there!" the orderly told me. That was an eye-opener for this then newly-minted LVN. Supplies are available in American hospitals. I should have known!

When I became an RN and once I acquired enough experience I became a preceptor to newly hired RN's. And whenever I was a preceptor to new RN's from the Philippines I made sure that they transitioned quickly to American nursing, but I'm sure they will not forget what they learned in Philippine nursing schools and hospitals and they will be forever imaginative and able to improvise when the opportunity presents itself.

I did not get the chance to work as a licensed nurse in the Philippines because I left for the U.S. right after graduating from nursing school in 1978, therefore I am amazed at the diversity of the cases you are currently handling over there. You are acquiring a lot of experience over there. If and when you achieve your "American Dream" I think you will be quite ready when you get the chance to work as a nurse here in America. My advise to you is to take review classes for the NCLEX. Then do self review. When I was preparing for the NCLEX I studied my review books everyday for six months over and over and over. By the sixth month I already knew most of the the answers to the test questions just as I was starting to read the first few words of the test questions! Remember, I worked full time as an LVN at that time. I had the added pressure to pass the NCLEX because I needed the extra income of an RN to support my growing family. I thanked God that I was able to pass the NCLEX on my first try. I still thank God EVERYDAY for giving me the opportunity in life to work as an RN here in America.

I would advice you to try to pass the NCLEX (I'm pretty sure you will) while you are still in the Philippines. I imagine it would be less stressful for you as you don't have the added pressure and worries of paying your bills here. Yeah, bills will be following you here all the time and anywhere you go! But have the firing passion when you prepare for the NCLEX. Remember, it is your future and no one else's. And the competition is more intense now more than ever.

I've read that there are now about 600,000 Filipinos enrolled in Philippine nursing schools at this time. This is mind boggling! I imagine most of these Filipino nursing students would rather come and work here in America than anywhere else. The working conditions and wages are better here than in other foreign countries. I met up with former classmates from my nursing school when I visited the Philippines in 2003. We had a "mini-reunion" that was attended by about 7-8 former classmates and their spouses. One former classmate who was visiting from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at that time told us that as a nursing supervisor there she was earning $1,000/ month or $12,000 per year if you do the math. This year, newly hired RN's in our busy acute care hospital located here in the San Francisco Bay Area are offered a starting salary of $85,000/year. After several years, with overtime and holiday pays registered nurses in our hospital earn well over $100,000/ year. Granted that the cost of living is very high here in the SF Bay Area, that salary is still quite enviable. If you are going to earn a living anyway then why not seek the place where you can earn the most. Remember, most of us will be supporting our own family here in America and our extended families in the Philippines.

Don't forget that you are a nurse first and foremost whose mission is to help, care for and sooth the suffering of your patients. That mission is a source of self pride and enviable indeed!

..............................................................................................

Thanks for inspiring me. I think that from the very beginning God has been leading to become a nurse it's just that I was young and had several opportunities before and I took a path that is quite related to nursing. I am a medical technologist here in the Philippines

After I passed my licensure exam for medical technologists, I planned to pursue a degree in Medicine but several things happened in my life that led me to reconsider my options.

I am now a fully pledged nurse. I've just finished a month of orientation in the same hospital where I worked as a medical technologist.

I was blessed to have passed my CGFNS, NCLEX and IELTS exams last year. I believe that was all part of God's plan for me.

I am very lucky to be working in a hospital that tries to set its standards higher. I like it here because I handle several groups of clients with varied problems. I think that's a very good start. I plan to go the ICU or ER after several months of nursing experience.

[w_padre, LPN, LVN]

Nurses are needed in the US, my Pinay friends.

I no longer work the floor. To those who are willing to, have at it!

There is sometimes a bit of resentment towards immigrants because they often are willing to work for less pay and under more difficult conditions because, let's face it, being poor in America is being rich in the Phillipines.

Follow your dreams. This *IS* a wonderful nation, and we have room for more.

As to the nonsense about "taking what you can get here and then deserting us," I know many Americans who work and live abroad for many reasons. I would be a boring, small world indeed if we only ever experienced our own villages. I live in a village of 2,500 people and some of them really should visit another place.

And if you finally get here, I, for one, say, "Welcome! And good luck."

:)

whoever you are, thanks for those encouraging words... ;-)

[bigglesnurse]

Oh my Goodness you are really experiencing something no one wants to talk about and most especially when it is coming from a foreiner. They see us as being soo stiff. I do think they get away with soo many things and if there is a seriousness at to the BON really conducting impromtu visits and actually seeing the kind of nursing being done many will loose their licence. I think since we go through a lot to get the licence we are careful not to get in trouble to loose it. Can't wait till the day i pass am with you on that one am a tech now and many say the same thing am not a team player . i don't smoke or drink and i am not waiting for you to come back from those numerous outtings to get to my patients needs. but i think in all things the real patients who experience the diff in nursing apprecaite the work being done. get a thump up to yourself when you are done with your shift on time with all the required things done for your patients, rather than go on a break and get paged ya pt is in a code right there that licence shd be taken, it suggest there was neglect . i don't say don't take a break but the assigned break times of maybe half an hour or an hour. to all foreiners out there practicing let us make a diff that our absence is greatly MISSED when we are not on duty.

[lawrence01]

*moderator's note:

the thread is slightly getting off-topic already. in respect to the thread starter, i think we should go back to the main topic.

if any one feels that further discussion is needed regarding the off-topic subject, i think it would be best if someone starts a new thread for it. thanks.

[Daly City RN]

Thanks for inspiring me. I think that from the very beginning God has been leading to become a nurse it's just that I was young and had several opportunities before and I took a path that is quite related to nursing. I am a medical technologist here in the Philippines

After I passed my licensure exam for medical technologists, I planned to pursue a degree in Medicine but several things happened in my life that led me to reconsider my options.

I am now a fully pledged nurse. I've just finished a month of orientation in the same hospital where I worked as a medical technologist.

I was blessed to have passed my CGFNS, NCLEX and IELTS exams last year. I believe that was all part of God's plan for me.

I am very lucky to be working in a hospital that tries to set its standards higher. I like it here because I handle several groups of clients with varied problems. I think that's a very good start. I plan to go the ICU or ER after several months of nursing experience.

........................................................................................................

Congratulations to you for passing the NCLEX!!!

Once again, good luck to you!

[PMHNP10]

most American nurses have the impression that immigrant nurses are depressing wages and are more willing to work for less pay because most of them do not know the fact that immigrant nurses being petitioned for immigrant visas are being paid market-rate wages. it would be a federal offense for a hospital to pay an immigrant nurse lower salaries compared to american nurses. both have to receive market-rate wages.

but are foreign born nurses as likely as American nurses to negotiate, or do they take the initial "market-rate" offer? I know as an American nurse I never jump on the initial offer because I know that hospitals are lowballing a majority of the time. They make an offer; I make a counter-offer, and we go from there. Does the concept of negotiating even cross an immigrant's mind when they want to come over here or are they just tickled pink to be able to come to the States and make a comfortable wage?

[PMHNP10]

*moderator's note:

the thread is slightly getting off-topic already. in respect to the thread starter, i think we should go back to the main topic.

if any one feels that further discussion is needed regarding the off-topic subject, i think it would be best if someone starts a new thread for it. thanks.

oops...my bad :sofahider

so to the op...yes you should come to america, but perhaps it is a good idea to learn the fine art of negotiation upon or prior to your arrival if you aren't familiar with negotiation already