About Retrogression

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2008

I do agree that it should be made clear up front what is expected of the Registered Nurse when applying for a visa....A Registered Nurse shouldn't be informed of experience and all other exams that need to be done during the interview process...

IMO the US needs to tighten up it's requirements regarding foreign nurses during this retrograde period. The US should set higher standards for the English exam at a college level (not basic 6th grade level) IMO if the foreign nurse doesn't pass the college level English exam, then they should be required to take the 4 college level English classes similiar to the ones that I had to take (just an example) in order to get my Bachelors Degree. IMO, I feel that a foreign nurse should also take a series of courses in order to test their clinical, medical terminology, pharmacology, and theory skills that way they can be up to par with how we practice nursing here. It can be some sort of bridge program that may take between 6 months to a year. We need something like this because there are far too many "questionable nurses" that are slipping through the cracks that really don't know what they're doing, and you wonder how they passed nursing school in their country. That's if they passed nursing school I know because I've seen it first hand on the clinical floor.

From what I see it seems that the Philippines are pumping out nurses like the US are pumping out Medical Assistants. Nurses from the Philippines are a dime a dozen.

However, I've worked with many foreign nurses who are superior, and I would go to them any day of the week if I had a question as a nurse on the floor. Those are just amazing nurses who were taught nursing at a higher standard than what has been coming over now. I know that this doesn't apply to all foreign nurses, but it does apply to the majority I'm sorry I don't mean to offend anybody but that's just what I'm seeing. I'm hoping that not everyone is seeing what I'm seeing. If that were the case then that would mean that health care in the US is scarier than we all thought.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Aug 1, 2008

The quality of US newly licensed nurses is not the same as 20 years ago. Most hospitals have elaborate programs to assist this transition. Now foreign nurses who passed the boards years ago and have no clinical experience wish to practice is the US. I can't imagine how rusty one's skills would be if you never practiced nursing and in English as a second lanuag eand another culture leaves an almost impossible formula.

In my state every one must pass a criminal background, I know from reading newspapers that foreign criminal background checks are not as complete as US criminal checks. So how does the employer check for a criminal background? Also if a foreign graduate is sued for malpractice, and they return to their home country how does a patient pursue a legal suit?

andietto · Aug 14, 2008

just wanted to share something i read online. something to keep our hopes up.

retrogression update

early this month, senator robert menendez of new jersey filed a bill called the visa efficiency and e-verify extension act of 2008.

the proposed legislation seeks to recapture unused or unclaimed employment-based visas and family-sponsored visas from fiscal years 1992 through 2007. it also provides for a mechanism allowing unused visa numbers in the future to be automatically made available for the next fiscal year effectively reducing, if not, completely eliminating backlogs (retrogression).

senators patty murray (d-wa), ted kennedy (d-ma) and maria cantwell (wa) are also co-sponsoring the bill.

meanwhile, the emergency nursing supply relief act (hr 5924) is gaining some positive progress in the u.s. congress as it was voted favorably by the members of the congressional subcommittee on immigration last august 1st.

the number of congressmen co-sponsoring the bill is now up to 17.

related link:

september 2008 visa bulletin

JDScott · Aug 14, 2008

"Look at it from the other side, if you will, and perhaps this will better explain it:

Lets say that you are the official that issues the visas and you have five that you can give out but you have 20 applications in front of you for only those five. Seven of the people have ten years of work experience in their country or another country, two have five years of experience out of the last four years, and then there are about 10 without any experience and have never worked one day as an RN since they gradauted five years ago. Who would you wish to grant a visa to?"

I am not sure where this comment was coming from, but this is not the way that the Embassy works. Each month the Embassy schedules cases for interviews based upon the number of visas that are available due to retrogression and the priority dates of the cases. The visa numbers are requested by the Embassy from the State Dept. before the interview is scheduled. For example, nurses will get notices in Sept. for interviews in October because the Embassy requests the visa numbers in advance of the interviews. If the application is in order, the nurse gets the visa.

If the visa application indicates that experience is required and the applicant does not have experience, then the officer should reject the case. However, the officer does not get to discriminate in issuing a visa on the basis of whether a nurse has experience or not unless the application states that experience is required. If the U.S. changes the visa requirements for nurses to include experience, then this could change, but at this time, a nurse is not required to have work experience to get a visa unless the visa application filed by the employer states that experience is required.

I do agree that many employers are cancelling contracts for nurses without experience, but that is the sign of a bad agency/employer who is changing the rules on the nurse, not a visa requirement.

Hope this helps understand the process better.