It's been a while since I logged in and saw the forum and I terribly miss it. but I can't help but feel that I experienced this before..."de javu" or "a glitch in the matrix" this is exactly the same situation I was in when I graduated in 1995. no US visas, it's hard to find a descent work in hospitals in manila, so many BSN graduates looking for a job and if they can't find one in the hospital, they will settle for any job even if it is not a nursing job. just to earn a living.
As for me, I waited for 9 years before I got here and live the famous cliche, "the american dream". I took the different path, because in the first place, I really do not want to be a nurse. The first thing I did when after graduating and passing the national nursing board was to find a job far away from being a nurse. I applied for any job that will accept my BSN degree. Medical Rep, office works, anything... you name it applied for it so i can just move on and start over. fortunately I landed a job in Human Resources... during that time I dont even know what Human Resources do. I started as a timekeeper cum company nurse...and oh yes I answered the deadly quetion during interview..."why nursing?" I worked my way up and learned the works of being a Human Resources Practioner... nine years past and I was a manager for human resources in one of the respected and more profitable company in the philippines, and earning six figure salary with all the benefits extended to an executive, company car, travel abroad, secretary, you name it I got it.
Come 2004, 9 years not doing even a hint of Nursing job, my wife and I thought of "trying to work in the US as a nurse" because even I was earning a six figure salary and my wife's salary was not far behind, (did I mentioned that my wife and I are classmates in college and also is a nurse? but working also for a one of the top companies in the Phil?) we thought that we cannot help our extended family and give our children a bright future if we stay in the Phil. And I guess the rest was history.
We came here in the US last 2005 because of the Schedule A visas for nurses, had one of the hardest transition... encountered and battled the retrogression, asked a lot of questions to this forum and specially to Suzzane (which by the way still my Angel) but now working as an ICCU nurse and my wife as an L&D Nurse. Still trying to live the "american dream" which is I think is overrated. Nothing came easy for us, even now. After 2 years, we still don't have a house, we don't have thousands and thousands of dollars in our bank account contrary to what our relatives thinks in the Philippines (ha ha ha ha), our car is not BMW's, Mercedz Benz and those expensive european cars and personally, Im still struggling and getting over the thought of being a nurse. My filipino co-workers and I will have discussion in our units whenever we help each other do wound care (stage 4), change bed linens, inserting rectal tubes, etc. Only if our relatives and new and old nurses knows what we are doing here they will be in for a rude awakening. we dont pick US dollars here in the streets and it doesnt fall off the trees. Yes you earn dollars but you spend dollars...and dont believe when you hear that US nurses can afford 2-3 houses and live the life... I wont complain about the salary and I think we earn more than the average, but I believe we are still middle class.
Im grateful, because my family have the much coveted "green card" dont get me wrong, but it's not the "be all and end all".
I'll be going "home" in a month's time and will be staying there for 10 days, I will eat all the street foods, alimango, kare-kare, enjoy the $10 dollar 2 hour massage or who knows might play the 25 peso slot machine. Believe me that 10 days will be one of the best ten days of my life.
To those nurses who are waiting, new and not so new nurses who wants the retrogression to be over, dont rush, carpe diem! For me it took me ten years...and I am looking foward for my 10 days in the Phils. and not the 30 plus years I will be staying here in the US...
