Did I Make A Horrible Decision in Pursuing a Foreign Degree? Advice Please...

[NrsLucky]

okay...so i made a very drastic decision that i am slowly realizing perhaps was not the best decision for me. with much reluctance i resigned from all three of the nursing positions which i held including my most recent which i have only had for two months as a center manager in order to pursue a bsn degree in the philippines.

this decsion was made in haste and was not at all thought out on my part in regards to just how severe and impactful this decision was going to be on my life. i made this decision with much pressure from my family who i now feel coerced me in making perhaps one of the worst decisions i have ever made.

so a little background on me...i am only a vocational nurse with a an associate of science degree...and yes i am half filipino...however i have never been to this country before and i am not fluent in tagalog nor any other language spoken here aside from english. my family has harassed me for almost three years now to go the philippines to complete my educational goals for various reasons. they despise the fact for some reason that i am only an lvn while they are all rn's who received their degrees from the philippines. they also stress to me the drastic difference in cost in education as well as the lack of a waiting list.

well my half-sister and brother along with my cousin were going to the philippines to earn their degree and my family would not leave me alone. they wanted me to go as well because the school which i am now enrolled would credit all of my subjects and this would shorten my time to three years for a bsn. they told me that if i went they would cover my tuition, books, uniforms, etc. me, my siblings, and my cousins would stay in one of their vacation homes and would have an allowance every month of 800 dollars each which i found was equivelant to roughly 34,000 pesos which is the currency here. we all would attend the same school and have a driver.

initially i said no which prompted my family to tell me that if i didn't go now they would not pay for me to go to a university in the u.s when i was ready and only pay if i went to the philippines. other things were said and i eventually decided to go. now that i am here and school has started i find it very difficult. not only do i not fit in but i cannot even blend in because i have a really light complexion and green eyes which i inherited from my mother who is european. i do not speak the language well enough which causes laughing from classmates and others here when i speak. everything is so different here and the poverty is so sad that it breaks my heart to see it. i feel home sick and i miss my friends and job. i don't know if i should just pack up and fly back home and try and salvage my life or if i should just stop complaining, suck it up, and finish my degree here.

also, i am immensely worried that employers will be critical of me since i earned a degree in the philippines. i know my family says that they wont, but being a manager, i have clearly witnessed other managers pass on rn's who had foreign degress in favor of rn's who were u.s trained based on the assumption that philippine nurses tend to have a subpar education.

i am seeking advice from wise nurses who can try their best to place themselves in my shoes and give me honest feedback on what themselves would do whether it is to stay or go home. i know if i go home now my family will be out money and be upset...but i can always pay them back...but if i stay i just don't see how i can stand 3 years here...

your feedback would be appreciated more than you know...

sincerely,

nrslucky

[33762FL]

Tough call, but I say stay. I work with plenty of nurses who were educated in the Philippines so I don't think that's going to be an issue as long as you obtain a US license when you're done, which I hear can be a pain with a foreign education. As for the classmates laughing at your language skills, they're jerks for laughing instead of helping you, but you'll get better with the language as each week goes by. You'll be fluent by the time you leave. Take the new country and culture as a learning experience.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Just one other thing to consider, you previously posted that your home is in CA. There have been numerous issues as of late with internationally educated nurses attempting to get licensed as an RN in CA. Many are due to concurrency of theory and clinical cases. Since you are just starting your program, check out the international forum here on AN and see if you can overcome those challenges

Only you can decide if being uncomfortable and bullied in your program is worthwhile. I understand that you have a lot of family pressure also weighing on your decision. Try writing up a list of pros and cons to help you make your decision. Good luck with whatever you decide to pursue.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Wow, sounds like you need to make a decision. Your parents are under the false historical idea that as long as your degree comes from the Philippines you have a for sure job in the US as a nurse. Mostly because "you guys" will hire you guys first as a look out for own deal.

Be so very careful. I have met many US folks of Philippine heritage who have gone back there for an almost free and easy degree (their words) because their parents told them/demanded them to do it. Other than the fact that you will end up with the degree, you have to know that you might not get a decent education for it, lots of programs there are total scams these days, and it's becoming well known. Do your research!!! There is this borderline creepy entitlement thing that goes on in the Phillipine culture surrounding nursing -- don't go for it.

Your parents need to understand that their money even though it's a small amount, might not be well spent if they think it's your ticket to a nursing career here in the states. If I were you I'd pay for my own education and then be able to make my own decisions. FYI, I paid for both of my degrees - the first one with loans, and the second with cash. It's a right of passage.