Do I need a current working experience?

suzanne4, RN · May 19, 2007

And I am sure that you have been speaking to the wonderful agencies that are there in PI. My take on it? Stay away from them. Definitely would go ahead and get the VSC in hand.

You do not need to be owned by anyone. You have gotten this far on your own, I would keep that up.

If you want to work in the US, you use an agency from the US, not one that is based in the Philippines and will be selling you to the highest bidder. That is all that they are doing and we keep hearing horror stories. Why use a recruiter from there that more than likely has never been in the US, nor has any direct first hand information on working in the US. Bad information keeps coming out of there and is usually incorrect.

dcmRN · May 19, 2007

thanks for the advice. but where and how can I get an agency that is located in the US? do I still need a current hospital experience cause my experience was last 2001 and I don't have any current one. I am afraid that I may not be chosen because of that, but I am willing to be trained. Please advice me on where to start.... thank you.....:uhoh21:

pinoynarz · May 19, 2007

thanks for the advice. but where and how can I get an agency that is located in the US? do I still need a current hospital experience cause my experience was last 2001 and I don't have any current one. I am afraid that I may not be chosen because of that, but I am willing to be trained. Please advice me on where to start.... thank you.....:uhoh21:

Hi dcmRN!!! You are right, it's really hard to find a petitioner if you don't have current hospital experience. When I passed all the exams needed in the US at my own expense, I tried to look for an agency in the Philippines who could help me get there in the US and they all lined me up for an interview with the Hospital's representative but sad to say the 3 of them turned me down, they asked me to have at least 1yr hospital experience first.

Suzanne4, I think the US hospital are very choosy when it comes to nsg experiences, they prefer one with. Maybe that's one of the reasons why the agencies here wants a nurse with experience aside from selling them to the highest bidder.

But to tell you dcmRN the requirements of US immigration for schedule A is to pass the NCLEX or CGFNS and have a VSC, they didn't mention about experiences only the petitioner or the hospitals requires it, I have friends who went there without experience but they were petitioned by LTC facilities. LTC facilities is willing to petition you but according to Suzanne4 the nurse patient ratio there is 1:60,and if you want to have your papers processed and you find it hard to look an agency in the Philippines you may try working at the LTC.

dcmRN · May 19, 2007

thanks for the info pinoynarz, i really appreciate it. you gave me hope. did you try it yourself? are you not afraid of 1:60 ratio? do you think you can handle it?

suzanne4, RN · May 19, 2007

Please read the threads about Long Term Care facilities. There is much on them posted here.

You will have 30 to 60 patients that you are legally responsible for. That is where the big problems come in and make it easy for someone to lose a license in the US. And these facilities are only giving several days orientation at the most. With a lesser skill set than the nurses get in the US currently, and no experience, it is a bad set-up for you. Not trying to alarm you but this is what is happening in the US. And coming across multiple nurses in the area that are in LTCs that have never inserted a catheter of any type, started an IV, even feel proficient at medications.

What would you do if this was the nurse's training that was caring for your parent? It just does not add up to a good thing. And if there are any problems that come up, your agency/facility is not going to be behind you. This is what you need to be very aware of.

And I am actually in the US and see what is happening here. It is hard to tell someone to go for the LTC when they are still in the Philippines, and have never worked in the US.

pinoynarz · May 20, 2007

Please read the threads about Long Term Care facilities. There is much on them posted here.
You will have 30 to 60 patients that you are legally responsible for. That is where the big problems come in and make it easy for someone to lose a license in the US. And these facilities are only giving several days orientation at the most. With a lesser skill set than the nurses get in the US currently, and no experience, it is a bad set-up for you. Not trying to alarm you but this is what is happening in the US. And coming across multiple nurses in the area that are in LTCs that have never inserted a catheter of any type, started an IV, even feel proficient at medications.
What would you do if this was the nurse's training that was caring for your parent? It just does not add up to a good thing. And if there are any problems that come up, your agency/facility is not going to be behind you. This is what you need to be very aware of.
And I am actually in the US and see what is happening here. It is hard to tell someone to go for the LTC when they are still in the Philippines, and have never worked in the US.

So sad for nurses w/o experience...Suzanne4 are you suggesting that we should get experience first so we could be hired by the hospitals or the petitioner instead of the LTC?

suzanne4, RN · May 20, 2007

Let me clear up a few things for you. The agencies that are there in the Philippines, for the most part, will be selling you to the highest bidder. Most of the recruiters there have never been to the US, nor do they know a thing about actually working in the US as an RN. And they are usually give out incorrect information. There are still some there that are telling everyone that they need to take the CGFNS exam, and we all know that that is definitely not the case.

Facilities like to see experience, but the issue is that working in PI is so very different in every aspect from the US that it really does not make any difference in many cases from there. And the clinical training is the next thing that is having issues with employers in the US right now. And this is the biggest problem. If you have excellent clinical skills, then there should not be a problem, but those of you that were not hands on and only observed procedures, you are going to have issues. This is why I would love to see the internship like they used to have there be started up again. Then your skills would be sharpened. I am seeing some nurses now that have needed a year of orientation, and hospitals are not willing to do that anymore. Have seen at least six fired in the past six months for not having the skill level that they should have, and this is not a good thing.

Hospitals usually have excellent orientation, LTC care: no. You get a few days and then are on your own. This is not the time to figure out how to do a procedure, something that you have never attempted, and with no one to tell you honestly if it was done correctly or not.

I would tell anyone to focus on getting the skill set that they truly need to work as an RN. However you need to do it, that is what you will need to do. You must feel comfortable with your skill set that you have. Sure, there are some procedures that you will not see and do until you are working, but for the basics, they should have been done when you were in school, not to learn them when you start working. Salaries have gone up considerably on the west coast and they are not going to spend their orientation time teaching basic skills that the nurse needed. Whatever you need to do to get your skills up to par, then this is what needs to be done.

pinoynarz · May 21, 2007

Thanks Suzanne4 for the wonderful explanation.