foreign nursing grad, my first year after my nclex

[hopingtobeanRNsoon]

i am a foreign nursing grad, from the philippines, graduated 2008, took my boards in 2009 and passed obviously. i worked as a cna in a medical acute care floor while waiting for my papers to be evaluated and while reviewing and it helped me so much for studying. i watched the nurses and saw many things that were very foreign to me that i just read about in my kaplan review books. it really helps when u see the actual thing than just read about it or just lectured on. anyway i got hired about 2 months ago at a facility who said they have a "respiratory" side. during the interview they asked if i was comfortable dealing with patients on trachs. i said definitely because i was around patients with trachs and ventilators while i was working as a cna and i know how to handle them. i thought the new facility i got hired in was almost the same floor or even better than my past medical acute care floor job as a cna but it is not. instead its more like LTC trying hard to be an acute care. i work the evening shift and i get the most 15 patients. i do 2 med passes, do treatments and paperwork, isnt that long term care stuff? i pick up a couple of other things too like doing the IV's blood draws, some orders, calling the doctor, (im a young girl and i have a low voice and im so shy sometimes), blood sugars, doing admissions, skin checks etc. some of my co workers are nice like they would say im doing okay but some i feel talk behind my back, or say things, the pay isnt so bad (25+ and shift differential) but i have a BSN and people are so amazed by that but i say i am a foreign grad and no nursing experience even from the phil...should i look for another job? for a real hospital experience? i was thinking of saving up more and enroll in a refresher course before i step into the hospital business....? please help

[bodz01]

dear, i must say that you are lucky enough because you are able to land a job. i'm a new grad as well, and i too, have just arrived recently from the philippines (december 08). i have no hospital experience too, at MARE, i know what you meant when you said everything else seems "foreign." i would say filipino nurses are competent too, but we just don't have the same equipments and machines that they use here. i think you're my lifesaver. is there any way that we could talk? kasi lucky for you cos you've had that CNA experience, and i have ZERO. i have NEVER seen nurses work here. i have NEVER seen what they do. and i have a feeling that a job is near and i'm so afraid that everything will be new for me.

please help me, mare. i know i sound "stupidly stupid." but i know you'll understand because you know the deal and how we do it in the philippines. where are you located now? i'm in san diego, california.