Foreign RN about to work in LTC

allnurses Guide · Aug 30, 2009

You should have asked your employer #1 and 2 before accepting the job - knowing the orientation structure and duration, and the expected role of the nurse such as patient loads etc is critcial to know before you take a job.

Are you a new nurse, or experienced overseas? Where were you trained?

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Aug 30, 2009

You probably should have asked those questions BEFORE you took the job. Orientation lengths vary by facility...range from 3 days to 6 weeks with 3 days being more typical. Read through some of the other posts on here and you'll get a better idea of what we do every day. PS. Don't tell your preceptor "In my country we do it this way"...you're here now and you have to follow the standards of practice here.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Aug 30, 2009

If you are coming over on a H1B you must be either advanced practice ( NPs are used in long term care but I don't think there is training overseas for this).

Otherwise you should be working as a Manager- in a Assistant DON or DON, you should be able to know OSHA, DPH, and CMS regulations backwards and forwards. Usually the orientation would be minimal since you are the subject expert.

If you are going to be employed as staff nurse, you are not meeting the terms of H1B. A good nursing home would provide a 6 week orientation.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Aug 30, 2009

All the foreign nurses I've worked with have been STAFF nurses...not managers of any kind.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Aug 30, 2009

I bet they had a green card, since retrogression is in effect, the only legal way is H1B, which means advanced practice, manager or specialty that requires a BSN.

http://blogs.ilw.com/nurse_immigration/

I often am asked by employers and nurses, whether they can be sponsored for an H-1B visa.

There are two key concepts:

1. The nurse must hold at least a Bachelors degree in nursing (e.g. BSN); AND

2. The position must normally require a Bachelors degree. MU has seen the most success in these scenarios:

A. The hospital is offering the nurse a position as a Clinical nurse specialist (CNS), Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), Certified nurse-midwife (CNM), or a Certified nurse practitioner (APRN-certified) Critical care and the nurse holds the certification;

B. If the nurse will be working in an Administrative position ordinarily associated with a Bachelors degree, such as Charge Nurse or Nurse Manager;

C. If the nurse will be working in one of these specialties: peri-operative, school health, occupational health, rehabilitation nursing, emergency room nursing, critical care, operating room, oncology and pediatrics. And the hospital will attest that these roles are only offered to those with Bachelors degrees. Some magnet hospitals have the BSN as its standards, and these make great destination hospitals for H-1 RNs.

allnurses Guide · Aug 30, 2009

Way to make assumptions, people. The OP said "foreign educated" - that doesn't mean they are on any visa. They could be a USC for all you know.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Aug 30, 2009

Way to make assumptions, people. The OP said "foreign educated" - that doesn't mean they are on any visa. They could be a USC for all you know.

Great point, for those reasons I checked though the OP posts and see that the OP is from the Philippines and does not have an immigrant visa or a USA fiancee.