General Discussion about Filipino RNs currently working in the U.S.

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for filipino rns currently in the us whether still undergoing the proper documentations or already working please kindly share your experiences on this thread.

topics maybe from experiences at the workplace, impact of the new culture to you and your family, general do's and dont's, and others.

this thread would serve, hopefully, as a general resource thread for would-be u.s. nurses in the near future and to dispel myths and rumors and of course general advice coming from those already in the u.s.

what a nice thread to share my experience! Its been 6 months since I started my work here in California! I started as a Medsurg nurse with a nurse patient ratio of 1 is to 5, then after my 90 days probation with 6 weeks orientation I transfer in ER with a 1 is to 4 ratio! you don't need a experience to work here in US, except if your experience in the Philippines is that you worked in a big high tech hospital! in our hospital we use computer charting, everything is in computer! equipments are way advance compare to the ones used in the Philippines except if your working in Asian Hospital, St. Luke's or other big high tech hospitals. the hospital will even pay you as you attend classes or certifications needed in the Area your waorking, imagine that, your studying and at the same time your earning! ACLS, PALS, BLS and Certifications in the Area of your practice are all paid by the hospital and as I said with salary while studying or training! my hospital take care of me when I am just starting, they even pay my hotel stay for 1 week and then when I cant find an apartment they provide one, both the hotel and apartment they even choose top of the line! then after 6 months, which I thought will take me 1 year, you can loan a car and apply for credit card without yearly payment and without interest for 6 months as an introductory, but be sure have a Debit Credit card when you start receiving your salary to buid easily your credit history! at first you feel nervous especially like me I dont have any experience, but later on you will realized that even the US graduate nurses dont know anything and you know more compare to them! so I hope my experience help my fellow filipinos about to come here in US.

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Specializes in Med-Surg,OPD ER,School/Clinic,Teaching.
what a nice thread to share my experience! Its been 6 months since I started my work here in California! I started as a Medsurg nurse with a nurse patient ratio of 1 is to 5, then after my 90 days probation with 6 weeks orientation I transfer in ER with a 1 is to 4 ratio! you don't need a experience to work here in US, except if your experience in the Philippines is that you worked in a big high tech hospital! in our hospital we use computer charting, everything is in computer! equipments are way advance compare to the ones used in the Philippines except if your working in Asian Hospital, St. Luke's or other big high tech hospitals. the hospital will even pay you as you attend classes or certifications needed in the Area your waorking, imagine that, your studying and at the same time your earning! ACLS, PALS, BLS and Certifications in the Area of your practice are all paid by the hospital and as I said with salary while studying or training! my hospital take care of me when I am just starting, they even pay my hotel stay for 1 week and then when I cant find an apartment they provide one, both the hotel and apartment they even choose top of the line! then after 6 months, which I thought will take me 1 year, you can loan a car and apply for credit card without yearly payment and without interest for 6 months as an introductory, but be sure have a Debit Credit card when you start receiving your salary to buid easily your credit history! at first you feel nervous especially like me I dont have any experience, but later on you will realized that even the US graduate nurses dont know anything and you know more compare to them! so I hope my experience help my fellow filipinos about to come here in US.

Wow, thanks for sharing your experience. It inspired me. I'm sure you must be very happy now with your life there in the USA...

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Dear Mhwa,

May I know what hospital are you currently working? How did you get the job?

Amiel

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for filipino rns currently in the us whether still undergoing the proper documentations or already working please kindly share your experiences on this thread.

topics maybe from experiences at the workplace, impact of the new culture to you and your family, general do's and dont's, and others.

this thread would serve, hopefully, as a general resource thread for would-be u.s. nurses in the near future and to dispel myths and rumors and of course general advice coming from those already in the u.s.

to those who have not posted theirs, pls. do share your experiences...you don't know how valuable these info are to us would-be us rn

in addition, could you pls. give an idea on how you managed your salaries against the many expenses you face as either married or single nurses? you don't need to divulge your worth, just a general idea ;)

thanks!

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Specializes in ER, Telemetry, Transport Nursing.
to those who have not posted theirs, pls. do share your experiences...you don't know how valuable these info are to us would-be us rn

in addition, could you pls. give an idea on how you managed your salaries against the many expenses you face as either married or single nurses? you don't need to divulge your worth, just a general idea ;)

thanks!

in a word? s-a-v-e

every dollar has to have a purpose. why am i spending my money for this item? will my acquisition help me in the long run?

for example: i need a lamp shade for my room...ok then i should look for one. do i need to buy this excellent looking genuine $3 ralph lauren shirt and add it to already 13 t-shirts in my cabinet? (believe me there will be shirts of that quality priced that way too!)

instead of going to shopping malls, i sometimes love going into garage sales. usually, the typical filipino goes wild and spends in an outlet mall.

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i read this thread from the first page, and it's already 2:39AM here in the Phil, by the way my background sound is raindrops. it's raining here because of typhoon Egay. enough of that. hehehe.

this thread taught me alot of issues that are going in my mind right now. i'm a newly graduate and dreaming to become a USRN, hopefully soon. i have this problem, but i know it has been discussed before here. but mine is ummm, i am really short. i'm just 5 FLAT, and i'm thinking if i would be really effective if i would work in the US. for a filipino female nurse i think i'm really short. :o

and how about the english language? do you really have to speak with an american accent? thanks. your inputs would be really appreciated.

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Specializes in ER, Telemetry, Transport Nursing.
i read this thread from the first page, and it's already 2:39AM here in the Phil, by the way my background sound is raindrops. it's raining here because of typhoon Egay. enough of that. hehehe.

this thread taught me alot of issues that are going in my mind right now. i'm a newly graduate and dreaming to become a USRN, hopefully soon. i have this problem, but i know it has been discussed before here. but mine is ummm, i am really short. i'm just 5 FLAT, and i'm thinking if i would be really effective if i would work in the US. for a filipino female nurse i think i'm really short. :o

and how about the english language? do you really have to speak with an american accent? thanks. your inputs would be really appreciated.

My wife is 5 flat too and she's been working as an RN in CTICU for almost 14 years! They(management) always depend on her as charge nurse. Thats how effective she is.

Its not the height nor the language accent. As long as you can make yourself understood well enough by your co-workers and patients, you could be a very effective RN here

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Med-Tele/SDU/ED.
its not the height nor the language accent. as long as you can make yourself understood well enough by your co-workers and patients, you could be a very effective rn here

agree.

i have petite/cute friends who're a little less than 5 feet--though they would never admit that--and they're successful in the us.

they do have some difficulty changing iv bags, but they get the job done.

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Specializes in MedSurg.-Tele, Home health, LTC.

i am really short. i'm just 5 flat, and i'm thinking if i would be really effective if i would work in the us. for a filipino female nurse i think i'm really short. :o

and how about the english language? do you really have to speak with an american accent? thanks. your inputs would be really appreciated.

there are nurses who are 4'11", and it doesn't interfere with their nursing jobs. never let your height bother you. you need to be able to understand, write, and communicate in english language. it doesnt matter if you have a thick filipino accent.

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i love all you're replies here regarding my issue. I'm so happy NOW.

that's one of the problem i'm thinking in the future, changing IV bags, i guess i should always have a small chair with me. hahaha :lol2: how about the doctors in your work, how is your relationship with them? if they give orders for example and you can't hardly understand them would they "slow down" for you?

thanks.

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Specializes in ER, Telemetry, Transport Nursing.
i love all you're replies here regarding my issue. I'm so happy NOW.

that's one of the problem i'm thinking in the future, changing IV bags, i guess i should always have a small chair with me. hahaha :lol2: how about the doctors in your work, how is your relationship with them? if they give orders for example and you can't hardly understand them would they "slow down" for you?

thanks.

They have to slow down for you. Its his patient too!

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Med-Tele/SDU/ED.
that's one of the problem i'm thinking in the future, changing iv bags, i guess i should always have a small chair with me.

after passing the nclex and ielts, and possible the nle & cgfns, i think being "vertically challenged" is the least of your worries. :D

you can be a successful nurse if you put your heart & mind to it.

how about the doctors in your work, how is your relationship with them? if they give orders for example and you can't hardly understand them would they "slow down" for you?

doctors...are professional. i suggest you remain professional with them. i have seen some nurses flirt with doctors, and they leave a bad taste in the mouth.

regarding orders, the secret is to catch them writing orders, and then reading the orders as soon as they set down the chart. the usual scenario is the doctor gets to the floor, sees the patient, writes orders, then scrams. if you can't read the orders, or if there's a question, you'll have to page them--and sometimes they're not happy with that.

sometimes the charge nurse (if they've been working on the floor a long time, and they know the doctor) can help decipher the writing. sometimes. if you get an inexperienced charge nurse, they're no help at all. but these instances are thankfully rare.

bottom line is you're a patient advocate. if it means irritating the doctor so you can be sure your patient is safe, just do it.

:)

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