Go to nursing school in USA or Japan?

Lucky777 · Jun 14, 2012

My fiance is going through the same thing.

My fiancee is Japanese and we both currently live in Japan (I am originally from Illinois.) We plan to move back to the US soon. She wants to eventually become a nurse so that she can work as one in the US. Her English is currently not very good. She would need to improve it greatly before becoming a nurse in the states.

I have a few questions...

1. How credible are Japanese nursing certificates in the state of Illinois. Assuming she was able to pass the English tests and nursing tests, do you think she would not need to do any additional schooling in the states?

2. Do you think she would have an easier time if she moved to Illinois first, improved her English, and studied to become a nurse in English OR if she finished nursing school in Japan, and then later moved to he US to practice her English and pass the required tests?

3. Is it more difficult (strict) to pass your nursing courses in the states than Japan?

4. Would it be cheaper to go to school in Japan or Illinois for nursing? From what I researched, Japan seems cheaper but I could be wrong.

Sorry if I am not very informed. I don't know much about nursing and I am trying to find out more information for her. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jun 14, 2012

probably better to get her English improved and if you can afford it train in the US but be aware there are prerequisites that need doing and there may be a waiting list. Training in the US will help her with her English as well as prepare for the NCLEX which she will have to sit and pass regardless where she trains

tigerlogic · Jul 1, 2012

I lived in Japan for many years teaching at an international school and I think if you want to work in the states, it's probably better to go to school in the states. If you want to work in Japan with great English skills, probably better to do your degree in Japan and coming to the states and doing Anatomy and Physiology--and other nursing pre-reqs-- at a community college along with intensive English study.

My experience as a patient in Japan has been very different than in the states. The culture of how we deal with authority figures (like doctors) is very different, for one thing. I can only imagine doing clinicals in the country you hope to practice would be a good idea. After all, many patients in the US are not exactly respectful of compliant and managing those attitudes successfully--i.e. sometimes being able to deal with confrontation-- is really important and culturally very different.

I'm a CNA now and am starting nursing school in the fall. I miss teaching in Japan but eventually it was time to come home. A point of English advice that is my number one pet peeve in healthcare: watch the intonation of "oh, really" after receiving information. If you ask it like a question, it sounds like you don't believe me.

Best of luck! Also, quick google search turned up this in terms of comparing degrees: Nursing Education in Japan

Inori, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2013

depending where you two intend to live however I feel that its better for her to be trained in the US, licensed in US then go back and take the japanese licensing exam as well. This way she has a choie of where to work. Obviously US employers when given a choice of new grads they will choose the US trained one. #1 your girl friend must improve her english to the point where she is as US english reading and writing how go take english classes or self sutdy with books otherwise she cannot keep up. Nursing is taught at such speed that there's no time to be fumbling with vocabluary you barely have time to jam in nursing knowledge. I know of a friend who failed out well every line of text she was reading she would be using translating dictionary