I am currently an immigrant here in California and I want to study Nursing. However, most schools here have a 2-3 year waiting list. I intend to go back to the Philipines by the first week of april and study nursing there instead and since I already have a bachelors degree I will most likely be able to finish the course in two to three years as opposed to having those years wasted while waiting to get into the program after having finished my prerequisites here in the US. My concerns are
1. With policies regarding foreign graduates constantly changing and with the philippines' credibility shaken after the testing leakage, will I have a problem in taking the US boards and finding a job here in california after I graduate 2-3 years from now?
2. Will they honor my education and not ask me to retake certain courses?
I certainly do not want my finances and efforts there to go to waste and be asked to study again once I get back to CA.
By the way, the schools that I'm choosing from are Fatima University, Manila Doctors and Global City Innovative College. As I see it, if I study here in the US it will take me around 5 years (including waiting list period) to get my associates degree on the other hand if I study in the Philippines it will take me 2-3 years to get a bachelors.
I will be grateful for any feedback that will help me reach a well informed decision.
i also dont like the waiting list here in the us, but its worth it.. me, i did the LVN-RN bridge program so there would be no waiting list.. surely it would be costly but for me i think that it would be easiler for me to adapt at the same time gain new expericences and make new friends..
so what ever works for you.. do
there's also LVN-BSN that you could do online. I heard the only accredited online school for Ca is Indiana University. It takes 18 months for the whole program and can be costly.
Hi, im currently a senior nursing student here in the phil as far as I'm concerned its better to study here in the phil coz, you've already got a BS so most likely you would be taking up 2yrs only in the nursing course.When it comes to the tuition the tuition here in the Phil is more cheaper compared to the US based Nursing Schools..as well as the lodging..its much more cheaper...hehehe.
But if you train in the Philippines, and wish to work in the US, you will always be considered a foreign-trained nurse. That will never change and you will always need to meet the requirements for that. Immigration issues may be waived if you already have a green card or US passport, but it does not change one thing in terms of licensure.
And since we have been having problems with quite a few of the schools there, it will also be much harder to get placement in a hospital directly now. And you will need to wait a much longer time before you can sit for the NCLEX exam, as your transcripts will need to be evalauted, and some states even require an outside source for that.
Check again the TN visa is a special treaty visa and is not considered the same as a temporary visa for most things. The H1-B is temporary.
Even with nursing, and in hospitals that are unionized, that do not permit temporary visa nurses, the TN Visa is readily accepted.
Suzanne,
I'm sorry I missed your reply. What you mentioned about TN visa makes sense. I already approached 2 colleges and it seems that they cannot decide on whether to grant me in-state or out-of-state. They're looking for a precedent. I also wrote a formal inquiry to the state's higher ed board and I didn't get a yes or no answer. I will certainly research on the provisions of the treaty agreement; hopefully, I'll be able to find out about the reciprocity agreement.
About going back to Canada? It's gonna cost me more. Thanks!
You must also consider that the BSN program is now a 5 year course. For second coursers, this could mean at least 3 years or more to get the requisite units to complete the 5 year basic program. I would strongly urge that you be patient and stay on the waiting list for RN/BSN in the USA as there are only 70 or so quality schools that offer BSN here in the Phils. Unfortunately, over 400 schools are called schools of nursing!!! Picking the right one can be dicey at best and US Employers are scruitinizing the schools performance levels carefully, as I hope CGFNS is as well. Lots of diploma mills vs. the very good schools. BE VERY careful how you choose to spend your hard earned money and time!!
Hey man I'm going back to pinas tomorrow to study nursing too ^_^
Hi there,
How's studying in the Phils.? I believe nursing is your second course, how long will it take you to get your degree? Did they require you to start all over again? Appreciate answers. Thanks.
Please look at the post above this, the length of the programs have been increased to five years and then add in the fact that you will always be considered as a foreign grad and have to meet those added requirements for any licensure issues.
And the fact that there are many puppy mill schools that have opened up there, and I would seriously reconsider going over there to go to school.
I'm 19 years old and just finished my first year of college in SDSU as a pre-nursing Major. My parents however, think that I should go to Philippines and finish school there because costs here in CA are becoming too overwhelming.
We are permanent residents and have applied for citizenship and have been in U.S 3 years now. What would happen to those years if I keep going back and forth just to fulfill the six month policy? I heard that they keep going back to 0 every time I stay in the Philippines to study for a semester.
The other option I want to do is to join the Navy and acquire a job that is Nursing related and get an associates degree in nursing while active duty. They offer tuition assistance and the MGI Bill will help with the books and other things that I need. My parents won't have to pay for anything but is it possible to get an Associates after the four years in the Navy?
Please look at the post above this, the length of the programs have been increased to five years and then add in the fact that you will always be considered as a foreign grad and have to meet those added requirements for any licensure issues.
Suzanne,
I'm a permanent resident for three years now and have applied for citizenship. What would happen to those years if I go back to the Philippines to study periodically? I heard that even if you keep coming back to the U.S just to avoid a violation of the six-month policy, the years that are I've acquired for citizenship requirement go back to zero. Is this true?
My other option is to join the Navy instead. But is it possible to acquire an Associate's Degree during the four years of enlistment? If not, is the MGI Bill of $36,000 and 100% tuition coverage enough for Nursing school after the enlistment?
I'm 19 years old and just finished my first year of college in SDSU as a pre-nursing Major. My parents however, think that I should go to Philippines and finish school there because costs here in CA are becoming too overwhelming.
We are permanent residents and have applied for citizenship and have been in U.S 3 years now. What would happen to those years if I keep going back and forth just to fulfill the six month policy? I heard that they keep going back to 0 every time I stay in the Philippines to study for a semester.
The other option I want to do is to join the Navy and acquire a job that is Nursing related and get an associates degree in nursing while active duty. They offer tuition assistance and the MGI Bill will help with the books and other things that I need. My parents won't have to pay for anything but is it possible to get an Associates after the four years in the Navy?
Please help. Thanks in advance.
There are many issues with the nursing training going on in the Philippines at this time and be aware that CA is now requiring that you write the NLE exam if you wish to work in CA. I would not recommend it no matter the price, just not worth it in the long run. There are about 50 programs there that are good and viable for training, the other 350 or so are just scratching the service to get by. Going to school there and you are looking at another 4 to 5 years, most programs will not accept the year that you did in San Diego, but that is the same even if you transferred to another program in your same locale. Very few hours will be accepted.
You may be able to attend nursing school when you get out of the service but you cannot get the training for the ADN while you are enlisted. However, if you become a military corpsmen and get a couple of years of expereince in that area, CA does permit one to challenge the NCLEX-PN exam with that training, but the license is not endorsable to any other state. That would be an option for you as well, and then you could do a bridge program once you return to get the ADN. But I would not even consider the Philippines for you at this time.
But is it true about the citizenship? Do the years really go back to zero? Would I have to wait for another five years to become a citizen after finishing school in the Philippines?
arielgd
9 Posts
Take a look at these results from 2006. I have emailed a copy to CHEDS to verify the authenticity of the results but it looks pretty reliable...
http://www.perpetualdalta.edu.ph/public/nursingboard.pdf