I want to study nursing in the Philippines.

[combattelemetrytech]

hi!

i've searched, but haven't come across any threads that fit my situation. please forgive me if i've overlooked something.

i am planning a major career change. specifically, i wish to return to the medical field and study nursing in the philippines. i know it seems simple enough, but here are some particulars to give you a better idea where i'm coming from. i am a us citizen, but i was born in the philippines to filipino parents. i have some college credit, but i do not hold a degree. i am a former army medic. i functioned as a medic, nurse’s aide, & emt for 8 years, but have been working in a totally unrelated field since my honorable discharge from the army several years ago. i am in my mid-thirties.

the list:

1. i would like to stay in the metro manila area. are there any reputable nursing programs that would accept me? the more prestigious the better.

2. would i be considered a foreign student?

3. what is the quickest route to licensure? i wouldn't require a summer vacation. i do not object to a four year course if that is the only way.

4. would i need to start class in 2007, or would i be able to begin right away?

5. are there any others that have gone down this road?

thank you in advance for the help.

[kalayaan]

let me say that rankings in the NLE arent that reliable. i could pm you for a more private dissertation if youre interested.

if you apply for dual citizenship, you dont have to pay the extra fees foreigners have to pay for. such as higher tuitions, travel taxes, student visa fees, acrs, etc. but i would suggest applying it in the US, not in PI. its about $150, theyll give u a passport, and u can get it in a week or two i think. if you do it in PI, well lets just say people in the BID can milk you dry. u use the passport when you go to PI, and u use your US passport when you go back to the US. tried and tested. i suggest you do this, even if you decide to study in the US as the benefits of traveling will outway the cost.

may i ask why you want to study there? if you want to immerse yourself in philippine culture while you are studying then by all means go and study there. but if it doesnt matter, then i would suggest taking your studies in the US to avoid all the hassles an foreign educated nursing grad goes through.

do remember that despite the country's liberalism, that majority are still conservative. remember that we were colonized by the spanish and most pinoys still view themselves as superior than the next pinoy. so, you will definitely encounter that in the school you may choose to go to. in the school that i attended, a second coursers class that planned a medical mission was reprimanded for doing so.

in case you apply for dual, im not sure if you will be required to serve in school. but should they require this, only 1-2 semesters will be on the ROTC and the remaining 2 will be for community service.

im glad you expressed interest in the military and are proud of your military lineage. i too come from a proud military family. the chief nurse of the army is in fort bonifacio bec the headquarters of the army is there. but shes not the chief nurse for the AFP. the chief nurse of the AFP is located in camp aguinaldo, so you were right the first time.

good luck in your endeavors.

[gemini_star, BSN, RN]

You mentioned that you don't have a first degree yet so that means that you have to undergo 4 years of college. No school would accept you as a second courser that would fast track the program for 2 -3 years. Although, with your age, you can be called that. I recommend you to check out Manila Doctor's College http://www.mdc.edu.ph/. They have very good qualities. They also accept second coursers. :wink2:

[combattelemetrytech]

You mentioned that you don't have a first degree yet so that means that you have to undergo 4 years of college. No school would accept you as a second courser that would fast track the program for 2 -3 years. Although, with your age, you can be called that. I recommend you to check out Manila Doctor's College http://www.mdc.edu.ph/. They have very good qualities. They also accept second coursers. :wink2:

Would you endorse any of the ADN courses in the Philippines since the immigration red tape is not an issue? I would prefer a BSN, but I'm open to suggestions. Thank you.

[suzanne4, RN]

Would you endorse any of the ADN courses in the Philippines since the immigration red tape is not an issue? I would prefer a BSN, but I'm open to suggestions. Thank you.

The problem is that the ADN courses there are not recognized here in the US. They are very new, and were started there as a scam to get money from unknowing students. They tell them that they can sit for the exam, but never tell them that they can get a visa to work in the US.

With all of the issues going on with schooling in the Philippines right now, and that you already have US citizenship, if you are asking for advice, get your training in the US. There are many facilities right now, and all over CA that will not hire a new grad from there. Something else to consider..........

There have been too many broken contracts, as well as diploma mull nurses that have come over and had actually no clinical experience whatsoever.. Too many facilities have been burnt by this. And will not do it again. Some bad apples have made it bad for everyone else.

[suzanne4, RN]

combattelemetry is a US citizen so he can come back here in the US anytime, he doesn't have to have 2 years of work there, anyway he said that he's thinking of retiring and possibly teach there so even if he has to have 2 years of work, he will have the chance to get to know the culture better...As for military duty? I'm not even worried about it, Philippines don't have oil to offer for the US to be interested with..so no oil no war..haha!

Sorry, but necessarily so. What if the government there refuses to verify training or even transcripts from a school until the two years are served? They can do that, and I have seen it done in other countries in the past.

Never say never.

[suzanne4, RN]

And with the new issues coming up about not hiring a grad from there without two to three years of experience there, more is to come.

There have been som many problems that have shown their ugly heads over the past six months, that something major is going to need to be done, why get caught in it, if you do not need to? Makes absolutely no sense at all.

Especially if the goal is to return to the US to work, one thing if going over there to go to school and remian, but with the idea of going to there to save time and return here right after................it is going to tunr around and bite.

[tantrum]

you hit the nail on the head asianrn. on the other hand, suzanne4 has given me food for thought. hmmm, i wonder if i can finish this post without another cliche...

for the philippines to call up a foreign national for military duty would suggest a grave situation. in that scenario, i don't know that they would need to force me to serve. i would likely be in line at camp aguinaldo demanding an immediate commission into the nurse corps. we have a proud military tradition in my family and serving or defending my country of birth would not be a stretch.

as for the mandatory service in the philippines, it would not be my path of choice, but taking care of filipinos would be an honorable thing. a couple of weeks ago, i helped my dad fill out his menu at the ccu; he passed a way 6 days later. i would be a nurse taking care of patients...the money will come when it comes. no worries.

thank you both.

i was in the philippine reserves and the last time they had a citizens call-up was in world war ii. there are too many unemployed men there to bother foreign nationals. the purpose of the dual citizenship was for investment purposes and not military.

but i agree with suzanne, that the quickest route for you is an adn in the united states.

[combattelemetrytech]

My sister-in-law is on a waiting list as we speak. The wait for a slot in my area is outrageous. If I must travel to get my degree, I would prefer to see the Philippines.

I have zero fear of not being able to secure employment once I have passed the NCLEX. The deficit is simply too great and the Boomers are only getting older. The schools in the US cannot meet the growing demand and so the nurses must come from somewhere. I was raised in the US, have 8 years of honorable military service, have experience in the clinical setting, etc. There is no doubt in my mind that I would be very marketable once I have license in hand.

I appreciate your input. I will steer clear of the ADN programs in the Philippines. Thanks again! J

[combattelemetrytech]

the purpose of the dual citizenship was for investment purposes and not military.

i will revisit the dual citizenship option when i go to the consulate to inquire about the student visa.

thank you, everyone has been so informative. i would not have seen the entire picture without your help. please keep the knowledge coming. :)

[tantrum]

My sister-in-law is on a waiting list as we speak. The wait for a slot in my area is outrageous. If I must travel to get my degree, I would prefer to see the Philippines.

I have zero fear of not being able to secure employment once I have passed the NCLEX. The deficit is simply too great and the Boomers are only getting older. The schools in the US cannot meet the growing demand and so the nurses must come from somewhere. I was raised in the US, have 8 years of honorable military service, have experience in the clinical setting, etc. There is no doubt in my mind that I would be very marketable once I have license in hand.

I appreciate your input. I will steer clear of the ADN programs in the Philippines. Thanks again! J

If you really cannot wait in the US, just choose a solid legitimate program. I'm sure you'll get employment even as a foreign grad as there are so many Filipinos who were able to do so. It's the Philippine employment picture that is not so good (unless you're doing it as a mission).

The ADN program I mentioned is NEW and is not a proven one as they don't even have a graduate yet. Just get a BSN then, but the Arellano University program is an established one (school opened in 1954) so you can inquire with them. Fatima I think is also an established program.

[viena]

combattelemetry is a US citizen so he can come back here in the US anytime, he doesn't have to have 2 years of work there, anyway he said that he's thinking of retiring and possibly teach there so even if he has to have 2 years of work, he will have the chance to get to know the culture better...As for military duty? I'm not even worried about it, Philippines don't have oil to offer for the US to be interested with..so no oil no war..haha!

Yes you are right if you are a citizen you are not mandated to stay for another 2 years after completion of the course I know there is a pending bill on that issue and I think this is applicable to the non immigrant. I am from California and came here in the Philippines to study nursing Ihave 8 years of work in the Human resources management level in CA and wrk at Kaiser and I am graduating this march 2007 all I need is my diploma as per instruction at CA BRN website. I think when I am finish I will incorporate my nursing with my HR expertise over there. I enjoyed my stay in the Phil I love it never had any hazzles thanks God. The school was fine we got a lot of clinical exposure first hand especially on DR and PEDIA I go home every sem break at CA the only thing that I missed here is I cant drive here in the Phil its a terrible place to drive and most of the drivers are so unruly I also missed my favorite food place which is the FRESH CHOICE but there are many things also that you can enjoy in this country most of the people are nice as well as the Clinical instructors I am second courser actually this is my 3rd course now and many of my subjects was credited

[suzanne4, RN]

Yes you are right if you are a citizen you are not mandated to stay for another 2 years after completion of the course I know there is a pending bill on that issue and I think this is applicable to the non immigrant. I am from California and came here in the Philippines to study nursing Ihave 8 years of work in the Human resources management level in CA and wrk at Kaiser and I am graduating this march 2007 all I need is my diploma as per instruction at CA BRN website. I think when I am finish I will incorporate my nursing with my HR expertise over there. I enjoyed my stay in the Phil I love it never had any hazzles thanks God. The school was fine we got a lot of clinical exposure first hand especially on DR and PEDIA I go home every sem break at CA the only thing that I missed here is I cant drive here in the Phil its a terrible place to drive and most of the drivers are so unruly I also missed my favorite food place which is the FRESH CHOICE but there are many things also that you can enjoy in this country most of the people are nice as well as the Clinical instructors I am second courser actually this is my 3rd course now and many of my subjects was credited

Sorry, but the thing that you are even forgetting to think about is that they can make it compulsory to do the two years as part of your training, and not issue the transcript unitl you do that. The physical diploma that you will receive means nothing if it cannot be verified with your actual school. Samwe thing with the issue with the NLE exam at the moment.

And I have seen too many strange things occur over there thru many years of observing, so never say never, especially when they are pushing for the nurse to stay for at least two years after graduating. This is one way to make sure that they do.

Your choice, but there is no way that I would tell someone to go and study there right now, especially with what is going on. Makes no sense at all.