International nursing student in US/Australia

[archie13]

I apologize if this is a long one with a lot of questions! I would appreciate all and any help, opinions, and suggestions. Thanks! 

Hi, I'm a student in a university in the Philippines studying an international nursing program where I would spend the first 2-3 years of the program in the Philippines and the last 1-2 years either in the U.S. or Australia (depends on which country I choose to continue the program) and then I'll graduated with a BSN from that country. I'm doing as much research as I can, but can say that I'm still not as familiar and unsure of the things I've seen online because some websites/articles will say one thing that would be contrary to what another website/article has said. 

I just want to know if I get a US BSN: 
1. Am I exempted from the long process of checking my credentials like a foreign educated nurse, seeing as I would graduate in a US university, and can I just go straight into taking the NCLEX after graduation? 
2. Do you know of how the visa processing/application would work after I graduate and exceeded the limitations of my student visa? 

3. The university in the US where the university here in the Philippines is partnered with is in West Virginia. Can I take the NCLEX in another state (California) seeing as that is my target state to work and live in? 

If I were to get an Australian BSN:
1. What exam is the equivalent of NCLEX in the licensing of RNs in Australia and can I also just take the exam right after graduation? 
2. Are there good job opportunities for someone like me (an international student in need of a working visa from an employer) after graduation? 

> Which country do you suggest is the better place to purse my BSN and get a job as a registered nurse? 

> Do you think I should just pursue a local BSN degree (considering it is a lot cheaper) and go through the process of verifying my credentials in whichever country I choose to work in or is the international BSN worth it? 

If you've gotten this far into this thread, I want to say thank you for being interested in helping me find answers. I just want to be sure and prepared. So glad I found this site. Thanks again! 

[Ms. Muffintop]

Hi, I can probably answer some of your questions but I cannot promise they're 100% accurate since I am an international student and our cases may be different.

1. I believe you wouldn't have a problem with your credentials since you will take your last 2 years here in US. Nursing programs here are usually about 2 years if not 3. The first 2 years are for taking prerequisites (anatomy & physiology, etc.) which can be taken from any college/university. I took mine in a community college. After this, you take an entrance exam to get into the actual nursing program in a uni or somewhere. Hope that makes sense. As long as you did your clinicals and actual nursing classes here, you should be good. The board of nursing only checks for those and don't really care for the prerequisites. And yes, you can just go ahead and take your NCLEX after graduating since by then, you would be considered a US grad RN. Schools usually help with the NCLEX processing.

2. After graduating on a student visa, you have an option to apply for a work permit (OPT). You would still be under student visa with this but you will be allowed to work for a year. You can use this time to look for employers to sponsor you with green card.

3. You can take the NCLEX anywhere but the challenging part is the board of nursing. You can only apply for the ATT (authorization to test) from your state of residency. Since you will be staying in VA, I'm assuming it will be your state of residency. The thing is, even if you take your NCLEX in CA, your nursing license will still show a VA license if you applied in the VA board of nursing. If you want to work in CA, you will have to do another application in CA board of nursing and apply for a license by endorsement. This is only applicable to the states that are not part of the compact state btw.

4. In terms of good countries to work for, I would say US, Canada, and Australia. UK is a popular choice too but nurses there do not get paid as much as the other 3 do I believe. Also, the credentials that they check in Canada and US are almost the same so moving there should not be tedious. I'm just not sure about Australia. the pay are also similar as well as the scope of practice.

Lastly, I think it is a better idea to pursue a US RN as compared to a local one since it will save you more time and stress. It will also open up opportunities and you can pretty much go anywhere from here. The only problem is that it can be costly. International students pay out of state tuition. If you decide to take this route, make sure to keep an eye out for scholarships and ways to save your money. Hope that helps. Good luck!