International student and hospital sponsorship

elkpark · May 7, 2008

(Thread moved to International Nursing forum)

Silverdragon102, BSN · May 7, 2008

Welcome to the forum. The issue you will have is once qualified and if retrogression is still in process. You will not be able to work unless you qualify for OPT, as retrogression means no AOS, once completed your program and to continue on to CRNA they usually require x amount of years experience which is where the problem may come in.

jaqy · May 7, 2008

Thanks for your response. I am not sure but doesnt any one who has completed a bachelors degree get opt? I have never used any of mine. Also, one year iscthe minimum amount of experience that one needs to get into the CRNA program so I am thinking I'm cool. Also, I have been soeaking to some other ppl who are currently petitioning in Washington to get the retrogression lifted and they are close to getting some kind of progress so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I don't mind paying for school, however, my chief worry is not having experience. I want to gain this while going to school. That is why I would prefer working closely with a hospital. To me the experience is invaluable. Thanks again.

Silverdragon102, BSN · May 8, 2008

Thanks for your response. I am not sure but doesnt any one who has completed a bachelors degree get opt? I have never used any of mine. Also, one year iscthe minimum amount of experience that one needs to get into the CRNA program so I am thinking I'm cool. Also, I have been soeaking to some other ppl who are currently petitioning in Washington to get the retrogression lifted and they are close to getting some kind of progress so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I don't mind paying for school, however, my chief worry is not having experience. I want to gain this while going to school. That is why I would prefer working closely with a hospital. To me the experience is invaluable. Thanks again.

As far as I am aware there is nothing in the pipeing regarding AOS especially after July 07 fiasco and over 800,000 applications for AOS was filed. There are also a lot of nurses waiting patiently in their own country for retrogression to lift, probably more than the actual visa allowance and they will probably come first before new applications. You need to check with your school about OPT because without it there will be no way for you to stay in the US and gain experience for the course.

elkpark · May 8, 2008

Thanks for your response. I am not sure but doesnt any one who has completed a bachelors degree get opt? I have never used any of mine. Also, one year iscthe minimum amount of experience that one needs to get into the CRNA program so I am thinking I'm cool. Also, I have been soeaking to some other ppl who are currently petitioning in Washington to get the retrogression lifted and they are close to getting some kind of progress so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I don't mind paying for school, however, my chief worry is not having experience. I want to gain this while going to school. That is why I would prefer working closely with a hospital. To me the experience is invaluable. Thanks again.

Please be aware that one year of ICU experience is the minimum experience required to be eligible for CRNA programs -- however, just the one minimum year of experience will not make one a very competitive candidate, because you will be competing with many other applicants who have a lot more experience than the minimum. Additionally, many ICUs don't take new graduates and you can't depend on getting an ICU job straight out of school, and may have to work in general med-surg or another area before you are able to find an ICU position. Further, CRNA programs are extremely competitive (many of them are more competitive than many US medical schools, at this point) and lots of people find that they have to apply several times (over several years) before they are successful getting accepted (if they are successful). Have you looked at the CRNA student forums here? They are full of threads about how hard it is to get into CRNA programs, and how long it takes some people.

My point is that, if you're planning on graduating with a BSN, using your OPT to work for one year, and then going directly into a CRNA program to enable you to continue stay in the US as a student, that is not a very realistic plan. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, just trying to point out some of the reasons why the chances are not good that that will work out for you the way you would like it to.

suzanne4, RN · May 8, 2008

Have not seen one CRNA program in the entire US accept a student that did not have a green card in possession or at least qualify for the TN Visa if they are Canadian.

As an international student, you are going to need to be working usually for more than a year to get into most CRNA programs as well. And with the OPT, you usually will not get the full year as you start many times before one has even gotten their actua license.

They want to be sure that you will be able to work once you finish and there is no guarantee of that without having the visa in hand before.

It is easy to think how things would be in a perfect world, but it just does not work that way. And the chances of getting in to a program after one year of work is not the norm either. And if you do not get accepted after the OPT, then you have 60 days before you would be required to leave the US.

jaqy · May 8, 2008

so are u guys saying that an international student has NO hope for becoming a CRNA in the US??

helloworld · May 8, 2008

I think what they're saying is that the chances of you being able to follow the path you're thinking of are very slim. This is because of how competitive CRNA programs are, and because of retrogression. Where I work the ICU will accept new grads, but the CRNA schools in the area have such waiting lists that even one year of ICU experience is not enough to bump you up on the list. You would be working within VERY tight time limits because you would need guaranteed acceptance into the CRNA program BEFORE the end of your OPT year to prevent you from falling out of status.

suzanne4, RN · May 8, 2008

so are u guys saying that an international student has NO hope for becoming a CRNA in the US??

Not at all, but not as an international student. You are looking at things with rosy colored glasses, but that is not how things are in the real world and this is what you need to base things on as well.

You also need to be aware that it is currently harder to get into CRNA programs than it is to get into medical school. Competition is fierce and you have not even been accepted to a nursing program for the BSN as of yet, nor are even close to graduating from that.

Any school that does have stipends is not permitted to pay those students less money either. What you are wishing is not available for you at this time, just is not going to happen for what you want to do.

Go into nursing because that is something that you wish to do, you are going to need to go thru an immigration process to get the green card and that is no longer being done in one year either. And you are going to need that before a program will even consider you.

One year of experience is in the best of situations and that is for someone that holds a US passport as well, and is definitely not the norm.

Suggest that you spend sometime on the pre-CRNA forum that we have here and actually see what some are going thru to get in and they do not have international status to deal with either.

suzanne4, RN · May 8, 2008

I think what they're saying is that the chances of you being able to follow the path you're thinking of are very slim. This is because of how competitive CRNA programs are, and because of retrogression. Where I work the ICU will accept new grads, but the CRNA schools in the area have such waiting lists that even one year of ICU experience is not enough to bump you up on the list. You would be working within VERY tight time limits because you would need guaranteed acceptance into the CRNA program BEFORE the end of your OPT year to prevent you from falling out of status.

And without a green card actually in hand, just not going to happen either. Nlo reason for them to accept a foreign student that is not guaranteed of being able to remain in the US to work. Tuition is already outrageous for the local American student, as an International student who is also unable to work it is going to be something that you do not even want to consider in most cases.

Any facility is only going to pay a stipend if they know that one will be able to remain here to work, and that is no longer the case any longer. Attending school in the US no longer guarantees that one will be able to remain in the US, so they do not know if you will be able to remain and work here. Money is tight now and without a guarantee, should not even be a thought.

jaqy · May 8, 2008

thank you guys for