LPN in the Philippines? is there really no way?

World International

Published

hello... i'm a new member of this group but i have been reading a lot of topics here and i find them really helpful.. im a filipina nurse who practiced my profession as a volunteer in one of the hospitals in the city where i live.. i received a lot of discouragements from friends and relatives outside the country because they don't see the point why i need to volunteer since i am already licensed.. after a year of volunteering, i decided to look for a job within the city such as staff nurse or clinical instructor but failed since they claim that i lack experience...

i was offered a job in one of the technical school offering practical nursing, which i gladly accepted.. at first, i really don't know the difference between RN and LPN until i made some research. i enjoyed teaching since many of my students appreciated the way i teach... i'm now working there as a full time instructor but a little worried because LPN is not a course accredited here in the Philippines.. im aware that students who are US immigrants or Green Card holder have more chance of being hired in the USA. however, we have students who are Filipino citizens and wishes to work abroad but im not really sure if they can work in the USA.. i tried asking friends in other countries like Canada, Australia, Saudi, and New Zealand but they are also not certain whether these country will accept LPN graduates in the Phils...

i tried discussing this with the admin of the school but they said that they are confident that these students have possibility going abroad since the school is following all the requirements of the TESDA (an authority that accredits short courses) and the state where they will be applying...

kindly please help me sort things out.. if you have any idea on how to work on this, maybe we better improve, change the course, or not, close the school... thanks...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If you want to wrap up your brain about this issue, you might wanna check the comments of this link:

https://allnurses.com/philippine-nursing-forum/say-no-lpn-311473.html

-It's a scam and LPN graduates in the Philippines will never gain acceptance to other countries because the government itself doesn't recognize the program. You need to be an RN in order to travel abroad.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, AL, Corrections, Home health.

I am not sure... but I do work with a phillipino nurse educated in her home country, when she came here she said she just had to take the state board exam to practice as a nurse in the US, but she is an RN.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

PI LPN grads can, as far as I know, get licensed and work in the US if they have some other means of getting a visa/GC and being authorized to work in the US, but LPN licensure will not qualify them to be able to get a visa and come to the US.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Having your LVN/LPN isn't going to get you a visa in the US. If you can't get work experience as a LVN/LPN in the Philippines, the degree is useless.

Also, I'd be leary to even take courses from new nurses hired on as instructors. What do you have to offer the students? You have no paid experience and you haven't worked as a staff nurse. Here in the US you have to qualify to be an instructor of nursing through the state. You have to meet critieria and have to have so many years experience as a RN or LVN. It's called regulation, and that's something that the Philippines so desperately needs. I totally understand you accepted the position as an instructor because you needed to work. I'm no knocking you for that, you need a job. But no paid work experience. You basically wasted a year of your life working for free for these money hungry hospitals. I totally agree why should you be volunteering when you have your license? It's just a way for the hospitals to have slaves.

The LVN/LPN schools are doing nothing but taking money from unsuspected citizens, and you're unknowingly contributing to that. The government knows exactly what's going on and they're not doing a darn thing about it. The schools who are taking money from unsuspecting students are well aware that they wont be able to work there in the Philipppines, and also wont be able to get a job abroad because you can't obtain a visa for LVN/LPN no matter how many years experience you have. Well there in the Philippines you can't gain any because LVN/LPN aren't utilized.

You can't get a job in the US with out paid work experience. Volunteering does look good on a resume, but potential employers will ask you "Where is your paid experience?" You have some good questions and I suggest you reading up on the International Board. There are many experienced nurses who can assist you. Good Luck

Up Vote Up Vote ×
PI LPN grads can, as far as I know, get licensed and work in the US if they have some other means of getting a visa/GC and being authorized to work in the US, but LPN licensure will not qualify them to be able to get a visa and come to the US.

They wont be able to get a job as a new grad even with a visa. All new grads from here are having trouble finding a job as a LVN. There is a surplus of LVN/LPN here in the US, having Filipinos coming over is going to add to the surplus. They are in a lose lose situation. They aren't utilized there for nursing positions, and their program isn't even accredited there. How can any state accept their education when they're not accredited, and yet here our schools must be accredited. Something is wrong with this picture!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
They wont be able to get a job as a new grad even with a visa. All new grads from here are having trouble finding a job as a LVN. There is a surplus of LVN/LPN here in the US, having Filipinos coming over is going to add to the surplus. They are in a lose lose situation. They aren't utilized there for nursing positions, and their program isn't even accredited there. How can any state accept their education when they're not accredited, and yet here our schools must be accredited. Something is wrong with this picture!

I was only saying that there isn't any legal impediment to their getting licensed and working here, not that they would necessarily be able to find a job. Of course, the big issue is all the unfortunate people taking the LPN courses there believing that they can use that to come to the US, Canada, etc., when that is not possible. I agree completely that it's a bad situation that shouldn't be allowed by their government and education authorities.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I apologize Elpark I didn't mean to make it seem like I was attacking your post. I actually was aware of some of the points you made.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Moved this to the International forum

LPN will not meet immigration requirements for the US. As mentioned the only way round it is if they meet state requirements and pass NCLEX and come via another legal route like spouse or family immigrant.

You will probably find that most countries now require RN not LPN when it comes to immigrant/work visa/permits. Most also require a local license which in the Philippines is hard as the local government doesn't recognise it. The EU will not accept it as most countries within the EU only train to RN level. NMC for the UK state in black and white that they will not accept LPN/Enrolled nurse training

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Just to add the nurse needs to meet immigration requirements so doesn't matter if you meet state requirements and are able to sit and pass NCLEX you still need to get a work/immigrant visa and the US government will not accept LPN for the main applicant.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro-Surgery, Med-Surg, Home Health.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A lot of warnings have been written about the almost uselessness of an LPN 'degree' from the Philippines. Currently, there are hundreds of thousands of jobless RNs in the Philippines looking for jobs, then why should Philippine hospitals hire the less qualified LPNs when Philippine RNs are...sorry to label them, "a dime a dozen"?

To those U.S. Citizens who plan to study in LPN schools in the Philippines, read the latest news about the fear of mass job losses in the Long Term Care industry as the Federal Medicare program is making changes that could be financially devastating to the LTC industry in the U.S.A.

As more and more acute care hospitals prefer to employ only RNs in their nursing departments (most especially here in the San Francisco Bay Area), acute care hospital jobs for LPNs/LVNs have been drying up. The trend to an all-RN staffing started in just a few hospitals has now become common in many top SF Bay Area acute care hospitals. I will not be surprised if other nurses in other parts of the U.S.A. will say that this is also happening in their localities.

The LVNs whom I personally know either went back to school to get their RN degrees (the smart choice as far as I'm concerned), or are now working in nursing homes because those LVNs were let go by the acute care hospitals. The latest problem the LTC industry faces may mean lay offs of many LVNs/LPNs in the U.S.A. Hope that this does not happen though.

To those U.S. Citizens who plan to study LPN in the Philippines, think twice before you do so.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Up Vote Up Vote ×

There are already too many RNs in the Philippines as it is, and, in my opinion, no point in having LPNs here in the Philippines. And, frankly, I don't agree with producing LPNs for the sole purpose of shipping them abroad. It looks like these schools are milking the people who want to go abroad for whatever money they're worth.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment