My Filipina wife wants to go to nursing school > Question

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This is my first post, so a big Hello to everyone. :)

I am an American living here in the Philippines with my 27 year old Filipina wife (she is a Filipino citizen and has never been to the US before). She has a 4 year BS degree in Computer Science but now wants to become an RN. Obviously, I will be paying for this schooling if she in fact goes back to school.

Since she has previously graduated with a BS degree from a Filipino college, do you think she might be able to take a somewhat shorter than 4 year course in nursing? The reason I ask this is because she more than likely has already completed some of the basic prerequisite courses that any other BS degree would require such as the BS in nursing.

Actually I was planning on starting the paperwork through the US Embassy in Manila to get her an IR-1 Immigrant Visa so she could live in the U.S., but if she starts this Nursing program, obviously the nursing school is going to keep that from happening until she graduates.

Another question: If she graduates and gets her Filipino RN license, can she work as an RN in the U.S. once she immigrates to the US with me and recieves her "green card"? .... Or does she need to stay here in the Philippines and get some local nursing experience as an RN for a couple of years before immigrating to the U.S. with me?

Thank's for any and all info

Ron,

Bacolod City

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

If she does her nurse training in the US then she will need to meet the US state's nursing board requirements for foreign trained nurse and this does vary from state to state. Experience may not be required as this is more a employer thing however many US new grads are struggling to find work so she may still have that problem if this is still happening when she qualifies.

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Specializes in CTICU.
If she does her nurse training in the US then she will need to meet the US state's nursing board requirements for foreign trained nurse and this does vary from state to state. Experience may not be required as this is more a employer thing however many US new grads are struggling to find work so she may still have that problem if this is still happening when she qualifies.

If she does her nurse training in the US, she won't have to meet requirements for foreign trained nurses.

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If she does her nurse training in the US then she will need to meet the US state's nursing board requirements for foreign trained nurse and this does vary from state to state.

Thank's for the fast reply ... You state that "If she does her nurse training in the US" ... Do you mean her On-The-Job (OJT) training in the U.S. after she gets her RN degree here in the Philippines?

I know a doctor needs to do an internship at a hospital after they graduate from medical school in order to be a fully qualified doctor ... I thought an RN could go right out and work as an RN after they graduate from nursing school and pass that exam they have to take here in the Philippines.

Do RN's also have to take some kind of test in the U.S., even after passing the test they take here in the Philippines?

Sorry for my stupidity in this whole nursing thing.

BTW ... I wonder if my wife having a U.S. Immigrant Visa and a "green card" would help her get a nursing job in the U.S. easier than an OFW nurse trying to get an RN job in the U.S.?

Ron,

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If her goal is to ultimately work in the US, then she should save herself some time, energy, and frustration and just get her education in the US. Since she does already hold a degree then she does have a lot of options open to her. She can go the ABSN route but if she ever plans to work abroad then she may want to skip this option because most countries don't accept the ABSN from the US. If she wants to go the traditional route then she should wait about a year after she gets here in the US to start school that way she can be considered a resident and be charged resident fees rather than the rediculously high international fees. Good Luck

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Specializes in intensive care, recovery, anesthetics.

My question: WHY does she want to go to nursing school, when she has a decent education allready????

And where do you guys wanna live, if in the States, get education there, if in Philippines, get education there but forget about nursing no jobs, and chances for experience there is low, since no jobs and way to many nurses around.

5cats

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Thanks guys for picking me up on my slip, wasn't concentrating properly when I wrote that.

If she does her training outside of the US she will have to meet US state requirements which is different depending on the state she applies registration to. If she does her training in the US then it would be a bit easier

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

She will find it a bit easier because she will get her GC because she is married to you however getting a job in the US may not be as easy because if you check out some of the state forums or the general nursing discussion forum you will see many new grads in the US struggling to find work

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She will have to pass the US licensure exam, the NCLEX-RN, and be licensed in the US state in which you will be living (or in which she would be working) in order to practice. Also, some (not all) US states require that foreign graduates be licensed in the country they come from or in which they were educated -- and that has to do with where she was educated (as a nurse), not her immigration status, so the requirement would still be there if she has a GC or is a USC -- so she should be sure to get licensed in the Phillipines if she ends up going to school there. Some people come here and want to get licensed and didn't bother to take the licensure exam in their own country because they were already planning on coming to the US and didn't intend to ever practice in their home country, and then they find out after they're here that they can't get a license here without their "home" license -- big hassle.

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Thank you all so much for all the replies.

Someone stated: That it might be best or her to get her RN degree in the U.S. avoiding the "rediculously high interntional fees" .... I was led to believe that getting a BSN right here in the Philippines would be alot cheaper than going to nursing school in the U.S.

Someone else stated; Why does she want to go to nursing school, when she has a decent education allready? .... Well, she thinks she can make more money in the U.S. as an RN than with her BS in Computer Science.

I think the bottom line is that she feels she will need an real occupation such as being a nurse in the U.S. in order to support herself if I ever die. She feels that the degree she has now won't help her at all in the U.S. (it sure hasn't helped her one bit here in the Philippines).

Does she want to live in the U.S. all her life? ... I have spent a boat-load of money on a new house in an Ayala Premere gated subdivision here in the Bacolod area (the house is obviously in her name since a foreigner cannot own real property in the PI), and I really don't feel like living back in the U.S. right now becuse of the money I have pent on this house, but, my wife has a plan: ..... She don't want to be stuck in the PI if I die. I am older than her, so it stands to reason that I will die before her. That's why she wants to become a U.S. citizen. She want's a way out if she needs it. In her "Perfect World", I guess she want's to get her RN here in the PI, then go to the US for awhile and work for a couple of years while awaiting her citizenship. Then back to the PI to live in the house we had built here. Then when I die, she has a way out and back to the U.S and won't be stuck here the rest of her life.

I guess I can't blame her ... She keeps telling me that there is no opportunity or future living here in the PI, and that's why so many Filipinos want to find a way out if only they could. I guess I can't blame my wife for feeling that way. General apathy and a sense of helplessness seem to be the common problem for the majority in this country.

BTW ... My previous American wife in the U.S. was an RN with a Masters degree in nursing. She had a very well paying "administative" type of job at the the St. Loius University Hospital. I was a pilot and I can tell you that she made almost as much money as I did ... But I guess times have changed since I was married to her.

The big question I have in all this is; If nurses are paid so poorly in the Philippines, and finding a nusing job in other developed countries such as the U.S. are now so hard to find ... why are so many Filipinos / Filipinas still going to nursing school here? I live in Bacolod City, and we have many nursing schools in this area. These young nursing students are everywhere! I have never seen so many in one place before as I have seen here. God help these young students if a good paying nursing job are few and far between for the majority of them after they graduate.

Ron,

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The big question I have in all this is; If nurses are paid so poorly in the Philippines, and finding a nusing job in other developed countries such as the U.S. are now so hard to find ... why are so many Filipinos / Filipinas still going to nursing school here? I live in Bacolod City, and we have many nursing schools in this area. These young nursing students are everywhere! I have never seen so many in one place before as I have seen here. God help these young students if a good paying nursing job are few and far between for the majority of them after they graduate.

Ron,

A lot of the rest of us wonder that, too. Apparently, a nursing education has long been considered a reliable ticket out of the PI and into the "good life" in another country, as your wife notes, and people are having a hard time recognizing that that has changed significantly, at least for the time being.

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does she want to live in the u.s. all her life? ... i have spent a boat-load of money on a new house in an ayala premere gated subdivision here in the bacolod area (the house is obviously in her name since a foreigner cannot own real property in the pi), and i really don't feel like living back in the u.s. right now becuse of the money i have pent on this house, but, my wife has a plan: ..... she don't want to be stuck in the pi if i die. i am older than her, so it stands to reason that i will die before her. that's why she wants to become a u.s. citizen. she want's a way out if she needs it. in her "perfect world", i guess she want's to get her rn here in the pi, then go to the us for awhile and work for a couple of years while awaiting her citizenship. then back to the pi to live in the house we had built here. then when i die, she has a way out and back to the u.s and won't be stuck here the rest of her life.

i guess i can't blame her ... she keeps telling me that there is no opportunity or future living here in the pi, and that's why so many filipinos want to find a way out if only they could. i guess i can't blame my wife for feeling that way. general apathy and a sense of helplessness seem to be the common problem for the majority in this country.

btw ... my previous american wife in the u.s. was an rn with a masters degree in nursing. she had a very well paying "administative" type of job at the the st. loius university hospital. i was a pilot and i can tell you that she made almost as much money as i did ... but i guess times have changed since i was married to her.

the big question i have in all this is; if nurses are paid so poorly in the philippines, and finding a nusing job in other developed countries such as the u.s. are now so hard to find ... why are so many filipinos / filipinas still going to nursing school here? i live in bacolod city, and we have many nursing schools in this area. these young nursing students are everywhere! i have never seen so many in one place before as i have seen here. god help these young students if a good paying nursing job are few and far between for the majority of them after they graduate.

ron,

wow, that paints a clear picture about your wifes intentions. i'm only going by what you're stating. i hate to say this but it sounds like you're being used for a ticket to the us. i'm sorry if i offended you or any others but that's just how i see it. if you don't mind being used then that's fine, but i'm sure your family wouldn't feel the same about you being used for a green card. you've already spent money on a house that's not in your name so therefore there's a perfect opportunity for you to be taken to the cleaners once the green card comes through. you wont have a leg to stand on as you stated "foreigners can't own property".

i think you really need to ask your wife that question as to why people in the philippines want to be nurses. some of them have a passion for nursing, and they truely want to help people. those type of people love nursing and have a passion for it and they don't care where they end up working as a nurse. others are in it because they feel that they will have a ticket for a green card if they pursue nursing. those type of people are just in it for 1. the money, and 2. for a green card.

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