Nclex Payment

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Jul 9, 2009

I am not trying to beat a dead horse but I just want to reiterate the statistics based on the Philippines alone:
FACT: 20-30% of all applicants make mistakes in the application process

Does this only include foreign applicants? Regardless, if someone's having difficulty with reading instructions on a form, can you imagine the kind of difficulty that person would encounter with actual exam questions.

FACT: The average mistake causes approximately $200 in losses to the applicant (not to mention the delay in time of up to a year which NCSBN says accounts for a high number of NCLEX failures)

High number of NCLEX failures?...is it because of the stress in the delay of processing or the fact that the applicant has difficulty following instructions? either way, the answer is: LEARN TO READ INSTRUCTIONS.

FACT: State Boards in the USA frequently lose documentation including bank drafts

What makes you think that wouldn't happen if a third party sends in you application packet?...to me, that would suck even more if I paid someone to send my application and the documents got lost in the process.

I'm just really leary of the fact that foreign nurse recruitment has become such a money-making business in some of the countries where the nurses originate and to hear that the Philippine is one of such countries is just a shame.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Jul 9, 2009

I am not trying to beat a dead horse but I just want to reiterate the statistics based on the Philippines alone:
FACT: 20-30% of all applicants make mistakes in the application process
Are you including US Trained nurses? I have not found this to be true in the USA.
FACT: The average mistake causes approximately $200 in losses to the applicant (not to mention the delay in time of up to a year which NCSBN says accounts for a high number of NCLEX failures)
Once again not true for US residents.
FACT: State Boards in the USA frequently lose documentation including bank drafts
Do the applicants use Fedex to track?
Those three facts alone stand, we can argue over the causes and such back and forth but these figures are very real.
Silverdragon: Color and Colour are very minor differences; since I've been living in the Philippines for two years I have had to make major adjustments to the way I speak in order to be understood. We are still speaking English words and pronouncing them correctly but the meanings are very different, the sentence structure is very different and it is not something that is easily addressed.
I have friends in different businesses all over the Philippines that are all highly educated individuals from US, Canada, UK and Australia and we have frequently talked about how amazing it is that Filipinos speak English better than many native speakers and yet it is so hard to effectively communicate because the meanings are so different. This is something that IELTS and TOEFL somehow do not capture or correct because TECHNICALLY the english is correct, but the practical use is so different that it causes confusion.
I've adjusted so much to the Pinoy way of English that it takes 5-10 minutes of a Skype call to my parents and friends in the USA to re-adjust to the US way of English!

Boards of nursing use IEN for a revenue generating . They are not going to make the process easier.

Second, as US nurse , I believe your facts are 100% for IENs but you are not making a good case for these nurses to practice in the USA if they can't complete a simple process that should be a no brainer. How are they going to complete complex patient care forms when they can't understand the process which is about their personal information?

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jul 9, 2009

I am not trying to beat a dead horse but I just want to reiterate the statistics based on the Philippines alone:
FACT: 20-30% of all applicants make mistakes in the application process
FACT: The average mistake causes approximately $200 in losses to the applicant (not to mention the delay in time of up to a year which NCSBN says accounts for a high number of NCLEX failures)
FACT: State Boards in the USA frequently lose documentation including bank drafts
Those three facts alone stand, we can argue over the causes and such back and forth but these figures are very real.
Silverdragon: Color and Colour are very minor differences; since I've been living in the Philippines for two years I have had to make major adjustments to the way I speak in order to be understood. We are still speaking English words and pronouncing them correctly but the meanings are very different, the sentence structure is very different and it is not something that is easily addressed.
I have friends in different businesses all over the Philippines that are all highly educated individuals from US, Canada, UK and Australia and we have frequently talked about how amazing it is that Filipinos speak English better than many native speakers and yet it is so hard to effectively communicate because the meanings are so different. This is something that IELTS and TOEFL somehow do not capture or correct because TECHNICALLY the english is correct, but the practical use is so different that it causes confusion.
I've adjusted so much to the Pinoy way of English that it takes 5-10 minutes of a Skype call to my parents and friends in the USA to re-adjust to the US way of English!

I have made mistakes on paperwork I have completed for things in the UK, mistakes happen and if you follow the paperwork then can usually be rectified quickly and painlessly

I doubt delay in application is a reason why a lot of foreign nurses fail the NCLEX I do believe a lot has to do with understanding English.

Things can and do go missing once arrived at a destination you can't guarantee that going through a third party means it isn't going to happen

I used colour as an example but there are also differences even if you are a native of a country. I have moved around a lot in the UK and lived in several countries and word uses can change even in the same country. Had problems several times using a word that meant one thing where I mainly lived but had another meaning where I was visiting. I just can not see why you have to pay for a third party to complete paperwork when once in the US nursing there is a lot more paperwork that needs completing and there will be no third party there to ensure you complete it correctly.

If people want to use an agency then that is up to them but when answers can be easily found on the Internet for free (not just on this site) then I really think they should save their money for something else

Hushdawg · Jul 10, 2009

hahaha! i am beginning to think you are one of them but that's okay. i wish they will advise the nurses to try states other than california.

promise i'm not a lawyer.. i actually avoid them whenever possible.

i always encourage nurses to think beyond the application process and think about career paths.

applying to a state "just to get in" is a very bad idea.

kayakgirl58 · Jul 10, 2009

I am curious. How does one from the Philippines get to write the NCLEX? I am ineligible to write because I do not have an American Social Security number (I am Canadian) and I took the program in Florida. Are there other States where a social number and residency is not a concern?

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jul 10, 2009

I am curious. How does one from the Philippines get to write the NCLEX? I am ineligible to write because I do not have an American Social Security number (I am Canadian) and I took the program in Florida. Are there other States where a social number and residency is not a concern?

I haven't heard of any states not allowing you to sit NCLEX as long as you meet requirements the issue is a license will not be issued if you do not have a SSN and that is what many states now require

Hushdawg · Jul 11, 2009

You don't have to have a social security number to take NCLEX, many states require it in order to release the license once you have passed NCLEX.

Hushdawg · Jul 11, 2009

Regarding the discussion over whether or not applications are hard.

I've heard this argument before many years ago when I was trying to decide whether or not to do my income taxes myself or go to a tax professional.

So many people claim that the forms are easy and straightforward and anyone with basic math skills can do them, yet millions use tax preparation professionals because they can't deal with the hassle.

Maybe licensure applications should be accepted in the same category.

After all, they are both lengthy sets of documents created to satisfy government officials.

Harlene · Jul 11, 2009

I'm learning a lot from you guys

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Jul 12, 2009

Regarding the discussion over whether or not applications are hard.
I've heard this argument before many years ago when I was trying to decide whether or not to do my income taxes myself or go to a tax professional.
So many people claim that the forms are easy and straightforward and anyone with basic math skills can do them, yet millions use tax preparation professionals because they can't deal with the hassle.
Maybe licensure applications should be accepted in the same category.
After all, they are both lengthy sets of documents created to satisfy government officials.

Anyone professional with a college education who can't file a 1040ez shouldn't be practicing as a nurse. Name, Address, Income, taxes paid etc. You can file over the telephone or go down to a IRS center for FREE help. You can download a FREE application that will submit your data.

Filing a complicated tax form where there is interpretation of tax laws is much different. It raises yourself to audit and time off to complete the audit is very different. US nurses don't use paid help to file an Li censure application. I have assisted hundreds of new nurses filing ( many English is a second language and not one had an issue with filing).

Who is going to assist these nurses when they are taking the NCLEX? What service is going to assist them filling out patient assessments?

I find the non nurses who post here often do not present the International Nurse is a very favorable light. Implying the International Nurses is not competent to fill out basic information with out assistance. Perhaps these nurses would do better without all the "support" they get.

smuggy · Jul 12, 2009

"Applying to a state "just to get in" is a very bad idea." -- I have to admit it is wrong, but not a bad idea. Thousands of Filipino nurses who are now in the US applied did this , except for those who were sponsored by the recruiting hospital, or agency. My own recruitment agency filed my application in New Mexico though they intended to send me to New Jersey.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Jul 12, 2009

Regarding the discussion over whether or not applications are hard.
I've heard this argument before many years ago when I was trying to decide whether or not to do my income taxes myself or go to a tax professional.
So many people claim that the forms are easy and straightforward and anyone with basic math skills can do them, yet millions use tax preparation professionals because they can't deal with the hassle.
Maybe licensure applications should be accepted in the same category.
After all, they are both lengthy sets of documents created to satisfy government officials.

Tax forms are nowhere near being the same as state BON applications for NCLEX-RN. I mean, there's probably a hundred ways to file claims on your income tax returns but there's only one correct way to fill out an application to take the NCLEX for a foreign nurse. State to state rules vary but there's only one way to apply for the NCLEX for a specific state BON.

BTW, I had to go through a lawyer to file for my immigrant petition (because there's third party employment sponsorship involved) but I filed my own US citizenship application and my mom's petition for a green card, both went through without any glitches.