need help with nursing job in US from Phils.

[nursig]

I am a BSN graduate, single male from Quezon City and still awaiting the June 2005 local nursing examination results. I am also in the medical profession. Right now, I don't know which step to take next. Should I get a job here as nurse while preparing for exams, such as CGFNS, IELTS and NCLEX? Or should I continue my medical profession? Is certification of employment here as a nurse important in U.S.?

Two days from now, me and my colleagues will meet a U.S. employer based in California who is offering a 3 year contract as direct hiring. $21/hr 48 hrs a week.

I'm still unfamiliar with the nursing migration. And I don't want to make mistakes when getting to U.S. to work as nurse. I hope there is a fellow Filipino here who have gone through it and would like to help me in doing the right steps.

nursig

[orlando]

Is $23.75/hr in chicago fair or still dubious? thanks.

NCLEX is a national licnesure exam, there is no such thing as a California NCLEX per se. In the "old" days, each state had their own exam and it was done by paper and pencil and took two days. Now there is one exam, and you can even take it in Asia. :)

There are only two states that require CGFNS, which you cannot even endorse to without having CGFNS exam, and those are Michigan and Illinois.

If you go for initial licensure in California, which means that you are applying to CA BRN for licensure by taking the NCLEX exam for them, you will be unable to endorse to another state until after you have a Social Security Number#, and you won;t get that until you actually have a job. CA will only issue you a letter stating that you meet the requirements but will not issue you a license so you cannot endorse easily someplace else.

Depending on where you will be working in CA, $21 can be a very poor rate because of cost of living. I highly recommend that you do not sign a contract with that rate, but then it is your choice. I wouldn't do it.

Especially since you are unaware of anything over here and can easily be taken advantage of. You can get stuck in one of those contracts and have difficulty getting out of it. Such as what type of fee would you have to pay to them if you had to cancle the contract, or the hospital conacelled you? Many have fees of about $15,000 US.

[suzanne4, RN]

All depends on what else that they are covering and where exactly that you will be living. Length of contract, immigration costs paid, overtime rates, weekend differential, night differential, is the contract directly with a hospital or with an agency......................htese things also need to be figured in.

[himdale]

All depends on what else that they are covering and where exactly that you will be living. Length of contract, immigration costs paid, overtime rates, weekend differential, night differential, is the contract directly with a hospital or with an agency......................htese things also need to be figured in.

Dear Suzzane,

Since you're the most experienced and young at heart here in this forum please discuss salary issues. I am really confused about how they compute salaries in the U.S. As i mentioned before I am not a nurse. Just helping a special friend.

By the way what are the cities/counties included in the BAY AREA...the starting salary there is really high if it is $40/hr...How do they compute that?

Well I like to share the one that was offered to my friend by her sponsor. Ok it is a hosipital located at Norwalk, California. It is under L.A. County. She was offered a starting salary of 22/hr for the first 8hrs. and 33/hr for the next 4hrs. They normally have a 12 hour duty and that would be 40/hrs per week.

So if you would compute that would be 25.66/hr for 12 hours. The hospital also offers an incentive...if you completed 160 hrs of duty in a month (that would be around 15/16 days with a 12hr duty) you get a $500bonus...

So $308/day times 16days= $4,928 +$500 bonus that would be $5,428...divide it again by 16days to get the daily rate with the bonus that would be 339.35 per day. Divide 339.35/ 12hr that would be $28.27/hr...

$28.27/hr with the bonus (i know it is still taxable)...shift differential is not yet computed over there. so do you think that is a fair salary in Norwalk???

Ok another thing she did not went through any agency because most of the agencies are asking for a lot of money. And then they want to hold her passport, CGFNS Certificate, English Exam Certificates, and Visa Screen Certificate...which i think is really unfair and unconstitutional...BESIDES SHE PAID FOR ALL THE EXAMS AND REVIEW FEES...So i said I will look an employer that would sponsor her...

Ok about the contract...this is really interesting that we would discuss this...She was offered a sponsorship with a three year contract...:uhoh21:

Attached to the contract is a $2,000 sign on bonus that she can get once she lands there to work on her first day. After completing the contract for three years there is a $5,000 bonus that would be given to her. So she will be receiving $7,000 in bonuses plus the $500 for every month if she will not be absent from work...

The good thing is that she is ALLOWED to work in other hospitals BUT she must not DISREGARD her duties/work on the hospital that sponsored her. So assuming that she would be working for 15/16 days per month on her sponsoring hospital she can work for another 10 to 14 days in another hospital without any strings or contract being violated...

What is good is that the hospital pays for all the LEGAL FEES and INS Fees.

(I am not sure yet who is going to pay for her visa fees, medical fees and airfare) But i don't worry about that as long as she lands there on legal status and working as an R.N.:rotfl:

Ok there are no reimbursements from the following: CGFNS Exam and Reviews, NCLEX Exam and Reviews, English Exams, Visa Screen Certificate Fees.

So what do you think about that? Please comment...

I know that there is really a big difference with regards to the salaries of foreign nurses and from nurses that really graduated and were educated there. Most of the nurses grab the opportunity because of their American Dream...anyway as they say "it is only a starting salary"...as you move on you learn more experience and earn more! And your dreams are fulfilled...

Dale

[Rep]

You can visit http://www.salary.com. The website can give you the average salary of a nurse by town, city or state.

Dear Suzzane,

Since you're the most experienced and young at heart here in this forum please discuss salary issues. I am really confused about how they compute salaries in the U.S. As i mentioned before I am not a nurse. Just helping a special friend.

By the way what are the cities/counties included in the BAY AREA...the starting salary there is really high if it is $40/hr...How do they compute that?

Well I like to share the one that was offered to my friend by her sponsor. Ok it is a hosipital located at Norwalk, California. It is under L.A. County. She was offered a starting salary of 22/hr for the first 8hrs. and 33/hr for the next 4hrs. They normally have a 12 hour duty and that would be 40/hrs per week.

So if you would compute that would be 25.66/hr for 12 hours. The hospital also offers an incentive...if you completed 160 hrs of duty in a month (that would be around 15/16 days with a 12hr duty) you get a $500bonus...

So $308/day times 16days= $4,928 +$500 bonus that would be $5,428...divide it again by 16days to get the daily rate with the bonus that would be 339.35 per day. Divide 339.35/ 12hr that would be $28.27/hr...

$28.27/hr with the bonus (i know it is still taxable)...shift differential is not yet computed over there. so do you think that is a fair salary in Norwalk???

Ok another thing she did not went through any agency because most of the agencies are asking for a lot of money. And then they want to hold her passport, CGFNS Certificate, English Exam Certificates, and Visa Screen Certificate...which i think is really unfair and unconstitutional...BESIDES SHE PAID FOR ALL THE EXAMS AND REVIEW FEES...So i said I will look an employer that would sponsor her...

Ok about the contract...this is really interesting that we would discuss this...She was offered a sponsorship with a three year contract...:uhoh21:

Attached to the contract is a $2,000 sign on bonus that she can get once she lands there to work on her first day. After completing the contract for three years there is a $5,000 bonus that would be given to her. So she will be receiving $7,000 in bonuses plus the $500 for every month if she will not be absent from work...

The good thing is that she is ALLOWED to work in other hospitals BUT she must not DISREGARD her duties/work on the hospital that sponsored her. So assuming that she would be working for 15/16 days per month on her sponsoring hospital she can work for another 10 to 14 days in another hospital without any strings or contract being violated...

What is good is that the hospital pays for all the LEGAL FEES and INS Fees.

(I am not sure yet who is going to pay for her visa fees, medical fees and airfare) But i don't worry about that as long as she lands there on legal status and working as an R.N.:rotfl:

Ok there are no reimbursements from the following: CGFNS Exam and Reviews, NCLEX Exam and Reviews, English Exams, Visa Screen Certificate Fees.

So what do you think about that? Please comment...

I know that there is really a big difference with regards to the salaries of foreign nurses and from nurses that really graduated and were educated there. Most of the nurses grab the opportunity because of their American Dream...anyway as they say "it is only a starting salary"...as you move on you learn more experience and earn more! And your dreams are fulfilled...

Dale

[suzanne4, RN]

If the foreign nurse has a green card, then they are entitled to receive the same salary as the nurse that graduated here. However, be aware that immigration costs, etc. can be taken out of that salary, etc.............also if there is an agency involved, part of the money will go to the agency...............or it can.

Bay Area means San Francisco, San Jose, Palo Alto, etc. This is a couple hours north of Los Angeles. And as I told you before, just because it is LA County, it doesn't mean Los Angeles. The county is a much larger area. Smaller towns will usually pay less, cost of living is less.

And $40 per hour is not for new nurses, whether trained here or overseas.

(Also take into acccount that an apt in San Francisco area starts at about $1500 per month, salaries are also based on cost of living.)