Nurse

[Chenz04]

Hi Everyone, I'm a US Citizen and I'm planning to go back to the Philippines to study Nursing there this October for second sem instead of attending CSULB this August 29. I'm a freshman and my parents told me that it would be best to go back to Phil. to pursue my Nursing since Nursing Program will take another two years, and we all know that its really hard to get in.

Is anyone there a US CItizen and studied Nursing in Phil. and found a job right after you pass your NCLEX?

what school should I apply to?

how much are the expenses?

I would appreciate your help:)

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

I would really urge you to rethink this decision. According to the NCLEX pass rate statistics, foreign trained nurses have a much lower pass rate than US trained graduates. Also,competition for nursing jobs is fierce. These days if you dont have a BSN it can be very difficult to find a job. It might take longer and be more expensive to go to nursing school in the US, but it will pay off down the road. I dont believe that training in the phillipines will give you a good shot at finding a job in the US.

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

I agree with Ashley, I encourage you to pursue a nursing degree in the United States. I do not doubt that you will get a good education abroad but the ultimate goal is to successfully attain a license and secure a job, that becomes difficult when being a foreign trained nurse as you will have to have the credits evaluated by an international agency and so on.

While nursing programs are competitive they are not impossible to get into. If you are scared that you may not be a good candidate for a 4 year BSN program you can always begin at the community college level and attain an ASN/Diploma which is usually done in about three years with pre-reqs included.

I really think you should think this through and possibly speak to admissions counselor at a variety of schools.

Best of Luck

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

your parents mean well, but they are wrong about this one. if it's a money thing, work hard with your college financial aid officer at obtaining grants and loans. if it's a cultural thing, and your parents want you to be more filipina and less cal state, well, that's up to you to work on and i am certainly in no position to help:d, though there may be a student organization on campus that can. but foreign nursing grads have a harder time passing nclex and getting work in the states; if your goal is to work and live here, you need to stay in school here. good luck.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

I wonder...

Is the lower pass rate due more to the quality of foreign education, or because many foreign nurses don't speak English as a primary language? Do English, Canadians, Irish etc have higher pass rates than Thai, Korean, African, etc?

Other concerns:

It's already August and the OP doesn't have a school, or a plan. I'm guessing that admission to the good schools there is going to be very, very competitive, and native students may have the home court advantage. Kind of late in the game to make a switch without losing a year.

If classes are conducted in Tagalog, will the OP be able to keep up?

Aren't there more hoops to jump through for a foreign graduate to earn licensure?

Nurse, I think you would probably be better off here. Just study really hard & make your family proud.

[LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN]

You may want to put your post under the Regional tab.

[ninjago]

I agree with the other posters, if you are able to study here in U.S. do it here. Although I have known and worked with many Filipino nurses who got their degrees in the Phils. But when asked if they can do it all over again would they do it here or in Phils (without regards to finances), they said "of course, here".

The school has almost the same basic nursing foundation to cover, but the emphasis in teaching is a little bit different in Phils versus here in U.S. Perhaps one of the reasons why they find the NCLEX tough to pass?

English is the mode of teaching in Phils so in that regards less communication barrier, but you have to get used to the conversational english to be able to communicate with your patients and you will have that advantage if you are here in U.S.

Sure, studying in the Phils is way cheaper compared to here. If you look for nursing programs away from the major cities, the tuition is lesser, living expenses is lesser and less tough and competitive to get in. I know so because I have 3 nieces who went there and studied nursing, one is already here in U.S. for 5 years working in NICU. The other one is studying for her NCLEX and the younger one will be graduating next year. Good luck to whatever your decision.