Please Help CA Student moving to Philippines

Silverdragon102, BSN · Aug 5, 2007

First so much thanks for all who post, you inspire me...
Hello all,
Please help me with any and all advise/input. I am in desparate need. I am born and raised in south cali and cannot get into the waitlisted/lottery process here. All colleges here seem backed up taking only the cream of the crop. I really want to get started in this career of Nursing. I have graduated college with a B.A. degree(2.4gpa) no nursing pre-reqs. I am seriously considering moving to the Philippines to complete a BSN program (Fatima) or a ADN (St. Ignatius College)any grads?. I have looked at other options like St. Kitts (IUON) and private (maric, national, apollo). I am a Catholic but am not Filipino and do not speak Tagalog. I lived in Samoa for 2 years so am used to the heat/humidity and can adjust to a new culture. Can it be done? Has it been done by Americans(non Filipino/AM-Fil.). I just want a RN asap and the idea really seems like a good option. Focus on school and no distractions of old friends. I am nervous cause I hear its really really hard overthere compared to U.S. college. A fear of mine is spending the money flying over and finding out i was hustled by a school where no one has done this before. I would love to hear from any one who has any input advice. For weeks I have looked at the many other threads on Philppine Universities and still need help. Would love to hear from any in my same situation/ students currently enrolled. I am thinking of tutoring privately from nursing student to assit in studies. Should I fly over for a week and interview /apply?/how possible is this to start in a dec07/jan08 semester? Please help anyone...
pms welcomed...

Check out the Phillipine forum as there are a couple of threads about this. Even though a US citizen you need to be aware that when applying to BON's for licensure you will always have to follow requirements for foreign trained nurse and meet their requirements and the process may take a few months before you can sit NCLEX. There are also a lot of issues going on in the Phillipines at the moment. You will be classed as an international student and fees could be very high. Also you may not get the clinical skills whilst training as demand is high. I would really read what has been said in the Phillipine forum and think long and hard that this is the route you want to go through.

nightyngale · Aug 5, 2007

Aspiring in Cali. I grew up in the RP, speak Tagalog but am not a Filipino. My parents still live and work there. I too have a BA and wanted to go back to school for nursing. I thought about going back to the RP and living with my parents while going to school at UP, St. Ignatius, Ateneo, etc... I didn't look into it TOO seriously but decided after a bit that it wasn't the route I wanted to take. First of all, they are going to give preference to Filipinos. Secondly, while food, clothing and such may be cheap, rent is not. You could always use public transportation but that can be hard to figure out. Also, there are a BUNCH of hoops to jump through before you can even think about sitting for the NCLEX.

My suggestion: looking into out-of-state programs here. CSU Fresno offered a new Entry-Level Masters program that was for people who already held BAs. It was part of a state-funded expansion to train more nurse leaders. CSULA, CSUFullerton, and several other CSUs were given the funding. However, CSU Fresno had to shut it down because they didn't have enough applicants! There are openings out there, just in less desirable areas. Better to move a few hundred miles away where you can keep your car and not have to learn another language. You might want to check out-of-state programs such as NV or KS. I don't know what the situation is like in those states but with a smaller population, maybe it'd be easier to get into a program there.

That's my two cents. :-)

Good luck!

Elouise2 · Aug 6, 2007

Hi AspiringInCali! I'm a nursing student in the Philippines. One of my classmates is a Fil-Am and I remember him saying that he'd still have to take the CGFNS exam after grad. like nightyngale and silverdragon have said, it would be best to find out more about this (sitting for the cgfns and nclex after graduating from a school outside the US).

There are non-Filipino students enrolled in nursing, dentistry, and medicine in a number of universities here. Fatima is good. rent in valenzuela city (where the main campus is located) ranges from U$40 - U$100 a month.

You might also want to look into Manila Central University, Centro Escolar University, University of the East (Ramon Magsaysay Campus) and Far Eastern University. Before flying over you might want to find out what subjects you'd have to take here before getting your BSN, so you'd know whether you'd be done in 2 years or so. Perhaps the admissions office could tell you this if you fax/email them.

The regular semesters here begin in june and end of october/november. Most subjects are also offered during the summer break (April-May). "Regular" coz there are schools like Philippine Women's University (it's actually coed now) that are on trimester.

I don't know how much the tution fee is for international students but textbooks here cost less than those in the US since you could buy the international editions (also known as LPE's low price editions) for fundamentals of nursing (kozier), medical-surgical nursing (brunner & suddarth's), etc.

all the best!

JustinTJ, ADN, BSN · Aug 8, 2007

I'd just find a nursing school in the states that has no waiting list and move there. It's probably easier to get liscensed in the long haul.

jensfbay, BSN, DNP · Aug 8, 2007

I was in the same situation as you are. I had B.S, with only 2 nursing prereqs from my previous degree. It took me an additional 2 years, while working part-time, to take prereq such as anatomy and phyiology, microbiology, etc. I took them at a community college (which was a very good experience for me, for the instructors there are passionate about teaching).

taking prereqs at a community college could also boost your gpa. since you are now even more motivated to do nursing, i have a feeling you'll be striving for an A on your classes.

after finishing my prereqs, i went to an accelerated program. i applied pretty much anywhere in the country...in and out of state. these programs are usually only 12 months. you get a bsn after that.

i thought that it was worth it for me to wait. i ended up going to pennsylvania (i live in california) since it was the the soonest program that would start. 12 months after, i am an rn.

it seems like a long road, but it's an option. consider accelerated program. meanwhile, while you're taking your prereqs, work at a hospital where you can get as much exposure as you can.

on the side note: i myself am filipina. i speak tagalog but have spent half of my life here in the states. the idea of going to the philippines for rn school did cross my mind, but it was a fleeting one since my heart is now here in the u.s. the fact that your parents do live there help. make a list of pros and cons.

it seems like the accelerated program is the way to go for you.

Oregonian · Aug 17, 2007

Hi there... I found this school called KRC or kennedy review center from the Philippines and they are offering an LPN program for which you can take thru online if you live here in the US. However, I found out that they will be opening an ADN program pretty soon. But am still doing an investigation about there program wether if it is accredited or not and if proved enough that this school is legitimate then I might go for it.