ninejams

I'm on the same boat as you. Luckily, I'm not taking any charge nurse duties until they determine I'm ready. I'm a med nurse with 60+ clients. All of the nurses in this facility have been telling me to just keep asking questions and one day I'll get the routine down on my own. I am so overwhelmed. I graduated nursing school in 06 but haven't practiced any nursing since then, plus took my nclex rather late. I took my time studying, got mediocre jobs here and there, and everything else in life got in the way. You're not alone! Hang in there! :) I'm pretty sure all the other seasoned nurses started out like us too. The worse part for me is giving substandard care, regardless of all the training I've had. I WAS a good student. I don't know why I can't be a good nurse, without a professor watching over my shoulder. Just think, it will get better. We will get better. :)

Search "bls for health care providers houston tx" in Google and you'll come up with results. Or also search the AHA (American Heart Association) website for CPR. If you do an actual job search for RN, you will find all the requirements they need. "temporary authorization to practice nursing. I read from somewhere (I'm pretty sure it's from the website of TX BON) that temporary permits are only issued to graduates who completed an accredited basic nursing education program within the United States."It might be the case for TX BON so just call them to confirm. I got a temporary license even if I didn't grad in the US. There are other jobs in the hospital or medical facility that you can try to apply at without needing a license. Just ask the HR, or do job searches. Even if it's just volunteer work, it will mean something on your resume when you pass your exam and are officially a RN. Search "volunteer work hospital houston tx" on google.. or just do "volunteer work houston tx". If you're active in church or some community in your area, NETWORK!!! Other nurses can give you valuable tips, lend you their reviewers and refer you to their jobs when the time comes. Also, if you have any questions, they will have more info than I do. lol! It just helps that you have nurse "references" in your resume.

You're welcome! Just remember to focus and follow up. Don't do what I did! :) Be consistent studying everyday and set up a plan that is reasonable for you to follow. Don't take more than two days taking a break from studying. Once you take the NCLEX, it will be a easy!! Some people suggest answering 10,000 questions total, others less, some say 100/day until your exam, some say 300/day but the important thing is understanding the rationale and having a good firm foundation of basic nursing. (Saunders rocks). It is such a tricky but easy test. It's ridiculous, really. :) *btw, I think we're not allowed to post links anymore and I just did. Sorry about that! learningext (com) is the site in case the post gets deleted.

I would say that you had issues with the personnel and staff that you worked with and make up a similar story, that if you were a nurse recruiter, you would buy it. Don't mention anything else.

Hi. I was in the same spot as you, but I never took the Filipino Licensure exam and took the NCLEX-RN right away. You're doing the right thing as far as researching on things you should do until your papers are done and you're ready to sit for the NCLEX. You should have started 6 months ago, because it is tedious work and sometimes you don't get any word that your papers have already been sent over. They can get lost in the mail so keep calling CES or BON to follow up. Start reviewing for the NCLEX because it is a different sort of exam, and they have made it a lot different just this year. If you can find any IV refresher courses in your area, do so. I can't find any in my area and will have to travel somewhere else. We do have knowledge of IV therapy from school, we just need practice. You'll be surprised that a lot of new nurses are the same way as you, so just be ready to practice what you know! From my experience, I got my CES - CGFNS papers ready in about 6 months. There's no need to take the CGFNS or an English exam. They assess your transcripts from the Philippines and give you an evaluation on whether you are qualified to take the NCLEX. If you are not sure what to do, call either CES or the BON to confirm what your next moves are. Sometimes they already have your papers done and mailed to you, but it does get lost in the mail and you will not hear from any of them. I also advise that you review through the http://learningext.com/pages/home website. They're the closest and cheapest I found to reviewing for the NCLEX. My next bet is Saunders. If you have enough money, Kaplan. This board is also full of advise on how to review. Granted you already got a social security card within the first month that you moved there, find medical related jobs around the area because it really matters that you're working / or are interested in working in a medical field! I made the mistake of overstaying at a non-medical field while reviewing for the NCLEX, and got too lax because I earned enough to pay the bills, got caught up with trying to be independent and having my own apartment while my test took a backseat for a while. Life was a lot different and I got too excited to do it all on my own. It doesn't look good on your resume and there wasn't any good explanation for it. Home caregivers, unlicensed personnel, volunteer jobs at the hospital, support staff are a few examples of medical jobs that require little training, and certification is sponsored by the employer. Definitely take a basic life support (BLS) course through the American Red Cross because all nursing jobs require it. Good luck. The NCLEX is easy but you have to be prepared for it by practicing as many questions as you can, and having the mindset for it. * Nevada experience. I'm just sharing what I had to do. :)

Has anyone heard of this site? Has anyone used this site and passed the NCLEX RN exam? Just curious, there's not a lot on the web about this site or if it's even legitimate. Thanks.

I was watching all the drama unfold from the beginning of the thread.. It's such a relief that you passed! Gives me much hope too.. as I am doing suzanne's plan. Congrats!

Hi! Kaplan is best for test taking strategies and rationales.. lots of good tips on how to memorize info etc. BUT, you will be studying on your own until you get to the live classes. I still don't understand why we had to use two books (the basics and course guide) when their contents are pretty similar and very summarized, just arranged in different ways. I hated how small the fonts were.. Then there were the review tapes that made me sleepy.. >_ I felt like I have wasted lots of time in their center when I could've just reviewed a Saunders book and looked at unfamiliar information in my textbooks. See, when I went to the kaplan library, I was limited to the materials that they have and I was unfamiliar with. I should've just stayed home and used my own materials since I know them by heart. But that would work better if I was disciplined enough to follow my own schedule... So I guess studying at their center was best for me at the time. Anyway, the tests we had at the center were excellent.. and I believe you will not find these tests anywhere else. If you go into the live class (which is good option for you), your teacher is trained to take the nclex several times and pass them.. so he/she should be the best person to tell you which rationales (from mosby/saunders etc) work on the nclex itself, as well as answer questions about what topics you don't understand. Having a group/class to share info with, helps too. Advantages: They are really an excellent source for nclex tips. I mean it. :) If you are going to take your exam soon, you will be familiar with the materials you are going to take because of the test-taking strategies. It always pushes you forward. Kaplan strategies work. ;-)

From reading that statement, "if you can call nurses unskilled".. I don't think they were actually referring to nurses as unskilled, but more of an ironic statement, that makes nurses unique to have this type of visa. I guess they are doing this because of the dire need (in mass numbers) of nurses that need to be sent in to help the shortage of the already existing local work force. I am quite surprised by the reactions of nurses that perhaps the gov't should have worded that statement differently. But then it is unfair to pay them lower since they do get a matching nursing education + skills from the countries they come from. The background checks are extensive! Otherwise, they cannot be eligible to work in the u.s.. Foreign nurses on work visas still need to take the NCLEX as that's a huge factor in determining whether or not they can give safe and effective care to patients.. You don't want your patients to be cared for by some foreigner who can't even speak english correctly, and gives lousy care, having the same title as you. Come on, we all know that.

I have some good stories about friends who have flown to the u.s. just to have their babies born here, and even to take their nclex. IT's possible, but you do need to have a valid visa. It's going to be a matter of luck if you don't have one.

They probably thought you were doing the Kaplan in the Philippines. I took the one in the Phils and we don't have that online thing. If you are currently taking your kaplan in the U.S. then you should be taking the Kaplan program for domestic nurses. I believe you should be receiving materials/instructions regarding all the materials you are eligible to use during your review and this info should be one of them. If you were indeed told otherwise then you might be able to demand for a refund. ;-)

Which hospital is this and where, if I may ask? I'm trying to help my friend find a hospital that sponsors nclex passers. Thanks. :)

Does nevada require toefl/ielts for foreign grads BEFORE they can take the NCLEX? I called the Nevada BON and they told me they only need the CES. There's no need for the TOEFL/IELTS. I'm an immigrant, btw. But i'm getting mixed answers and now i'm confused. Some say Nevada requires TOEFL and other say that it doesn't. Enlighten the demons out of me!

I'm registering online for the TOEFL exam coz it was supposedly the most convenient way to do it, and this question pops up and says: Select score recipients. So I went on and chose "Nevada State Board of Nursing" with an accompanying drop down menu which says "Select School Type". Something tells me I shouldn't be in this registration form. I am not a student anymore, I am a fresh graduate! Yet, the choices were all for students!!! (graduate student, undergraduate.. etc) IF i chose graduate student, I should be in my masterals or something, right? So now I'm confused! To whom should i address my TOEFL results to? I have up to four options. And I'm afraid that if I just skip this, I'd have to pay an extra fee just to send my results to somewhere. HELP!!!

That advise re:applying to california and getting an endorsement was given to me by a friend. Thanks to you I'm kind of getting a clearer picture of what to do now. She says endorsement only takes a couple of weeks and you just need to give them an application plus the added fee. That's what she did. I guess I'm just trying to evade the added expense of applying for CES :) Come to think of it, it's either you go through it the easy and cheap way: thru calif, or pay the extra hundred bucks and get a faster service: thru nevada. :monkeydance: I thought she didn't take the nurse licensure last june so I said she didn't need a license. But then, the situation is different if she did take the exam. Best thing to do is to wait for PRC to release a decision before applying for anything. Thanks samantha. You're such a big help. And sorry if i confused anyone..

I know of an agency which does this too. They operate in the US and rely on the hospital paying them to do their job of recruiting nurses abroad. They don't get anything from the nurse's salary nor do they even require a downpayment. All the nurses need to do is to fund for his/her own regular fees (such as NCLEX/CES/CGFNS/IELTS etc) and the agency will help them. :) It's just unfortunate for some to encounter abusive agencies. Poor nursies. Just be sure to read fine prints on your contracts BEFORE signing anything!

Tough call on whether to study Nursing in the US or Philippines. O_O I didn't know about the waiting periods until I read through your posts. And the expenses!! Just be able to weigh the circumstances. There are disadvantages.. advantages, and other options. Good luck!

I went home 2.5 years ago to study nursing in the Philippines and here I am and I'm back! My problem now is, It's different how the standards are being conducted in the live setting, although it should hold true that the basics should be the same for everyone. The experience is just different. The U.S. can also be strict when it comes to verifying your foreign credentials. I've heard that the Philippines will be running a new law that requires students to go through 4 years of nursing school regardless of age or status. I'd watch for that law before heading back home to study nursing as a second course :)

lana, you're right. cvs is taking too long in ny. my friend applied there last year and she hasn't received her report yet. if you're bent on taking the nclex asap, regardless of state, you might as well consider finding another state to live and work in. regarding that cvs report, does it also apply to nevada? i mean, if i endorse in nevada, will they also require my transcripts to be evaluated again by cgfns even if i passed the requirements to another state?

I tried their site and didn't find the info I needed. (Got tired looking and perhaps i didn't look hard enough!) I got to know about the iBT through this forum, though. It does make sense that iBT is more relevant to NCLEX takers. Thanks for you input. :)

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You're a big help! Thanks! I tried calling our local test center and they don't even know which one is required by the State Board. And yes, I am already an immigrant so it kinda lessens the hassle a bit (just a tad bit). That visascreen is something new to me and I will be looking into that in a while. I might be able to help a few non-immigrant friends with some new info. Thanks again. :wink2:

TOEFL currently has two types of exams.. the computer based (CBT) and the internet-based exam (iBT). The internet based exam has been the most recent modification to the TOEFL which includes a speech exam aside from the regular written and reading tests. Which one should I take? Does anybody know? My head is split between applying for California and redoing all the requirements just to evade the more expensive Nevada requirements. I haven't applied to anywhere by the way but all my transcripts and stuff have been received by CES. Since I'm already here, and the English Exam is the only thing i'm missing for Nevada, I might as well give it a shot. Hope anyone can help me.-- thanks

No, they don't need your local license. If you apply to CES through their website, you have to send them a written letter explaining why you did not take the local exam. HOWEVER, if you get one of their application packets. It won't delay the process so don't worry. Just go to PRC and they will know what to do. Another thing, you need to get the english exam too. Better be prepared for it. Nevada is more expensive than California so I'm wondering why you want to take the Nevada application? If you intend to live in Nevada, you can still apply for California, take your nclex and apply for Nevada by endorsement. It only takes a few weeks, and you don't need to take your TOEFL anymore, nor apply for the CES thing. It's cheaper and less complicated. I'm kind of suffering from my decision to apply in nevada right now..