jahda_ph

Hello everyone! It's been a while since i visited this site. I just want to give an update regarding my case. When i was diagnosed back in 2003 during 3rd yr in college that i have hepatitis B and after series of exams, my doctor told me i'm a healthy chronic carrier, i thought working abroad will never be a reality. After passing the embassy interview and having to undergo the dreaded medical exam, i was so afraid and still in denial if i can really go and work here in the US. Even if my hospital knew about my status, i still haven't gone to my primary doctor here for check-up for fear of others judging me based on my medical illness. I just want to let you all know that i'm already working here in the US, and yes, they do screen nurses for hepatitis B but it's a case to case basis. I've been advised by our health employee management to have double gloving each time i do invasive procedures, other than that, i'm ok to practice as a nurse here. I'll be honest by saying that i'm still afraid of letting others know about my condition including my doctor, i think i still haven't fully accepted myself and this illness tagged along with me. BUt nevertheless, just pass those exams required by the place you want to go work to and have a healthy lifestyle and of course, pray a lot. Let's not be defeated by this illness..God bless!

hi..it's been a while since i visited this site. I have previous posts regarding hep B infection since i am a carrier myself, a healthy one. It bothered me a lot and until now, honestky speaking, even if my employer's not bothering me about it, it scares me out literally. I was diagnosed when i was in college up until medical exam for working abroad. I was very fortunate to work with a doctor who really explained to me that there are various types of hep B and as long as your liver tests are fine and you'r type is not highky contagious, you can actually work in a hospital setting. The idea of being hep B positive bothered me even when i got here in the US. I still can vividly recall having bad ideas that they might just send me back home. Right now, i'm still working here in the US, the employee management team of our hospital did test me on being hep B positive and my HBeAg's loooking fine. The only thing they want me to do as a standard precaution is to have double gloving in any procedure that will require transmission of blood/body products. So guys, jz continue to pray. Don't let this illness get in the way to fulfilling your dreams of working abroad. Although i'm not very verbal about this condition in my work which I think I don't owe anybody an explanatin or something. As long as your doing your job well and complying with what the hospital requires, you'll be fine.. God bless!

hi everyone! i passed the interview already, as expected, my medical got pending and was asked to submit a certification from my doctor. i forwarded the med cert to my employer but somehow, didn't get a clear reply from them although they emailed me for flight details. I'm preparing to travel yet i'm not sure if it's ok already'...i continue to pray that they got the med cert already because when they replied, they're already scheduling for flights..There's hope guys, keep your prayers present and your faith strong'..God bless!

hi there! It's been a while since i last visited this forum. My visa gto approved already for US, as expected, my medical got pending till now. I just sent my medical certificate to teh agency who will forward it to my employer in the US. I'm anxious about what they'll say and after everything i went through with the exams, experiences and embassy interview, that tehy will go into waste. I hope my employer will see me as more than just my hap B status, that i can be an asset in their company. Please pray guys, my doctor told me it will be okay but all i can do is pray and wait for my employer's decision'...thansk!

hello there...it's been a while since i visited this site. I'm done with the interview already but my medical got pending as expected due to my hep B status. I'm getting a certification from my doctor that i'm fit to work as a nurse and that i'm not highly infectious since the first time i knew i was positive around 7 years ago. I'm actually very worried although my doctor assured me and i've been reading a lot of posts here. I'm worried that if my employer knew i have this illness, they would not hire me. I already got my visa approved, is there a chance that they will not continue hiring me? This is what i've been worrying the first day i decided to take all the exams to qualify me as a nurse in the US. I do hope my employer will think beyond my hep B status and that i can work efficiently as a nurse in their hospital. Please pray for me and for the rest of those who continue to be in the same predicament. Thank you!

hellow there..it's been a while since i visited this site bcoz of too much work..i'm scheduled for embassy interview and as you all know, i'm a hep b healthy carrier, got it i guess from my mom. nwei, i'm praying that the medical will be ok but i'll see my doctor here beforehand to check for whatever we can do about my case. you can as well request for dna test to check if your type of hep B is infectious or it's not replicating.not everyone can be treated and its not always a guarantee that treatment will erase all those hap b virus in our system. you will be only subjected for treatment if the hep B you have is replicating..i really pray not only for me bt for all of us who have this illness. Let this illness not be hindrance to our pursuit of working abroad'..i'll update you guys regarding my results'..pray for me,thank you so much!

hi bubbles and everyone! yes, let's just hope and pray that whichever place we'll be applying,they would consider us since being Hep B + is not the true measure of being a nurse. I'm actually quite anxious everytime i think of how my medica examination will push thru since i'm waiting for my approval for working visa for US. I just hope my DNA result will show the virus to be non-replicating. I'll post here of my latest events as soon as possible. God bless to all of us. Let's be positive about this, let's not allow this condition to beat and outdo us. Till next time'

Hi there! I'm also a chronic carrier of Hep B, a healthy carrier. My doctor didn't submit me for treatment since my lab results were normal but he recommended another exam,quite expensive and ia available in Manila. Since i'm from the province, i probably will take the exam if my medicals are near already. I'm applying for US right now, i just took the risk. I know of someone who's working in Canada right now,we also have thesame case. Further tests will be asked i guess if one is a hep B carrier before the embassy decides if you have passed their criteria. God bless to all of us. I'll post here once my time has come for medicals.

Hi Sad Silly, Ei,cheer up! I'm from the phils as well,i'm already a nurse battling with this illness for many years now. I found out i was HbsAg positive during our screening in college. I got devastated as well, felt alone and depressed. But, i proved to myself that i'm better than this illness. Seek consultation in your case, you'll have a few tests done to determine if yours is an acute or chronic type. Mine is chronic, and i'm a healthy carrier. My doctor didn't give me any medications but i go in yearly to get my lab tests done. I still have to check for HBV DNA which is in Manila to be sure the excat number of virus in my system. Just pray a lot and hang in there. You faith is being tested,we're not the only ones in this battle. Just PM me if you need help. God Bless!

Hello! I reviewed for my NCLEX months before i even started my application. My agency was a crap before, they made me pay the review first without even starting the application. It was only during the last month of my review that i found out they did nothing at all. So, i got delayed on that one. After the review, i had to work in a hospital for around 6 months. I started the actual review 2 months before my scheduled date of exam. I resigned in my previous job to concentrate on my review and enrolled in a refresher course 6 weeks before my exam. I guess it doesn't matter how long u've reviewed. The important thing is the time you spent in review is quality time..

West Visayas State University, Iloilo - d #1 Top Performing Nursing School in the Philippines.....

Hi! also heard of OGP but before they even entertain u, they would still require at ;east 2 years of hospital experience. had my exams done already. Can u suggest of hospitals that directly petition foreign nurses? Thanks...It will eb of great help. It's been three months already since i finished my NCLEX but haven't found the hospital to petition me, unless i'll go over the agency. Please help me...Thanks a lot!!!

Good for you...In my caselast year, i got paid 205/day for 8 hours of work. During pay day, there would even be deductions as to health insurances. Even after i resigned coz i worked for only 5 months, they didn't even let me continue paying the insurance. It only means that what they deducted from my wage went to nothing...

1. My computer stopped at 75 questions. 2. I used Saunders Comprehensive Review Book, 3rd Edition i guess and Kaplan's 2 books. I enrolled at Kaplan for 3 months but it took me almost a year b4 I finally get to take the exam. The reason was that it took 5-6 months for my eligibility to arrive. 6 weeks before my exam, i got anxious so i looked for a local review center that offered refresher courses which helped a lot in terms of critical thinking and strategies. It was like a security blanket on my part since the exam is drawing near. Weeks before the exam, i also practiced answering questions on the computer, i finished kaplan's Question Trainer and some from Saunder's and Springhouse cds. 3. Nope, our SON does not offer such tests since we have our local boards instead to preapare after we graduated. That was our focus, to pass our local boards. 4. It was exactly 4 agonizing weeks. I didn't get to enjoy my Christmas and New Year waiting for the results. I applied in CA so there's no quick results. 5. I was the first one to finish, around 1 hour and a half. I was uncertain but i made sure my 75th answer was correct. But, u can't really say ur sure u passed unless u got the results. I jz prayed a lot. 6. Yes, that was my first time to take the NCLEX-RN.

I'm an RN from the Philippines. Does anyone of you know if Long Beach Memorial sponsors foreign nurses? I inquired in their website, but no they didn't answer. Thank you.

Hello! I'm from the Phils and passed my NCLEX which i applied in California. I got a notice after 4 weeks that i passed the exam however, a SSN was asked from me for the BON to give my permanent license. Am i correct in asking that if my employer wants me to work in other states other than Califrnia, that would'nt be possible? Do i have to work first in California and finish my contract there before going in other states and apply for license by endorsement? Sigh, if thats the case, i should have applied in New Mexico or Vermont since i heard the license is the one baing mailed to NCLEX passers. Please help...ur comments will be greatly appreciated!!

Elow! In my case, i applied for NCLEX in California because initially, i want to be near my relatives there. But now that i passed the exam, i'm having other options of working in the East Coast. May i ask how long is it to apply for reciprocity? Should the employer be the one applying and taking care of that? Thanks!

Elow! I jz submitted my application for Visa Screen thru courrier mail last week. there were three of us who mailed the appls on a seprate envelope but in jz one package. My friend told me she already got an email notification from CGFNS that her application was received. How come i didn't got any email from them? I'm not sure about my other friend if he got an email too. I'm kinda worried, it's been two working days since my friend got a notification. Please help...One more thing, has anyone heard about NIS, Alda Staffing or MediNurses? Which one would you prefer?I'm choosing between the three...Thanks!

Elow! I'm an RN from the Philippines trying to look for a job in the US. I already passed my IELTS and NCLEX exam. I submitted my resume thru emails to agencies based in the US. I also tried submitting it to a hospital directly but i'm not sure if they're willing to sponsor nurses from here. Anyway, a friend gave me the email add of Alda Staffing. After a week, an American called me and asked about my current job. Currently, i'll be starting to work as a part-time Clinical Instructor here but i do have plans of going back in the hospital during my extra days. Alda Staffing told me that i should be currently working in a hospital. Is that true? An interested client from California will be calling me for final interview over the weekend. Does anyone of you know about the possible questions they'll be asking? The regular rate is 28/hour, is that good? That's the highest rate i got so far, from the agencies i applied. Your responses will be greatly appreciated. If you know of anyone under Alda Staffing, please inform me as well. Thank you!!!

Yellow'..You can do it guyz! I guess there's no one person here that can say he/she's sure of passing the NCLEX right after the exam. It took me exactly four agonizing and torturing weeks before i got my result. My computer also stopped at 75? but was unsure about the results. Goodluck to all NCLEX exam takers! Keep praying! And for those who passed, a tight hug for you guys for passing the last, well, hopefully, the last exam of our life...:)

Hi Suzanne, Thanks! That rate is in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ill check for the crime rate there. thanks again

Elow! Im an RN from the Philippines. Is it beneficial to apply directly to the hospitals and not join an agency? I passed my IELTS and NCLEX with my own cash. What would u suggest? My aunt who's a sepervisor in one of the hospitals in CA havent heard that their hospital is directlt hiring nurses from the Philippines. Thats why im planning to apply in an agency. Ive also heard that it's faster if u have an agency than going on direct hire. Pls advice me. Thanks!

Hello Suzanne! Ive been reading a few of ur posts and i must say, theyre all very informative and helpful especially for new nurses like me. I passed the IELTS last Sept 2005 and recently passed the NCLEX. I asked the agency that im applying if theyre going to shoulder for the visascreen but they said , i should have to pay for it. Nwei, im worried that if i dont apply now for visascreen, i would probably lose my IELTS since it will expire this Sept. How long will it take me to process for my visascreen? Can i apply online with only IELTS and NCLEX? How should i go about it? Thanks a lot. Do you have any idea when theyll lift the retrogression? My probable employer is offereing around 21$ per hour in the state of Louisiana. Is that reasonable? thanks again.

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Elow! I had thesame feeling weeks before taking my NCLEX. I even entertained the idea of rescheduling my exam on a later date. But i did'nt. I took itlast dec 5 and passed. 6 weeks before my NCLEX, i looked for a review center that offers refresher course although i already had one but the review ended 8 months ago. So, i needed a refresher course just to tie up those loose ends. Luckily, i found one that really helped me clear my mind and focus on what normally shows up in NCLEX. It was really helpful for me. If you're really unsure of your performance, y dont u try calling and reschedule the exam with no fee required. But, you can never really say youre ready fro NCLEX even if you finish reading all those review materials. Goodluck on your exam. Hope ull make it too. Just stay focus and pray always.