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I don't think its right to blame the senior nurses for not having enough jobs for new nurses. They have their mind of their own to choose whatever they wanted in life. If they chose to stay in the hospital for 25 years or so, so what? Why blaming them that you cannot get a job because of them? As long as their employer wants them and they are not a burden of the hospital and not retiring, why not? No one has the right to dictate people what to do.

Please google US Social Security Number and you will get your answer :typing As long as you're legally reside here in the US, you can obtain one.

That's what I did. When I transferred from Ireland, I already had my NCLEX application in California. I took my exam here in Seattle. When I got my California license, I applied for an endorsement to Washington. It took me 6 weeks before I received my Washington License. One thing, after I passed my NCLEX, the California Board asked for my SSN# coz they will not issue your license if you don't have it. What I could only suggest to you guys is to have some work experiences in the Phils first. There's no easy way coming here and work here. There are lots of newly grad US nurses who are having a hard time looking for work. I would wonder how much more for a foreign grad who doesn't have experience at all. Goodluck to everyone!!!

I LOVE CVOR!!! We have clean patients. No pus, no cysts, no TURPs, no Hemorrhoidectomies , etsetera.... Usually, its a 12 hour shift and only 2 or 3 patients turnover. If its Thoracic Aneurysmectomies, you will only have 1 patient on your shift. The bratty surgeons? Let us just consider them as our "challenges" in our life. They are part of us as OR nurses. At least we will not be dealing with some other bratty relatives or awake patients who will scream at you and threat to sue you whenever their wills are not granted on time. To those CVOR nurses, I give my to us!!!:redbeathe

My husband and I were arguing about that issue. For him it's again "pro choice" that patient can have an option. But for me, since I'm in a healthcare setting and experienced assisting that (in other country), I am telling him it is morally wrong. As for me, I was forced to do that not because I want to but because I dont want to lose my job and my license. It's being practical but it's so simple reason that you kill rather than saving lives. He is going to vote and I'm not. So I really have to persuade him a little bit more not to vote for Initiative 1000.

I heard CBON requires Phil Licensure Exam already so you must have to pass it first before you proceed to your NCLEX. Much better to get some hospital experience too while waiting for lifting the retrogression.Its a long process and not as easy as that but it's better to move than do nothing. Goodluck!!!

I also enrolled there at NC-CLEX long time ago and I would say it didn't helped me at all. If you want to have a good resume to go abroad, I would suggest to have loads of nursing work experience particularly in good hospitals. Those hospitals also offer trainings for their employees and some of them are free of charge that you could add to your resume. In fairness to NC-CLEX, that might be useful if you didn't work for a long time as a nurse and you want to freshen your knowledge in a hospital setting. You can have loads of certificates from them but with no hospital experience, that would just be a piece of crap. Employers abroad do not even recognize and doesn't even know what NC-CLEX is.

I suggest not to go out of our country without any work experience as a nurse. I know it so hard to find one but it will be harder to work abroad without any hands on experience. Before me and my batchmates left for Ireland, there were some of them who had a problem on how were they going to pay our local agencies plus the pocket money they were going to spend for a month once we get there. You know what? As soon as we signed our contract and got our Irish visas, they were able to pay that amount before we left.Some of them borrowed money, some sold their things, property, etc. Once you are on that situation, there is no way you could stop. This is really where we can test our ability as a person. Dont lose hope. Save money for the future then use them on your trainings. Once you have the experience, there will be more oppotunities ahead of you. Goodluck!!!

I agree with you. It's like going to the battlefield without even know how to use a gun. It will really be embarrassing not performing a simple task in front of your foreign colleagues just because you haven't experienced doing that in your own country...

I admit that the quality of nursing education in the Philippines is really declining (let's face it!). I think one of the reason was since nursing is in demand, many schools (could I specify computer schools as well) added nursing as their program just to earn money without even knowledge and facilities on it. But still got an accreditation from the government. One thing are the nursing instructors. I heard that there were newly grad and newly trained nurses who were hired by the affiliated schools to teach their students in the hospital. I know in our time, before you become an instructor, you have to have tons of working experience and a masters degree. Where are they now? Of course, abroad and earning more than what the employees cant pay for the best quality of service they give. And to top it all, those nurses who go abroad without any experience, fake their working experience and then were hired by foreign agencies. That is the reason why some of foreign nurses are complaining on the quality of work Pinoys have. But on the other hand, that particular nurse who comment on this forum and targeting how filipino nurses work should not generalized and be judgemental. This will reflect on their personality as a person. And if one does not agree that Filipinos are the best nurses in the world, one does not have to get mad. Everybody can say that. That's only the attitude of us showing patriotism in our own country. Being a racist is a no no and that will give a bad impression in your country.One thing, blame it on the recruitment agency in your country not the Filipino nurses. I live in Seattle. Me and my husband was about to go to that nearby country. I was very excited coz it will be my first time but was turned off because of what I read in this thread. We will still go and hoping to meet nice people there.

My husband and I are planning to set a foundation for those poor bright students who wanted to go to college. Its like study now, pay later. The "pay later" means those of our graduate students who will become successful to their careers. They will be the one to help us fund our foundation for the next batch to come. It will be 30 yrs from now but I only want to share it. We have to work so hard first and by the time we retire, we will go back to the Philippines and spend our life helping our fellow Filipinos but we will focus on education.

I also had a hard time finding work there when i graduated '98. That was the time when there were no hiring abroad so nurses were saturated. My dad who is a doctor wanted me to work in the hospital where he works but I refused coz I know I can make it on my own. I worked as a trainee in a gov't hospital for 3 mths without pay and I should say that was the hardest job for me so far as a nurse. I bought my own gloves,my co nurses assigned me to the worst and infectious patients, and the worst was the emotional torture whenever I see patients cannot get their treatment because of not having money. I ended up giving them medicine (which I got from my dad) and some stuff like buying them syringes especially the paeds patients. I cannot take any longer so I left and applied in a private hospital. I worked again as a trainee at NICU for 6 months without pay and then another 3 months coz there were still no vacancies. I started to lose hope but I told myself, thats okay I will not give up! After so many months of waiting, I finally became a staff nurse. I had 1 year there and then I felt that I wanted to gain more so I transferred at Cardiovascular OR, same hospital. They wanted me to have training again at CVOR so what I did was I had training 7-3 then worked at NICU 3-11 everyday so as not to lose my position. Thats so tough and stressful for me but I pave the way. Like any other newly grad nurses, I told myself after 2 years of work I will go abroad but I enjoyed being a Filipino RN and served our own country and I thought that there were still things needed to be learned thats why i stayed for 7 years . I took CGFNS, IELTS. I passed them but because of the long wait of processing my papers to US, instead, I went to Ireland. I had training again for 3 months but with pay. It was like learning new things again!!! Maybe the fact that I was in CVOR and the job I got was in GSOR but it was just adjusting to new stuffs, new environment and new colleagues. I didn't had a hard time actually coz the things I was doing back home was also the same in Ireland. I should only speak English at all times and understand what the patient and my colleagues were saying. I should say that was the hardest part.( I even had a co trainee, an Indian, who was sent back to India because of lack of communication and haven't reach the Irish standards ). There were even Filipinos I knew also.( but some of them stayed and preferred to be illegal instead of going home and be a bum ). I worked there for 2 years which I enjoyed a lot!! (Scenic views, laid back life and the nice attitudes of Irish people). Recently, I transferred here in US. With all the gas price hike, the going down economy, foreclosure of houses, I feel like going back to Ireland. But no!!! I chose to live here so instead plan ahead what will be good for me. That is the reason why I am telling everyone, US is not the only place for Filipino Nurses. If you really want to go abroad, take the IELTS first before anything else.You can go anywhere with just an IELTS (as long as you pass the 7 band score). Do not waste your money spending on CGFNS or NCLEX. Even if you pass that, we cannot do anything if there's still a retrogression. That will take years I bet you. Let us not whine why life in the Philippines is very hard ( thats what I always read). Let us do something for ourselves. Positive attitude and a loving and supportive family will help a lot so we can achieve what we want in life. Good luck!!!:wink2:

I love open Heart Surgeries!!! One or two patients, I'm finished working!!! I hate having different patients, in and out of the OR (like in GSOR). The most fave part is when I scrub. Working with different kinds and different attitudes of surgeons is my most challenging part. I love to assist b**ch doctors!!!That makes me gauge myself how good I am. One time, I scrubbed on one of the scariest surgeons (as what they've said) in our hospital. He was nice to me all through out. After the procedure, that doctor went to me, pat my shoulder and thank me for a wonderful job. My colleagues went to wonder why. That gave me a sense of me:)

" I agree with you Suzanne. Although making changes will not be as easy, it should be something that the PNA (Philippine Nurses Association) should push for, I mean considering how many Nurses and Nursing students there are, that will surely get nurses to be noticed. Just to share another story, a friend of mine who is underboard (meaning he has not passed the local licensure examination) was actually able to get in a government hospital as a volunteer. He gets an OR rotation at 6am to 2pm, a prime slot for most people. Sad part is, there is a long list of RN qualified applicants waiting for that slot and they're also willing to do it for free. When I asked him how he managed to secure a slot, he told me that he had powerful friends and the same goes for a lot more staff members... being underboard while carrying-out RN tasks that is. " PNA? Are they doing something? I have been a nurse since '98 and what I only heard was they ask for P300 monthly for members and never heard of doing anything for the nurses? I never even applied there. It's just a moneymaking. Yeah, the reason why our country is not improving it's because of those people who use others power and not their capability as a person. I even heard other nurses who ask to certify from the hospital where they knew somebody there and gottcha, instant work experience! Then they send it to their employers abroad. Now, they work and don't know anything at all!! That's why I read many threads here that says Filipino nurses are not good workers anymore. Why? Because of those people who wanted easy life!! Shame on them. I really feel bad to other qualified Filipino nurses who are still in the Phil that really work hard to gain experience.But anyway, slowly but surely, I bet you, you will pave your way to success. Its just like saying "I know that, I can do that coz I've done that." CONFIDENTLY!!!

"I WILL BE ANURSE IN AUSTRALIA. Maybe Queensland or Victoria I will have to continue to apply online even with no experience at all. Then I will wait until I will gain experience.. After 1 1/2 years of experience I will take my IELTS exam. I prefer to review on my own. To review is expensive. No money for that. I will make my documents be certified by CHED. Then apply for registration in Australia.... Gotta have to money to do that.. ITs 145 AUSD and I have to ask for sponors to help me with that. So help me GOD. Then I will pursue career as a nurse here in the Philippines as I am waiting for the result of the assessment. Then If I passed thr assessment ,... I will enroll for bridging course in australia. Hopefully I pass. Then get my husband, look for a job for him, my daughter have her in a school there. Then work hard to pay back all my debts. Then work hard and THANK GOD for a DREAM come true... This is just a short paragraph but it's along way to go, like a person walking with eyes closed." Congratulations!!! I know you will be able to make it. You have the goal and the positive attitude. For my fellow Filipino nurses, I think the best thing you can do is take the IELTS and achieve the band score of 7. NCLEX or CGFNS? I dont think that will be the priority. With passing the IELTS, you could apply to different countries like Australia, New Zealand, UK, Canada, Ireland. USA is not the only place you can live a good life. Lets face it, the economy here in America is not as good as the other 1st world countries right now. Its not an American Dream anymore!!! One thing is the retrogression. You can't do anything about it even if you pass NCLEX or CGFNS. And let us not be deceive whenever we see pictures of Filipino nurses abroad having expensive cars or big houses. These are all mortgages and loans!!! We have to work, work, and work. My friend and I had a chat one time and reminisced our good times back home in the Phils. We have a very simple life. After work, we just go to the mall, watch movie, eat together, stroll at the park. Eventhough we dont have enough money, we dont worry paying anything,:chuckle. Seriously, I miss it.... I miss my family too:cry:.