registered nurses in Illinois

[kingzen]

greetings to all nurses.

i am a newly registered nurse here in the Philippines and i am planning to become a USRN in Illinois. so far, i have read a lot of posts as well as gone to websites such as ncsbn, cgfns, cts, idfpr as part of my research. and i have learned a lot. thanks to everyone who's very kind to share infos. i also attended a seminar regarding visa processing, cgfns, nclex application processing. the seminar was very informative considering that before i went there i have honestly 1 to nothing idea what to do or what is ces,cp,cgfns and everything. i only have one idea, (which is the reason i was interested to attend the seminar) to become a USRN, i need to take the NCLEX exam.

i have a question: since I had received my license card just last month, and i haven't gone to trainings yet, i have no work experience here in Philippine hospitals or any health care agencies. if ever i passed the nclex and all the requirements after that and still no work experience here in the Philippines, will Illinois hospitals still accept me or employ me?

i have asked this question to the one conducting the seminar and she said yes even without experience at all you can be employed, because you already complied to the needed requirements and you already have passed the nclex exam which is the key. they look more into the passing of the exam than your work experience. is it true? true to all scenarios?

I am asking this in advance, even though i haven't started to apply for the CES and everything because if ever they don't need to have a work experience then i will just focus on my application and nclex exam, my time and effort will not be divided with finding work plus exam preparations. and if the opposite, then i must find a work now. pleaase any insights and experiences will really help. thank you so much everyone! and to those nurses(i have read in posts) who really have the time to reply to queries even though the questions are repeatedly asked which was in fact answered earlier. thank you for your kindness and patience!!

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

There is no shortage of new grad or inexperienced nurses in major US cities. So if you have neither specialized training nor experience you will have a hard time finding work over US citizens/PR or US educated nurses. If you require a work visa, there is a 6-12 year wait for EB3 visas and you won't qualify for a specialist H1B visa as a new grad.

Take a look at the nurse registration forum under world nursing in the yellow navigation bar above. There are many existing threads to answer your other queries

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Are you a US citizen or permanent resident? A work visa for a new grad born in the Philippines is not a realistic expectation to attain in the next year or so, due to retrogression the wait is. 6-10 years. Plus there is an abundance of citizen/PR new grad/inexperienced nurses that MUST be given hiring preference over non-citizen candidates per federal regulations and immigration laws.

I know it's difficult to find employment in the Philippines as a nurse with limited connections but experience is needed not just passing the NCLEX & qualifying for a license. Of course an agency that wants your money will tell you that is all you need.

[chicagoing, ADN, RN]

My sister-in-law is a Philippines-born RN who worked in Pharma for 10+ years before coming to IL nearly 7 years ago. She never worked as an RN and signed up for a review class in the city, passed the NCLEX on her first attempt, and landed a job in the ICU at Christ in Oak Lawn because one of her good friends worked there.

It's all about who you know.