in search of a NURSING SCHOOL IN THE PHILIPPINES?

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this topic has been mentioned a lot but I wanted to get a direct answer. I am planning to study in the Philippines because the waiting list to get in the Nursing program here in CALIFORNIA is quite a wait. I am a US citizen and I understand that I will be considered an international student eventhough I am a dual citizen. I also understand that the environment is very different, but that is also one of the reasons why I want to study there...it's different. It is really not issue because I have lived there for a few years.

Back to I was saying, I am looking for a school where the courses that I have taken here in the US will be accredited. I have inquired in some schools, but they want me to start of as a freshmen. I have taken atleast 55 units and most of them are pre-requisite to get in the nursing program here, so I really don't see any reason why I should start all over. I want a school where I can get done ASAP.

Can anyone help? THANX

Specializes in MedSurg.-Tele, Home health, LTC.
first, if something doesn't need to be done "yet", by definition, it still doesn't need to be done. being afraid that there is a chance of something happening is pretty counterproductive. if someone does their research on this, i feel that it is an acceptable and managed risk. we are all doing that one way or another on a daily basis.

i know hundreds of fil-ams at my school, doing the very thing that the op has inquired about. most if not all of them, are in a very similar situation, and have older siblings/family/friends that have done this very thing as well.

i am coming up with that theory based upon my own actual experience, as well as inquiry and interview with hundreds of students doing the same thing.

i don't see how any number of punitive tests should be seen as a roadblock.... a hurdle, yes. ces is across the board for all foreign grads (canada being the exception to the us i believe), nle, cgfns, toefls et al... accreditation covers your ces, and the other tests are just bureaucratic red tape. you study, pay the fee, write the test, hopefully pass....

as an american (that is what the thread is in regards to) i would find it shocking to have any trouble getting the requirements that i will need for employment in the us as a nurse, regardless of where i got my accredited education.

i will wager that there has never been a us passport holding citizen of the united states forced to perform 2 years of mandatory work in a foreign country (especially not the philippines) under these circumstances, regardless of their "dual nationality status". even in countries like germany or israel that require 2 years military service of its male citizens cannot hold your us passport or bar you from returning to the us.

anyways, i am not sure if there is any disagreement here. i am constantly surprised by the way things are done in the philippines, and in spite of it all, i love it here. i drove by an enormous group (probably 2-3000) people sleeping in front of the prc office in baguio last week. they have been there all week waiting for a piece of paper. unreal.

best of luck to all.

hmmm...i haven't done 2 years mandatory "charity works" either, and so my other fellow fil-am friends back in california, the only problem they had was to decide which hospitals to work, since they applied in many hospitals before. you for now? study hard while you are in school. this is the time when you need to concentrate. never mind the ces, cgfns exam, or nclexrn blah blahs for now. it's too late to back out either. focus on your studies. enjoy life as a student. because you will miss it later, trust me! i been there. study hard.really hard. then, if your back here. work as a nurse aide first, if you want to help you with transition from pi new grad to being a usrn, so you will see what they do, kinda have the feel of what its like to work in an american hospitals..hey, learning to the basic stuffs like intake and output, bedmaking, ambulating your patients, reporting abnormal vital signs, is very important. i know stuff in philippine hospitals are sooo behind compare to a typical us hospitals. i find it interesting how the us nurses do their stuff here, like when they do the dressing changes, wet to dry, using telfa, or douderm, etc., it's amazing! i didn't have a hardtime with my requirements either. the only hard part was finding time to review for the nclexrn exam, since i had to work 40 hours a week as an aide while doing my self review. goodluck to you, enjoy being a student for now! stay positive!

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I was hoping to give away the last word, but...

suzanne, if i gave an insinuation that "I know it all" in my statements, then I retract them. I hoped to emphasize that in my experience, I have seen this. Right now, thousands of Fil-Ams are graduating across the Philippines every year. Fact. Not one day spent in any mandatory duty. Fact. We have about 200-300 per year in my school alone. Fact.(a school that "popped up" 75 years ago) If your school has a hospital, you can get your cases.

When the argument that "it might change for the worse" is presented, I can't help but feel that everything in life could change. I am not one to sit around and wait for the changes. Not my style.

I mention about my dialog with a dean at a school in Colorado because it is my long term plan to do just that. She could quit, or get fired, or we could have WWIII before that time, but it is still a positive step in the right direction.

My skill level is dependent upon my own accomplishments. I don't really care how great the schools were in the past. Every person with some experience says, "Back in my day.." I say that all the time. It really doesn't hold water, either.

If you are comparing apples to apples, a Philippine national grad finding work in the States to a US national grad finding work in the states, how can it not be easier? As I have stated, my observations have shown me that it is true.

The health care industry is like every other industry in that it changes rapidly. IT is a great example. Got a computer science degree in the late eighties? 12 year old kids today know more about computers than you do. But somehow, they still manage to find and get jobs.

RNHawaii34, great advice. I am looking forward to starting at the bottom of the heap. I will work my ass off, as I usually do. I am having fun in all this, but the big picture is still there. yes, it is true, her aunt is working for nothing. I think they give her a stipend of 500 pesos a month! It was the only place that she could find to get work experience. The crazy thing is that she is in charge of a 30+ bed ward 3-11 shift. As a volunteer. I was thinking it would be an aide type position or something like that. No, she is responsible for an entire portion of the hospital!

If your local college of nursing in the states has a 4.0 requirement with a 2-3 year waiting list, then am I taking a short cut by going to the Philippines? I guess so. Guilty as charged, and loving it.

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We have seen here over and over that is harder for a new grad from PI to get hired in a hospital over here right now. It is your choice as to what to do, and trust me; I do my homework all of the time here. Hours of research in a weekly basis. And I do know how many that have written me that are having problems.

Ten years ago the programs there were excellent, cannot say that anymore and I won't. Most programs, and I say most, are seriously lacking. Sorry, but when the majority of instructors in some schools are new grads, and they have no work experience as an RN, how in the world do you expect to get the training that you need. And since you have not worked as an RN, you are not even aware of what you really need to know. Orientation time is also taking longer now for a grad from there. Every facility that I know of that is hiring from there, is providing extra training. And they are not doing it with the others.

End of my discussion on this topic. You are free to do as you please, but you need to be aware of both sides of the story.

And there is no mandatory two year service without pay as you are speaking about. So not sure what you are speaking of.

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Hello... I know you have stated about LAWS changing in the Philippines...I was wondering if when they do change LAWS do they put a certain year when it will effect like how they do it here in the US?

Also, you are right about nurses coming from other countries having a hard time looking for a job. I know of a few people who had to work at nursing homes for 6 to 12 months to get experience. In addition, they got paid only 30 dollars instead of the 40+ that nurses usually make.

I also have another question. For people who is planning to take up nursing in the philippines as a second course, will the statement "having a difficult getting a job" make a difference when they come back to US? I ask this question cause my uncle is a doctor and he use to work here but he recently went back home to take up nursing as a second course. For those taking up nursing as a second course, wouldn't it depend?

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If a person don't have experience of course they paid less.I think it doesn't really matter if a person graduated from foreign school or not.As long as that person pass the board exam thats what matters.

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Just in case I cant find a job because I don't have an experience and I'm a foreign graduate ...my plan is to go back in US army as a US army Nurse.(Officer)...problem solve

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Hello... I know you have stated about LAWS changing in the Philippines...I was wondering if when they do change LAWS do they put a certain year when it will effect like how they do it here in the US?

Also, you are right about nurses coming from other countries having a hard time looking for a job. I know of a few people who had to work at nursing homes for 6 to 12 months to get experience. In addition, they got paid only 30 dollars instead of the 40+ that nurses usually make.

I also have another question. For people who is planning to take up nursing in the philippines as a second course, will the statement "having a difficult getting a job" make a difference when they come back to US? I ask this question cause my uncle is a doctor and he use to work here but he recently went back home to take up nursing as a second course. For those taking up nursing as a second course, wouldn't it depend?

Whether or not they are US citizens makes no difference in getting a job. Their training and skill set is what helps them get the job. And I have seen multiple physicians that were second coursers have problems in the role of a nurse. The skill set is completely different from medicine, and many have problems understanding that.

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If a person don't have experience of course they paid less.I think it doesn't really matter if a person graduated from foreign school or not.As long as that person pass the board exam thats what matters.

Not sure what you have been reading, or looking at, but experience and training make a very large part of whether someone will get a job or not. Passing the NCLEX exam alone does not tell anyone about your skill set.

You have not even started nursing school yet, so not sure why you are so definite about these things. You have no actual experience in looking for a job as a foreign grad in the US.

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Just in case I cant find a job because I don't have an experience and I'm a foreign graduate ...my plan is to go back in US army as a US army Nurse.(Officer)...problem solve

Sorry, but that does not solve any problems for you. If you cannot get a job in the private sector, you are sure that the US govt is automatically going to take you in as an officer?

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If a person don't have experience of course they paid less.I think it doesn't really matter if a person graduated from foreign school or not.As long as that person pass the board exam thats what matters.

New grads start at the same salary. The issue is even getting a job in a hospital at this point and time. Not all training coming out of PI is being accepted by the hospitals here. That is what you are failing to understand. Hospitals pay one rate of pay, nursing homes pay another and usually much less than the hospitals.

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To qualify for an Active Duty Regular Army appointment as an Officer in the Nurse Corps, you must meet all of the following conditions:

  • Meet the prescribed medical and moral standards for appointment as a commissioned Officer
  • Be a United States citizen
  • Have a Bachelor degree in nursing (BSN) or Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) from a nursing school accredited in the United States
  • Have a valid, unrestricted RN license
  • Be 21-46 years of age (exceptions may be granted to prior service applicants)

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Ok thanks suzanne4.

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