Study nursing in the Philippines or in US?

[pizzaislyf]

I am currently a sophomore in highschool here in the US (permanent resident). Although some may say that it's too early to plan for what I wanted to be, I am firm with my decision that I wanted to be a Doctor. I really don't know what Pre-med course to take yet, but my mom said that taking Nursing would be better since I can have a fall-back if my plans of going to Med school won't push through.

Just to give you a little background, I am an A student with a 4.0 GPA. I am rank 25 in our class here in CA. I wanted to attend in a UC or State Univ for college but it will be so expensive for me (I think) even with the help of a student loan since my mom is a caregiver (single mom). My mom told me that I could just study in the Philippines and go to a good school (like University of Santo Tomas, FEU) that offers a good nursing program.

I am just worried that when I finish my Nursing degree in the PH and go back here in the US, I won't get a job (or settle of being just a caregiver) or even repeat EVERYTHING just for the sake of working in a hospital. I don't want that to happen.

So, any suggestions? Thoughts?

I am planning to go and inquire in Philippine Universities this summer so that I know what requirements do they have.

I hope someone can answer my questions.

Is Nursing a good pre-med choice?

Would I find it a hard time applying for a nursing job here in the US when I get back?

Would I find it a hard time passing the board exam here in US? (any experiences)

Am I going to repeat college here if ever?

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Nursing is not a good pre-med choice

Yes, an internationally educated nurse usually finds it more difficult to become licensed than a locally educated grad

Yes, the statistics for NCLEX pass rates are on the ncsbn website

[SmilingBluEyes]

If you want to practice in the USA you would do better to study nursing here.

And if you want to be a medical doctor, you study medicine, not nursing; becoming a nurse first is a much harder, longer route to becoming a doctor.

[Sour Lemon]

I vote for studying in the USA, too. If you're looking for a less expensive education, consider a lower cost of living state. Educational deficiencies seem to be a common problem for nurses educated in the Philippines- especially when trying to practice in California.

And as the others have said, nursing is not a good plan B if you want to be a doctor. Evaluate your capabilities realistically and choose one or the other.

[Roasted.Peanuts]

Keep in mind that nurses and physicians have two totally different roles in healthcare. Your experience as a nurse will differ from that of a physician. I would recommend volunteering at your local hospital to figure out which role best fits you. If you are set on being a physician, then I say go for it.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

The CA BRN is notoriously strict regarding their educational requirements, and international graduates often have a hard time getting licensed. And they have no problems with denying applicants licensure if those requirements aren't met.

If you're planning to work in the US, go to school here. IMO, consider school in the Philippines ONLY if you're planning to work in the Philippines.

Also, nursing and medicine are two different career paths, not steps in the same path. You need to decide which path you want to pursue.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Doctors are educated and trained under the medical model of care provision, whereas nurses are educated and trained using the nursing model.

If you want to be a doctor, pursue an undergraduate degree in some major or concentration other than nursing before you apply to medical school. If you want to be a nurse, enroll in a nursing program.

However, do not become a nurse before you become a doctor. This route will waste your time and is not ideal.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

1). Study nursing or medicine (or any other profession which requires professional license, for that matter) in the country you are going to live. It is a rule of immigration written by human blood and tears. I am serious here.

2). Decide what you want to do - nursing or medicine, and plan accordingly. If you are not able to decide (which is perfectly understandible and OK), get a generic science-related Bachelor's degree which can be converted either way. Biology, biochem, applied math/statistics, bioengineering, chemistry are all approriate and will buy you some time and let you earn money and get some life experience in the meantime. Just go to a good university to get it. It is expensive, yeah, but so is pretty much everything else which is good in life.

3). Your school, or district, must have some sort of "career advisory" program for high school students. Ask about it. These people see guys like you every day and may know how to get you some exposure to healthcare industry.

4). You may not be able to volunteer in healthcare on your own because of your age but try to ask, for one example, your church (if you belong to any) or your family friends. Church groups organize volunteering trips in nursing homes or hospitals where you wil be supervised and your family may know someone with a sick elderly person bound to home and desperately tired of it. Spend some time just communicating with sick people and see if you can stand doing that.

Choose wisely, take your time. Good luck to you!

[pizzaislyf]

If nursing is not a good pre-med choice, can you recommend me a course I could take in college that I wouldn't find hard to find a job if ever I don't pursue medicine?

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

If nursing is not a good pre-med choice, can you recommend me a course I could take in college that I wouldn't find hard to find a job if ever I don't pursue medicine?

Statistics, biomedical engineering, pharma (all three are going to be good money and a lot of jobs available), chemistry, biochem, laboratory science, medical technology.

Bit closer to medicine but still out of most of the daily grind: physical therapy, kinesiology, speech/language pathology.

For some additional fun and stress: forensic science. If I could become 20 y/o again, I would go there!

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

If nursing is not a good pre-med choice, can you recommend me a course I could take in college that I wouldn't find hard to find a job if ever I don't pursue medicine?

So, you can theoretically be pre-med with any Bachelors degree, including nursing. You could even be pre-med and get a Theater degree (or English, History, Philosophy whatever). Being pre-med simply means that you complete a series of courses required to take the MCAT and apply to med school (2 semesters of calculus, 2 of general chem, 2 of organic chem, 2 of biology, and 2 of physics). It's easier to complete these classes as part of a science degree (i.e. biology, chemistry, etc.) since there's overlap between the major and the pre-med classes, but you can do it with any degree. Furthermore, having a biology or chemistry (or nursing!) degree does not necessarily make you a more competitive med school applicant than a humanities, business, or arts major.

There are a handful of nurses who go back to medical school (even though the medical model and nursing model are different mentalities, as others have pointed out). However, it seems that most nurses would prefer to become NPs rather than attend med school.

You're young, so you still have a lot of time to figure out your long-term career goals. I would advise shadowing and volunteering in healthcare settings as much as possible, both in high school and college. You'll get a better sense for the various members of the healthcare team, and what they actually do. Keep an open mind--you may discover a dream job you've never even considered. In addition to doctors and nurses, we have Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Respiratory Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Registered Dieticians, X-Ray Technicians, Lab Technicians, and many more members of the medical team.

[la vie est belle]

Hi,

I am a BSN graduate and RN from the Philippines. Let me tell you what i know regarding nursing programs in the Philippines. It is a 4 year degree course. In the first 2 years you will study mostly minor subjects and as you go along the program, you will take the major subjects (pharma, OR, MedSurg, maternal and child health) and will have your clinical (hospital/community rotations). It is true that there is a big difference between hospital settings here in Ph and in the US. However, in terms of textbooks and study materials, it's almost the same. All the courses and subjects are taught in English. While in college, i have several batch mates who were from the US or US citizen who only came to the Ph to study. Some of them, took the local boards as a preparation to the NCLEX, and some skipped it and went ahead to take the NCLEX.

Any graduate nurse in the Philippines can take the NCLEX with or without citizenship/green card.

I know a lot of nurses in the US who studied here in the Philippines. Regardless if you study here in the Ph or in the US, you will still have to take NCLEX before you can work as an RN.

And your mom is right, University of Santo Tomas is a good nursing school, they rank as one of the best universities in the Ph and in the world. They are also the most expensive here but still a lot cheaper compared to how much it would cost to study nursing there. I'm sure that since you have Filipino roots, you know a lot of Filipinos who work in the health care sector. I also know many Filipino doctors who were able to become doctors in the US specializing in different fields of medicine.

Yes, it may be harder at first, but once you get in, your career advancement will still depend on how you perform and continue to better yourself. Nursing scope is vast, but 80% of the skills you require to become a good nurse, you will probably learn and master while practicing as an actual nurse.

Hope this helps.