Study in Thailand

suzanne4, RN · Nov 9, 2005

Haven't heard of that university before. Actually lived there until a year ago. Which city will she be in?

ATMs are even more available there than in the US. The Broad Band system for the computer is lousy and expensive, you pay by the hour of usage, not like over here. You can purchase internet cards, just like you can purchase phone cards here for long distance and you just refill your account with it. AS far as cell phones, if she already has one that has a SIM card, chances are that she can just change out the card there and use the Thai system. You can buy phone cards there to refill your time, and it is probably the cheapest way to go.

If she is in Bangkok, there is a subway, as well as Skytrain system where you can buy trips by the individual trip, packages of trips, or a one month pass. Bottled water is used all over, do not drink the water in her home. It is okay to brush your teeth with but not for drinking.

Let me know where she will be and then I can give you more information. Hope that this helps.:)

Chaya, ASN, RN · Nov 9, 2005

Suzanne- Thanks so much for responding. I thought I remembered you posting from Thailand months ago. My daughter will be going to Payap University ( I did have it wrong) in Chiang Mai. The program is the International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership (IPSL). She's really excited about this. Thanks for anything and everthing you can tell me!

Chaya

suzanne4, RN · Nov 9, 2005

Chiang Mai is a beautiful area. They also have an excellent nursing program at Chaing Mai University. Will she be living on campus?

They do not have a subway or skytrain there, but there are what we call

"little red trucks" that function as taxis and you pay for the distance. Some onderful resturants up there as well.

If she has quite a few errands to run, you can actually hire one of these trucks for hours to take you all over so that you do not need to wait.

There is a Night Bazaar there that is quite famous. Itused to open about 5 pm or so, but now some of the areas are open all day severn days per week. One thing that they specialize in is if you have a family portrait, or even a portrait of one of your kids, or parents, etc., give it to her to take to the market. There are some artists there that do phenomenal pencil drawings from the picture that actually look like the person is alive and right there in front of you. Many of the Thai puppets can be purchased in that area, as well as wood carvings. All of my Thai furniture is from that region.

zenman · Nov 18, 2005

Purchase a Lonely Planet guidebook on Thailand as they are good. I'll be in Chiang Mai in December/January. I'm trying to find some NPs who have taken the USA credentialing exams. I've emailed the dean of Chiang Mai University nursing school but have not heard back yet. If your daughter wants to meet up with my wife and I for chow let me know.

suzanne4, RN · Nov 18, 2005

The ones that I knew that were in Thailand that took the NP programs in the US, actually never took the exams because they never had a US license. They were sent by the Thai government to school and expenses paid for. Several even now have their PhDs but never could work in the US, as they never went the route of getting their licenses.

farishtaRN · Jan 13, 2006

I actually live and work in Chiang Mai. I am also doing some courses through Chiang Mai University in midwifery. The thing to watch out for though at the moment is that in order to sit the licensing exams in the US you must be licensed in the country where you graduated, and Thailand doens't currently have an licensing exams in english. I probably will not try and graduate in this country (as a midwife, I'm already a nurse) unless they get the licensing exam in english soon!

suzanne4, RN · Jan 14, 2006

Sorry, but that is not correct. The US doesn't require that you hold a previous license at all, just that you have a completed set of transcripts that is accepted.

I lived and worked in Thailand for years, and I do not expect them to have their exam in English.

farishtaRN · Jan 14, 2006

I'm not trying to argue, but can you tell me where you are getting your info? This is different from what I have found out so I would love to have more info. If all that is needed is transcripts that would make a big difference. Do you know if that is all over the US, or just certain states? I am currently licensed in IL. I was also refering to an international program that is in english and that Thailand does not yet have a licensing exam in english -- I do of course realize that there are tons of Thai nurses and they are all licensed! I however do not read and write enough Thai to be able to sit the licensing exam in Thai, so if they don't get it in english, there is not a lot of point in my continuing education here unless my state will accept just transcripts and not a license from Thailand.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 14, 2006

I work with International students from all over the world, as you can see. I do this on a daily basis, sorry that you do not know me. And I owned a school in Thailand preparing nurses for working over here.

Assumption University has a program that is taught in English, and none of the students get their license in Thai, they do not speak Thai except for a few. For an RN license in the US, the only requirement for almost every single state is that the nurse have a current set of transcripts accepted curriculum wise. Look at how many come over to the US from the Philippines and have never taken their licensing exam in their home country.

It isn't a requirement. CGFNS used to have it as a requirement before taking their exam, and you just had to submit verification to them for an exemption. Now, almost no states actually require the CGFNS exam any more, even Illinois recently changed their requirement. So that maybe where you are coming from. Most states now only require the CES, which is a credentials verification. And it doesn't require a license in the home country. In SE Asia, there are quite a few that train in aother countries.

You said that you have an Illinois license, are you an American, or from another country? And you are also talking of midwifery, that is a graduate program here, and has a different set of requirments, but for the RN license, not an issue.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 14, 2006

As for working in Thailand as an RN, and as a foreigner, you will find it extremely hard to get a license there. I do not see them adding on a licensing exam in English, same thing goes for those that wish to work in the US. They never did it in all fo the years that I lived there.

Currently, every single SE Asian country requires that a nurse take their exam in the lnaguage of the country for licensure, even goes for most European countries as well.

Hope that this clears up things for you.:)