Why do Filipino Nurses want to work in the US?

core · Aug 22, 2011

hi there. I am a novice nurse, graduated last 2010 and on the same year got my license, actually during my college days I really wanted to work in the USA because of the great salary of our fellow nurses there, but as time passes by, I changed my mind and rather go to Canada because currently I am working in a call center catering Canadian customers for a telephone company (because there are no chance to get hired as a staff nurse position here). hopefully I could get a shot to work in Canada in the future. God bless to all

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Aug 22, 2011

The salary variation in the US coincides with the cost of living in the particular metropolitan area. I also live and work in San Francisco where salaries are the highest for RN's and as an NP with years of experience, I am doing quite well. But the cost of living is also expensive. I live within the city limits and housing is highly overpriced from what the landlords are asking for rent to the cost of owning property. California taxes are high to begin with. To me, the trade off is being able to live in a city where you are close to everything, being ten minutes away from where I work, and not having to deal with snow in the winter. There are cheaper options to live in the Bay Area but I just happen to prefer living in the city. Prior to coming to San Francisco, I lived in the midwest where there are four seasons, the salaries are not as high, but the cost of living is lower. It wasn't bad either because homes are affordable even in good neighborhoods and I found midwesterners to be naturally warm and neighborly.

With retorgression in place, it would be beneficial for anyone to have a plan B. Canada is a great country. They have very progressive politics in that they have national health insurance and have liberal views on most social issues. Their economy is better than the US right now. If anyone is interested in going there, I would advise them to know the country well and its culture. It is just north of the US but they have a distinct cultural identity and have a lot of national pride. The entire country has four seasons unlike the US mainland where there are climatic variations depending on which region you are in and lifestyles vary depending on where you are. The seasonal changes have shaped the way of life in Canada from being a winter sports destination, to seeing blooms in the spring, to exploring vast areas of land in the summer, to seeing colors change in the fall. Plan on going to Canada to be a part of their culture and not make it a route to end up somewhere else later on.

spongebob6286, BSN, RN · Aug 28, 2011

when i was a new grad i started 25$ per hour. and here they seldom give OT bec. they dont want to pay time and a half, lets say u earn 25$/hr, if OT u will be paid approx. 37$/hr. excluding the night and weekend differentials

Daly City RN · Aug 31, 2011

Here in the State of California there is a law (at least it is followed most of the time anyway) that nurses in acute care hospitals cannot have more than 5 patients in the Medical-Surgical unit, and no more than 2 patients in the intensive care unit. (This a good thing as all nurses know)

The nursing profession has become quite lucarative here to tell you the truth. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, California the starting salary for RNs is around $50/hr. in acute care hospitals, topping to more than $70/hour.

If you work in a private hospital, they may offer 401K retirement (Google it if you don't know this). In many public hospitals like where I used to work, we did NOT have to contribute to our retirement account (the city, county, state or federal government did, therefore no additional salary reduction), you could retire at age 50 after 20 years or more of employment (depending in which government entity you work for), you are then eligible for lifetime $$$ pension, health, dental and vision health benefits. When you reach the age of 62-65, you get additional retirement pension from the Federal Social Security Administration aside from your first pension.

To earn these benefits you have to get hired, then serve at least 20 years in a very busy and stressful hospital where most of your patients are homeless, have polysubstance abuse problems, psychotics, etc. It's a government hospital but make no mistake in your assumption, this is a modern hospital.

If you think the job there is easy, then think again.

spongebob6286, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2011

Here in the State of California there is a law (at least it is followed most of the time anyway) that nurses in acute care hospitals cannot have more than 5 patients in the Medical-Surgical unit, and no more than 2 patients in the intensive care unit. (This a good thing as all nurses know)
The nursing profession has become quite lucarative here to tell you the truth. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, California the starting salary for RNs is around $50/hr. in acute care hospitals, topping to more than $70/hour.
If you work in a private hospital, they may offer 401K retirement (Google it if you don't know this). In many public hospitals like where I used to work, we did NOT have to contribute to our retirement account (the city, county, state or federal government did, therefore no additional salary reduction), you could retire at age 50 after 20 years or more of employment (depending in which government entity you work for), you are then eligible for lifetime $$$ pension, health, dental and vision health benefits. When you reach the age of 62-65, you get additional retirement pension from the Federal Social Security Administration aside from your first pension.
To earn these benefits you have to get hired, then serve at least 20 years in a very busy and stressful hospital where most of your patients are homeless, have polysubstance abuse problems, psychotics, etc. It's a government hospital but make no mistake in your assumption, this is a modern hospital.
If you think the job there is easy, then think again.

yeah thats wat i heard. here in MS we have 7-9 pts.. so i left MS.. it was stressful

nurseladybug12 · Mar 20, 2013

Im a RN in Florida, and I make 21.50 an hour as a new RN. On the weekends I make 25/hr. It is true that the cost of living is somewhat lower, but I dont really think getting paid 2/3 of the US average is really justified. My rent for a 2 bedroom house is 650. In CT where I am from, a 2-3 bedroom house would be 1200-1400/mo. If I were making $30/hr in CT, I'd only be losing out on 700 bucks a month in rent. I would still have 1000 bucks more a month to my name that I dont have here. Everything else besides housing costs the same,gas is 3.89 /gal, food costs the same, a liter of coca cola is 1.99. Electricity I would say is about the same because instead of heat running all winter we have central air running year long. If I were to own a home, the home owners insurance is crazy expensive and sometimes isnt guaranteed to pay out d/t hurricanes, tornadoes. If there is a huge hurricane that demolishes thousands of homes, there's not that much money to go around. And you need flood insurance on top of that. Many houses also have pools which adds on to your insurance cost. The only benefit right now for me living in Fl is that I actually am employed because there were many hiring freezes and lay offs in CT hospitals. I am hoping the economy turns around in the next few years because I do want to move back to CT and at least feel like I am earning more of what I deserve to be making. And Florida wonders why they have a severe nursing shortage and the BON asks for suggestions to alleviate the nursing shortage when you apply for their RN license- the answer is easy- pay what the US average RN salary is! Uh duhhh.

On the move · Mar 26, 2013

I am a seasoned nurse. I have worked in Florida as a nurse for the last 30 years. Call it burn out or whatever, but it seem that working conditions have worsened. There is a lot of stress in the hospitals in Florida and I fully agree that you are not paid for the responsibilities of managing people lives and providing safety that we do. Budget cuts get in the way. In the last 5 years my salary have increased by $3. For what you give up the salaries should be higher considering high patient ratio, missed lunch and unreliable expectations from upper management. I want to move to California is there any advice that anyone can offer me?

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Mar 26, 2013

I am a seasoned nurse. I have worked in Florida as a nurse for the last 30 years. Call it burn out or whatever, but it seem that working conditions have worsened. There is a lot of stress in the hospitals in Florida and I fully agree that you are not paid for the responsibilities of managing people lives and providing safety that we do. Budget cuts get in the way. In the last 5 years my salary have increased by $3. For what you give up the salaries should be higher considering high patient ratio, missed lunch and unreliable expectations from upper management. I want to move to California is there any advice that anyone can offer me?

If your heart is set on moving to CA, start by endorsing your license here. Then look for jobs online. With experience, you may have a better chance of finding a job. Another option is to sign up as a traveler. There are still hospitals with travelers here. The mandatory staffing ratios in acute care hospitals have made it easier here for RN's than in other states. The unions are very involved in bettering nursing employment conditions for the most part.

crichei23 · Jun 9, 2014

Money I guessed.

PinayUSA · Jun 23, 2014

Silly Question. USA is the land of Milk and Honey

roxie_ · Jun 28, 2014

Im a RN in Florida, and I make 21.50 an hour as a new RN. On the weekends I make 25/hr. It is true that the cost of living is somewhat lower, but I dont really think getting paid 2/3 of the US average is really justified. My rent for a 2 bedroom house is 650. In CT where I am from, a 2-3 bedroom house would be 1200-1400/mo. If I were making $30/hr in CT, I'd only be losing out on 700 bucks a month in rent. I would still have 1000 bucks more a month to my name that I dont have here. Everything else besides housing costs the same,gas is 3.89 /gal, food costs the same, a liter of coca cola is 1.99. Electricity I would say is about the same because instead of heat running all winter we have central air running year long. If I were to own a home, the home owners insurance is crazy expensive and sometimes isnt guaranteed to pay out d/t hurricanes, tornadoes. If there is a huge hurricane that demolishes thousands of homes, there's not that much money to go around. And you need flood insurance on top of that. Many houses also have pools which adds on to your insurance cost. The only benefit right now for me living in Fl is that I actually am employed because there were many hiring freezes and lay offs in CT hospitals. I am hoping the economy turns around in the next few years because I do want to move back to CT and at least feel like I am earning more of what I deserve to be making. And Florida wonders why they have a severe nursing shortage and the BON asks for suggestions to alleviate the nursing shortage when you apply for their RN license- the answer is easy- pay what the US average RN salary is! Uh duhhh.

Your starting pay is quite low, I earned the same (in Australian Dollars) for my part time job in an Aged Home Care. Starting pay for Div 1 RN here in Sydney starts at 65 AUD.

PinayUSA · Jun 29, 2014

Your starting pay is quite low, I earned the same (in Australian Dollars) for my part time job in an Aged Home Care. Starting pay for Div 1 RN here in Sydney starts at 65 AUD.

Pay is really irrelative, It is the cost of living.