Filipino Nursing Herald

Here's another news story that just supports our earlier post about the strengthened recruitment drive in Alberta, Canada: Alberta fishing for foreign nurses More foreign nurses are expected to flock to Central Alberta after the province pumps $5 million into recruitment efforts. “It’s absolutely excellent. It’s obvious the province has made this a priority and is moving fast on it,” said Karmen Fittes, director of shared services with the David Thompson Health Region. She hopes about 50 of the foreign nurses who respond to the government initiative will end up calling the Red Deer area their home. More than 100 registered nurses are needed across the health region for the workforce of about 2,000 RNs. (Red Deer Advocate)

Kaiser Permanente is one of the biggest hospital staff employers in the US. They have headquarters in Oakland, California and are located in 9 states and in Washington, D.C. I've heard many good feedback about Kaiser and how they treat their employees well. But getting on board Kaiser is a difficult process if you don't have any hospital experience, particularly U.S. hospital experience. A hospital recruiter told me that Kaiser in South California does not sponsor foreign nurses, but Kaiser facilities in North California do. So, once visa retrogression is out, I would recommend those with years of experience to check out this potential employer.

Every year, thousands of Filipino nurses aspire to migrate and become a licensed nurse in the US. Here's a practical guide intended to help Pinoy nurses achieve this dream. Because the application process requires several steps and there are ongoing issues related to foreign nurse employment in the US, we've broken down this feature article into a series. Read Part 1 of the Filipino Nursing Herald's Guide to Becoming a US RN by clicking here . There are different methods for sending payments for the nursing registration application in the U.S.. Each board of nursing will have its own preferred method of payment. Going to the BON payment office is the best way to guarantee that your payment will be received, but if you're so many thousand kilometers away like in the Philippines, there are payment methods that you can use. The most convenient payment method is using a credit card. Most BON will have a payment form attached to the application form. Simply fill out this for...

The American Nurses Association, an organization of registered nurses in the U.S., has eased its position on June 2006 exam retakers. In an e-mail, the ANA said it will abide by the decision of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) to accept a retake of test 3 and 5 of the compromised June nursing licensure exams. In the e-mail, posted in the nclex-rn.net/nclex forum , ANA said a successful score in Test 3 and 5 of the exams, along with the completion of other U.S. licensure requirements would be sufficient for any of the affected June board passers to work in the U.S. "The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools has agreed to accept tests 3 and 5 for purposes of the prescreening. Given this, you are only required to retake tests 3 and 5. While ANA would have preferred a different outcome, retaking tests 3 and 5, plus meeting the other licensure and visa requirements is all that you need to do to work in the United States as a registered nurse,...

After months of deliberating a comprehensive US immigration reform bill, Sen. Edward Kennedy has decided to bring back an old bill from last session that was adopted by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Kennedy hopes to make the bill the starting point for discussions on what the new immigration law should be. Although the original bill underwent major changes before getting the nod of the Senate, the bill took on the same principles of having improved border patrol, electronic worker verification, guest worker program, and a path to legalization and citizenship. US legislators have had difficulty trying to come up with a new proposal for a comprehensive immigration reform act that will be filed in the Senate because of the complexity of the issue, which has political, economic and social repercussions in the country. Some Internet reports claim that there is an estimaed 12 million illegal immigrants in the US, and they account for about 5%-7% of the country's work force. The bill al...

The test retake for nurses who took the June 2006 board exams would be held on June 11 and 12, the government announced this week. Although a retake is not mandatory for all nurses who took the scandal-ridden June exams, the Commission on Graduates Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) have pressured local authorities into conducting a retake of Part 3 and 5 of the local licensure test for nurses who took the June exams. The CGFNS in a recent ruling said it will not issue a Visascreen certificate, a screening process needed when applying for immigration status in the United States, to nurses that took the scandal-tainted exams if they fail to retake the test. Local authorities, meanwhile, are still weighing the decision of the American Nurses Association (ANA) which is calling for a full retake of the exams, not just parts 3 and 5. Although the ANA is not a regulatory body in the US unlike the CGFNS, the group is very influential among nursing employers in their country. The organization has...