To all the nurses aspiring to work in the United States and those who don't mind doing it by agency, I want to share with you the agency that can help you. The name is All About Staffing, Inc. I've been with them for almost a year now and I know that some of you might want to check this out because they have been a big help to me.
All About Staffing, Inc. is located at 2601 Prestige Tower in Ortigas, Pasig. Their main office is located in Sunrise, Florida in the United States. They also have branches in Makati City, Baguio City and in India. Of all the agencies that I have checked, this one, for me, is the most reliable and I feel that they are indeed concerned with deploying competent nurses to the US and not like the others that just want to gain money out of it. Here are some of the important things that you might want to check:
They give assistance to local registered nurses to go and work in the United States. For free, that is. They don't ask a single centavo from their applicants. Other agencies I have inquired about ask for a security bond of 10 thousand pesos that will be returned to me once in the US. It's their security bond and it sucks. (Number one thing you should ask when looking for an agency to work as a nurse in the US: if they ask for any fee before, during and after the processing, don't sign up to them.) The agency is the one that files, updates and monitors the petition of the nurses and that includes paying the visa fee bills and the attorney fees. Should your petition encounter a problem, the international and local teams contact you immediately.
They don't restrict nurses from going to other countries while the petition is ongoing. Actually, they encourage it. They understand that processing the petition for US immigration is a long process and that the jobs for nurses here are not so abundant. Just update them with these kinds of plans and always give them some way of contacting you (e-mail or phone) so that if there's any problem or significant update with your petition, they will be able to tell you right away. Others are asking about going to the US using a tourist/student/working visa. In this case, I think it would be better to ask them yourself since it is a complicated matter and I don't want to give any misleading ideas.
They provide free continuing education classes. This is the service that made me believe that they want to deploy nurses who are trained and educated well and with a good sense of what they should expect when working in the US hospitals. Some of the free classes that I was able to attend are Physical Assessment, Critical Thinking, Pharmacology, IV Therapy and Basic EKG Interpretation. They have good instructors and with effective audio-visual aids. There is always an evaluation at the end of each class (either written, return demonstration, or both) to review how much you have learned. The classes will be reiterated once in the US. Before starting in the hospital, there will be advanced classes of the ones taken here in the Philippines.
They also provide free NCLEX-RN and IELTS review, filing and examination. For those who want to sign up but don't have any of the required exams, there's no problem with that. The agency will help you with the filing of application to the State Board of Nursing for the licensure exam. While processing this application, you can attend free review classes and avail of the free modules and series of written and computer-based exams. When you are ready to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam they will also give a financial assistance (last time I heard it was P5,000). They also provide free review and training for the IELTS exam. Once you are confident enough (and they also have confidence in you), they will file the application for examination, pay the fee and then you just wait for the exam date. You might also want to pass the exams in one sitting only as it would be such a waste not to since you're the one who's going to pay for the next examination should you fail it.
They reimburse the fees you spent on NCLEX-RN and IELTS exams. If you have already passed both these exams prior to signing up with them, you will receive a reimbursement of US$2,400. If you have only passed one exam, it is US$2,000 for NCLEX-RN and US$400 for IELTS. The reimbursement will be given here in the Philippines during the processing of your visa petition, unlike other agencies that will give it to you once in the US. I think it's better since it won't really be necessary if you're in the US already; you'll be able to earn it more easily than here in the Philippines.
They offer free Critical Care Nursing Internship (Training). If you're one of the thousands of nurses here in Manila who can't find a job in a reputable hospital, this Critical Care Nursing Internship should be a big help. However, they are affiliated with only one hospital (University of Perpetual Help Dalta Medical Center in Las Piñas). But that should not be a problem for those living in the north since they also provide housing allowance worth P2,000 monthly. Additionally, they also give P9,000 monthly allowance during the span of your training. Now, that is definitely not a problem, right? I haven't encountered any agency here with these kinds of offers. If you're asking about the training and the hospital, it is a Level 4 hospital (a tertiary hospital with specialization) in Las Piñas and you will be assigned to 3 areas only: the ICU, the Emergency Room and the Hemodialysis Unit. The training is for 3 months and schedules will be handled by the Nurse Supervisor in the hospital. There is a three-week series of lectures before the actual clinical duties and I assure you that the lectures are a very big help.
You will be given assistance with your relocation to the US. So, say you already have your visa and you are ready to go, the agency will assist you with the plane ticket and a temporary place to stay during your arrival in the US. If you're anxious about the culture shock, they provide seminars about what to expect when you get there. It is also one of the free classes that they give along with the first ones I mentioned.
You are given freedom on which hospital you want to work in. The main office actually deploys nurses based on the hospitals that need the nurses more, but if you really want to be in this particular state and/or hospital, you can tell them but you should understand that if the hospital/state you want to be in is currently not hiring, you will have to wait. If you want to know which states/facilities the agency caters to, check this site.
I'm sure I wasn't able to tell everything about them so these links should help:
http://www.allaboutstaffing.com/
http://www.aasindia.com/
They have additional information there regarding the steps of visa processing and retrogression updates. You can also visit the Manila office at 2601 Prestige Tower Bldg., F. Ortigas Jr. Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City or call them at +632-637-0165 or +632-637-2445.
latest update from AAS (as of May 2009):
1. Cash Incentive - The first 50% of the cash inncentive program will now be released upon receipt of Immigration Notice Number. The balance or remaining 50% will be paid before departure to the US and will be given together with your airline ticket.
2. License renewal fee,
visa screening and other exams. If a candidate's credentials for US immigration expire, which includes US license renewal, Visa Screen, or English exams, our company will no longer shoulder the expense for
renewal. The candidate will be responsible for maintaining currency of credentials including the visa screen. Expenses incurred for renewal of these credentials will be reimbursed immediately before
deployment to the work-site. These will be released together with the necessary travel documents.
3. P5000 NCLEX allowance - In the past, the company gave the candidate an allowance to shoulder
expenses associated with travel to take the NCLEX. This benefit is now discontinued.
4. Clinical programs - Hospital affiliations for the critical care and medical/surgical training programs of the
company are temporarily suspended until further notice.
hehe
natapos yung volunteer exp ko 3months lang...pahirapan na naman
