Foreign LVN and RN Nurses

By R Govindan

The demand for foreign LVN and RN nurses has increased manifold over the last 10-15 years. Analysts have attributed this primarily to lack of skilled in-house staff. This demand has also seen globalization of primary healthcare to developing countries. Countries like the Philippines and India have cashed in on this opportunity and are sending a lot of foreign LVN nurse applications every year.

It does not matter if you are from India or from the United States of America. You could do a good job as an LVN or a RN nurse so long as you are passionate about serving your fellow man.

Some Questions Answered

To begin with, LVN stands for Licensed Vocational Nurse and RN stands for Registered Nurse. What is the difference between the two? In basic terms, an LVN nurse would not be able to do all the duties of an RN. In most cases, an RN supervises an LVN. Quite recently, hospitals have got into the practice of hiring Foreign LVN and RN nurses. Reasons given by hospitals are many.

Without examining the credibility of the reasons, let us understand the answers to some questions asked by foreign LVN and RN Nurses' applicants:

Q: Universities have waiting lists to admit students. Does one have the option of entering a waiting list when applying for the post of Foreign LVN and RN nurses?

A: Your nursing application would need to be submitted latest by March 1st for Fall Admission and by September 30th for Spring Admissions. Your application would be checked and evaluated against all the criteria. After the evaluation, you would be informed if you were selected or rejected.

Q: Does an RN earn more than a LVN Nurse?

A: The answer is Yes. In fact the earning differential between an LVN's earnings and RN's earnings can be more than 50%.

Q: Why are hospitals hiring Foreign LVN and RN Nurses?

A: This question can be answered in two parts: 1) Hospitals wish to on costs. They do this by hiring foreign nurses who may be hired at a lower wage. 2) Hospitals also feel that there are not a lot of skilled LVN and RN nurses available in the country. This lack of supply has forced hospitals to look elsewhere for LVN and RN nurses.

Q: Do nurses have to face status/role discrimination in the hospitals as LVN and RN nurses?

A: No, not at all. LVN and RN nurses are very prestigious positions in a hospital and you are typically treated with a high degree of respect by other staff.

Q: What do I have to do if I have to apply for the position of Foreign LVN Nurse?

A: Most colleges or medical institutions will ask you to submit your credits. Credits would be testimonials of your previous work experience in medical institutions. You would also need to appear for the ACT or SAT examination. In the end, your application package should include the completed application form, your Credits and your SAT scorecard. Importantly, a Foreign LVN and RN nurse applicant must take a US license exam that certifies her to work in any Healthcare organization.

Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts offers licensed vocational nursing programs in California, visit their campuses in San Mateo, Concord, Modesto and Fresno for further details.