INTERVIEW WITH OGP NURSE
1) How did you get to hear about OGP?
A friend hinted me about O’Grady Peyton international, this was in late 2016. I then decided to check out their website. I got to know that they’ve been recruiting Nurses from different parts of the world for about 35 years and that they have some sort of credibility. So, I decided to contact them and the rest is history.
2) How would you describe the interview you had to go through to be recruited by the agency?
Well, the interview was somewhat smooth. It was centered on my clinical experience so far and how to exercise my Nursing judgment in certain situations in my hospital.
3) After you were recruited, do you feel your Expectations were met?
Sincerely, I would say I wasn’t disappointed to say the least. My pre-Nclex Coordinator was quite professional and was always following me up. She was always available to answer my questions and encouraged me all through to never give up and this helped me a great deal by the time I was ready for the Nclex.
4) Do you think OGP prepares you well enough for the NCLEX in terms of their unique study plan for you, provision of NCLEX study materials and more?
Absolutely, OGP gets you well prepared for the Nclex through their very comprehensive and broad resource (Kaplan). Kaplan actually gives you a day to day schedule of how you study and take your tests/assignments. The schedule is a 20 week of intensive preparation during which you will attend a 5 day live class where you are well groomed on how to tackle Nclex-like questions. Also, there are question banks and Question trainers (a test that comprises 265 questions in 6 hours) which build your confidence and helps you to answer high level Nclex questions effectively.
5) Its all POST NCLEX now for you, challenges with immigration sets in and it’s all overwhelming. What’s your personal view about the situation with the USCIS; Petition Denials, RFEs and the likes? Do you think measures can be taken by Agencies to control this? If yes, what motives do you feel these Agencies could adopt.
Well, concerning USCIS, I believe denials and RFE can be reduced to the barest minimum. I mean, cases should only be denied after it has been proven that the healthcare professional is not well qualified to practice in the US, there should be a valid reason for denials and RFE. Also, it is quite unpleasant for a nurse to be denied or receive RFE after waiting endlessly for months. In my opinion, USCIS can be faster in reviewing these cases without having to disrupt the Nurse’s life.
6) What’s your objective view about the contract terms of OGP?
From my point of view, the contract terms of OGP are fair enough.
7) Why did you choose to embark on this Journey to practice Nursing in the US, despite the Numerous challenges that comes with it?
For me, I have always loved to practice my profession in a perfect environment where I have access to state of the art equipment, ability to advance my career with some sort of flexibility. Also, nurses work really hard in today’s world and it’s only fair that their pay is commensurate with the amount of work they put in. This is the case in the US where you smile when you receive your paycheck. Also, I have always wanted the best for my family and I believe it is worth working for despite the stress and expenses so far. I considered all this and decided to embark on my American Dream. So far, I have no regrets.
8) SO FAR HAS IT BEEN WORTH IT?
Definitely, it has been really worth it. I am really glad I took this big decision Thank you.
FOLAKE IBRAHIM , RN, RPaed (US, NIGERIA)
INTERVIEW WITH AN AVANT PROFESSIONAL HEALTHCARE NURSE
1) How did you get to hear about AVANT?
Referral by my mum.
2) How would you describe the interview you had to go through to be recruited by the agency?
It was rigorous and tough
3) After you were recruited, do you feel your Expectations were met?
Yes. I would say they exceeded it
4) Do you think AVANT prepares you well enough for the NCLEX in terms of their unique study plan for you, provision of NCLEX study materials and more?
Yes.
5) Its all POST NCLEX now for you, challenges with immigration sets in and it’s all overwhelming. What’s your personal view about the situation with the USCIS; Petition Denials, RFEs and the likes? Do you think measures can be taken by Agencies to control this? If yes, what motives do you feel these Agencies could adopt.
I cannot say correctly since the agency managed the whole process, but i believe they understand the process effectively hence the smooth process i experienced.
6) What’s your objective view about the contract terms of AVANT .
For me i think it’s fair enough. Its business for them and i think boths parties signed in for a mutual benefit
7) Would you have done this again with AVANT or you would have opted for another Agency?
With the level of exposure avant have given me i think if i am to do this again i prefer doing it on my own and weigh other immigration options post nclex.
8) Why did you choose to embark on this Journey to practice Nursing in the US, despite the Numerous challenges that comes with it?
I think it present a competitive advantage for me and my family compared to nigeria. I choose this based on a long-term comparative analysis for my family
9) SO FAR HAS IT BEEN WORTH IT?
Yes, it has
CHIMDINDU ONYEKWE, RN (US, NIGERIA) BSNINTERVIEW WITH A SHEARWATER HEALTH NURSE
1) How did you get to hear about SWH?
A friend in the United States recommended SWH to me last year and I’m glad she did.
2) How would you describe the interview you had to go through to be recruited by the agency?
My interview was a live one which took place at Radisson Blu Hotel VI, Lagos on the 14th June 2017. The interview was more of a conversation between I and Winnie Fritz. The session was very interactive and friendly s she first allayed my tension and made sure I was comfortable. Most questions were based on my CV and work experiences, I made sure not to leave any answer at either YES/NO, I gave more details and examples where needed. She painted a scenario where a patient was in crisis that I had to call the doctor and asked how I would relate the situation to the doctor. I used our Naija method to answer but she gave me a more concise and better method called SBAR. She also gave me 5 situations that I needed to attend to in order of priority; this was used to test my prioritization and delegation skills.
Coming to Nathan, I was the one who interviewed him as I had previously read all about the agencies and had my tons of questions and doubts. He made every effort to answer my questions judiciously. He was so pleased that insisted on uploading the picture we took together on the SWH page on Instagram. Finally I signed the contract after he had explained every line and every page of the contract to me. Was given the Kaplan textbook and I left knowing that this would be a great journey and a wonderful opportunity to achieving my AMERICAN NURSE LIFE DREAM.
3) After you were recruited, do you feel your Expectations were met?
So far from the beginning till date, I’ve not had any issues with the agency. Yea there might be times there’ll be a delay in response to emails but when they do there’s always an apology and explanation. So YES my expectations has never been cut short.
4) Do you think SWH prepares you well enough for the NCLEX in terms of their unique study plan for you, provision of NCLEX study materials and more?
I would say that preparing for the NCLEX-RN is mostly dependent on self effort and God. This is the first time SWH is recruiting from Nigeria and to me its more of an experiment and with time they would improve and fix the errors and challenges. Yes give you Kaplan textbook, get u two months uworld subscription and then Kaplan self-paced when your ATT is out but everyone of us differs in intelligence, learning methods and we all have what works for us.
I would suggest that SWH asks the nurses who didn’t pass the exam in their first attempt the challenges they had as regards preparations and make necessary adjustments. Also enrolling the future test takers in an NCLEX-RN review plan like REMAR and others would go a long way in increasing the success rate. But then again it’s all self effort as one might have all the resources and still not pass the exam.
5) Its all POST NCLEX now for you, challenges with immigration sets in and it’s all overwhelming. What’s your personal view about the situation with the USCIS; Petition Denials, RFEs and the likes? Do you think measures can be taken by Agencies to control this? If yes, what motives do you feel these Agencies could adopt.
POST NCLEX… So far I owe it all to God. It took about 7 weeks for the 1st petition to be filed, I’m glad SWH uses premium filing which gets a faster response. I had an RFE (REQUEST FOR EVIDENCE) which SWH assured me it wasn’t my fault nor problem that it was theirs to find out what evidence was required and respond to it timely. It took roughly 8 weeks for it to be responded to (now awaiting and praying for the best response “APPROVAL” from USCIS. I believe that there are measures to be taken or put in place to prevent this from happening and suggest that SWH goes through the previous RFEs they’ve had, find out what the most common reasons are and put measures to prevent recurrences as USCIS won’t be issuing RFEs again. It’s either APPROVAL OR DENIAL.
6) What’s your objective view about the contract terms of SWH?
When I discussed the T$Cs of the contract with Nathan, I didn’t have much concerns except for the length of the contract from when one starts working (3 years). I would appreciate if this could be reduced or counted in hours. Meanwhile I’m thrilled with the benefit that comes with the contract as this goes a long way to have the employee setup in a new place and environment.
7) Why did you choose to embark on this Journey to practice Nursing in the US, despite the Numerous challenges that comes with it?
If I were to do this over again, I would choose SHEARWATER HEALTH. I’m really moved with how they care about me even outside the scope of the process. The family nature of SWH is totally awesome, they follow up with you till you arrive in the states, and it doesn’t end there. I’ve been privileged to interact with other SWH nurses both here in Nigeria and USA…the love being shared, I can’t explain it.
SHEARWATER HEALTH ANYDAY ANYTIME.
8) Why did you choose to embark on this Journey to practice Nursing in the US, despite the Numerous challenges that comes with it?
Making this choice wasn’t the top of my list; I was more focused on getting a school to pursue my BSc in Nursing before my very good friend told me about agencies recruiting nurses to work in USA. I’ve never regretted choosing this path knowing that I would have great opportunities to better myself both personally and professionally. Working with different people from all around the world, learning new cultures and languages, working with sophisticated and state of the art equipment and machines to promote health and wellness is a dream come true. I love watching American medical series ranging from Dr House, Grey’s anatomy, Private practice, Chicago Med and lots more, seeing how nurses are being treated with so much respect gives me great fulfillment. Also let me not forget the monetary part of it, Yes, that’s also a reason for embarking on this journey but ain’t the priority.
9) SO FAR HAS IT BEEN WORTH IT?
SO FAR IT’S BEEN WORTH IT, COULDN’T WISH NOR PRAYED FOR ANY LESS. Every blessed day I wake up, I’m always grateful for this opportunity and also pray for God’s continuous grace and guidance throughout this journey.
THANK YOU SHEARWATER HEALTH FOR MAKING ME PART OF THIS FAMILY.
U.A.A, RN (USA, NIGERIA)