The Nursing Route to Residency for IMGs: Part 1

I am gonna waddle in some untried waters here..., writing and researching about Nursing for IMGs, so do bear with me as I perfect the post in time - but any start is good..ain't it ?.

As the IMG competition has heated up exponentially, double 99s and US experiences have become commonplace. A most amusing new strategy that I have been noticing with increasing frequency is IMGs using Nursing pathway as a fast means to acquire green cards. Of course it would be less faster than marriage to a US citizen, but still pretty fast - A green card within 2.5 to 3 years of starting the degree program. And we already went through how a Green Card/ U.S. citizenship status is a pretty effective weapon for any IMG seeking a residency program.

It isn't that nursing was not done before by IMGs - many Filipino and Russian docs have migrated to USA as nurses before, frustrated with low doctor salaries there - but using Nursing as a route exclusively to get a green card to make a Residency easier is what I am talking about here.

There are at least three advantages that this track offers over the GRE Route to Residency:

a. You get valuable direct US Clinical Experience while you are training as a Nurse
b. Thanks to the terrible nursing shortage, the US has relaxed the Green card process for nurses and made it very fast too.
c. Even if a residency does not work out for a given year, IMGs with nursing degrees can continue to work and earn decent money as Nurses - about $45,000 to $60,000 a year in starting salaries. Contrast this with the GRE Route, where IMGs must either extend their student visas and continue working those peanuts-paying student jobs or hunt for a job in their non-nursing fields (MPH, MHA) - which really ain't as easy as finding a nursing job. Having a nursing degree is almost a guarantee for a job in the US.


Q. So How does the Nursing Route to Residency Work for IMGs?

- IMGs enroll and complete a appropriate nursing degree program will qualify them to take the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure EXamination-Registered Nurse) exam later. This is done on a F1 student visa
- Take the NCLEX-RN exam to get certified as a Registered Nurse (RN)
- Apply for a state license where employed (during OPT Visa status)
- File for a Green Card petition (during OPT visa status)
- Get Green Card and apply for Residency

Note that Rules for nurse license and the NCLEX-RN exam eligibility vary highly from state to state.

Doing a nursing degree within the US, rather than outside, though more expensive, is a much faster and easier way to a nursing green card.

Q. Where can IMGs get such Nursing Degrees in the United States ?

A. The Nursing degree process in the United States are a complex lot - LPN, BSN, Associates Degree, RN, etc....its a maze out there. While I am in the process of digging out more information, so that I am sure about its accuracy before putting it up, here are some programs for interested IMGs to explore :

- Florida International University : Foreign-Educated Physician (Academic)-to-BSN Track

- This one is online ! : University of Texas Health Science center - Laredo Campus : contact Cain by e-mail or at 956-523-7456 or 956-236-1617, as the site says

Both these offer the BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) Track - which normally takes 4 years, but reduces to 2-years for physicians.

- A associates degree offering program - like the University of South Dakota, might make it even shorter and faster.


More details later on Part II



Nice Books:

- NCLEX-RN: A Comprehensive Review for the Registered Nurse Licensing Exam
- Becoming a Nurse in the 21st Century
- How to Get a Green Card