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Life as a Filipino Nurse in a Skilled Nursing rehab in the USA

USRN Mark | Life as a Filipino Nurse in a Skilled Nursing Facility in Kansas

Meet Nurse Mark, his unique journey to Kansas and let’s have a quick look on the life of a Filipino Nurse working in a Skilled Nursing facility in the United States.

From being Senior Nurse Development Specialist of a company in the Philippines, he transitioned as a US registered nurse and is now living his American Dream and delivering the grandest nursing care to elderlies in the USA.

Join us in another Grandison Espresso Lounge kamustahan with one of our deployed nurses in the United States — Nurse Mark!

This is your virtual coffee table, a place where we catch-up with our nurses, PTs, OTs and partners. Here, we encourage everyone to share their voice and experience, to educate and inspire Filipino nurses and know that no #AmericanDream is impossible when you have the right partner and perseverance.

Good morning to everyone, hello to the Philippines. My name is Mark Angelo Enchano. I am presently here in Baldwin City, Kansas. I am assigned at Baldwin Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center.

USRN Mark, Kansas USA

Play and Watch Full Interview and Grandison Review below:

Here’s a quick summary of the interview and Mark’s USA journey.

Disclaimer: Some parts were translated and summarized in context. You may refer to the full raw video for complete review, experience and advise.

Are there any benefits that made you sign-up with Grandison?

I actually initially planned to go to the UK however you need to shoulder everything, all of the expenses. Then I found Grandison, it catered all my needs back then. They are accepting nurses and process you even if you don't have bedside experience, because technically, I'm really not working in a bedside set up at that time, I work in a corporate world. They will shoulder young ielts review and ielts exam expenses. So basically, iyon ang kailangan ko around that time. So that made me sign up with Grandison.

What’s the biggest challenge that you have encountered as a nurse in the United States?

Because I was working with an immigration company then. So somehow I know what to expect in terms of American culture. I said, that's part of my previous job to prepare the nurses we are sending. I received, like everything and anything but kindness starting from the orientation in Howell, New Jersey, our staff there, Mam Allysa and Miss Kaitlyn and also Sir Shmuel. Again, so very nice because as a background story, I know I thought, I will be placed with Miriam Gardens in Kansas. But when I came here apparently, I was transferred to Baldwin healthcare and Rehab, in Baldwin City. Possibly because the vacancy in Miriam Gardens has been filled already. Hopefully, I hope na sana, I was even advised ahead of time. Even a 1 week lead time would help me prepare for the facility. Maybe a week would have helped. No, and I guess it can also be a case to case basis, you know, depending. So the biggest challenge talaga is the transportation, because the facility is 45 minutes away from where I was staying and I don’t have a car yet during that time.

And how was your 1st day? What do you usually do? How did you prepare for your 1st day of work, Ian. Were there any training provided in the facility, and especially that you mentioned earlier you didn't have bedside experience.

I purchased some mini cards that you can pin to your uniforms for easier reference. So you then review yung mga yun, and of course, Grandison provided the manual environment training before we go. Of course you have to brush up. The process for Grandison of sending nurses is if there's a need for license endorsement they will help you find alternative jobs while waiting for my Kansas license. So that’s like one month literally of waiting. I have one counter partner on the other side, cause I'm handling the wellness hall. I kind of like it. There's familiarity. The facility is post rehab, mostly geriatric patients, so my patients come and go. And the facility here is nice and supportive.

How is it working in a Skilled Nursing Rehab in the USA?

I'm also a member of the Lefora Nursing Facebook group, a group for nurses who wants to go to the USA. So a lot there, I can say, are very worried about long term care, skilled nursing facilities set up like the nurse, especially nurse to patient ratio. Pero here in the USA we have nursing aid. If you're lucky, we also have medication aid. So medications, the only medications I do you, is yung mga naka-black tag or red tag or mga narcotics medication, but the rest I have my medication aid, and then I don't do everything on my own, may nursing aid, it’s very different than the practice in the Philippines.

How is the financial aspect? How is the salary and does it match the cost of living as a nurse in the USA?

I usually pick-up some overtime shifts, it’s voluntary and I usually earn an extra $500 per shift for it from the facility and that’s optional. If you’re not feeling well there’s also a PTO that you can use and you can just message your scheduler. When it comes to the cost of living, it’s case to case basis. We are paid based on Prevailing Wage, which is legal but sometimes it becomes paycheck to paycheck especially when you are still adjusting and like me I have a car loan. When I came here, I already made a salary loan with Grandison when I started so when I found this car through Grandison’s help as well, I just tried my luck if I could get a car loan for the down payment. So hopefully soon, after I paid up my car, I’m planning to buy a car for my family naman. I still intend to pick up some of the extra shifts to earn more.

What’s the biggest advice that you can give to the Filipino nurses aspiring to work in the United States?

Live in the present, a lot of us worry too much by looking into the future. It’s okay to plan but don’t live in the future like set-up. Change of attitude Like for example, you found out that the facility is like this, instead of moving away, technically there is no perfect situation there is always something that will throw you off, try to work on it. Like for example for Grandison, upon receiving the information and full disclosure, do your research. Research about the facility, the nurse experience, but don’t take it to heart because it does not mean that it will be the general situation for you.

Is there anything that Grandison can improve on? Is there any feedback that you can think of so that we can work on it?

None so far, I know that I’m part of things that happened to me are not entirely the fault of the agency, especially when it comes to immigration, I know Grandison can always work on it. When it comes to prevailing wage, most of the nurses in forums get scared of it, it’s understandable and if you look into it’s just a dollar or 2 dollars difference and most of the direct hire and other staffing agencies also use it. So imagine if Grandison can like try to improve it, then they can really head on with other competitors.

How satisfied are you working in a Skilled Nursing Facility?

Grandison Espresso Lounge Host

This is a personal rating, I would rate it at 4 because personally I am enjoying it. I’m a person na mapagtimpi, sometimes I ask myself if I have the patience to take care of geriatric patients? That was my biggest worry before but apparently I sort of fell in love with taking care of geriatric population, and it's a fun experience. Learning as well. Because we're accustomed to them and using the English language. And there’s some funny stories with my residents already here.

USRN Mark, Kansas USA

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