Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. NCLEX-RN is a difficult exam?

You are a nurse. You are qualified and have passed your three year nursing Diploma or BSN. You have been working as a licensed nurse in various institutions. Nursing is your subject and your profession. If you have no confidence in your own abilities as a nurse, you certainly cannot consider working in an international setting.
The NCLEX exam is nothing but a test of your competency in Nursing. Like any examination, all it requires is a little extra effort to go through the subject matter and practice the answers. 

Q2. I am scared of grammatical mistakes when speaking in English.

English has not been the mother tongue for most of us. Yet, we have all learnt it.

The issue is not really about NOT knowing English. It is just a mental block as most of you are used to conversing in your native language. This is fine as long as you are working in the confines of your own state.

English is in fact easier than most regional languages. The three-year course in Nursing has been in English, the exams have been in English and a nurse can read and write quite well. It is only in oral communication that one develops the mental block. This is again because you are scared of making mistakes and the fear of being laughed at by your friends!!

One should not forget that in countries like the USA, CANADA, the UK, NZ and AUSTRALIA, English is the main language. So as long as one has a desire to go to any one of these countries, one has to make a conscious effort to improve his/her communication skills. There is no short cut to this. And keep in mind that very few peer/seniors will offer sympathy or protect you when you are on a hospital ward or floor where critical life saving decisions being made every minute. Your acceptance level grows by the confidence you show in your work and your communication. Merit is always well acknowledged.

PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE

All it requires is practice. Make a conscious effort to speak out aloud. To read the English newspapers aloud. To read English books .To listen to CNN and BBC as well as your local English newscasts. Above all, when amongst your friends, who are all working towards the common goal of relocating abroad, make it a habit to speak in English so that you can correct one another without any fear of being ridiculed. 


Q3.We may not be able to understand the various accents.

Ans. True. It may not be easy to pick up all the accents in the different places very fast. That can come only by being confident in English yourself so that it helps you pick up the nuances faster. You have to develop your listening skills.

Do not be under the impression that everyone in America speaks like a local. Even within America there are so many different accents. This is a land with people from all over the world and they all speak differently. What is required is just simple, plain and clear English. What you say must be understood by others. You must understand what others say.

Developing skills in English is very important because you are in Healthcare. While working as a nurse, you would have to interact with patients, relatives, peers, superiors, doctors and so on. English is the only common language of communication.

Q4. Many nurses have failed in TSE.

True. This has been happening - again because of the diffidence and unfamiliarity in communicating in English. TSE is not a very easy test either.
However, one has an option in IELTS now. These exams are based on the British system and should be slightly easier. But it still requires an effort.

Q5. Going through the NCLEX route and filing for the Green card takes a long time.

It is surprising why nurses have suddenly become very impatient. Until Mar 2002, USA was not in the horizon of most nurses. However, now that the examinations are being held in India and there seems to be a possibility of relocating to the USA, everyone is in a hurry to leave immediately.

A typical Green card based on family sponsorship to the USA takes almost FIFTEEN YEARS. In comparison, a nurse can walk into the country with her family in about 15 months.

The wait should actually help one to mentally prepare for the life abroad, to start reading and understanding living in America, to plan for their children’s schooling, to plan for their husbands work, to use the time to improve their communication skills, to prepare for the NCLEX and above all, to learn DRIVING.

It must be remembered that YOU are a liability in USA if you do not learn to drive. You do not have auto rickshaws or very frequent public transport and taxis are far too expensive. There are every few cities in the USA that has a really convenient public transport facility.

Moreover, a Drivers license is a very important and essential identity card that one needs to carry with them all the time.

Hence, do not fret about the delays in processing for the Green card. That is still the surest and safest route where you can come with your family.

Q6. Can I not write the NCLEX exam directly?

Yes, you can now take the NCLEX RN in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi, CGFNS is not required.

Q7. Can I not come on H1B?

NO. It is a wrong notion that nurses can freely enter USA like the IT professionals on the H1B visa.

Primarily, the nurse has to be a Graduate in Nursing. This visa is open only to Graduates. Secondly, it is possible only in very specific categories and for nurses with experience in those specialties. Thirdly, a hospital would have to justify and certify that they need a nurse with those specific qualifications and experience.

Q8. Why a contract period?

NOTHING comes FREE, anywhere!. An employer who sponsors a nurse is investing a lot of money upfront and has to wait almost a year and a half for the nurse to physically arrive in the USA and start working for him. He has to recover his investments; hence our contract is for 2 years.

It should be looked at as an advantage, as we would take a serious interest in training and grooming you to get you used to the system. Once the contract is over, you become more marketable and you are normally free to go anywhere.

Q9. Will we be posted in remote areas?

America is a vast country and there is a need for nurses everywhere. Your place of posting depends on the vacancies which are available; the hospitals usually would interview you after you have passed the NCLEX and are closer to arriving in the US. You need to check out all aspect before you decide. Salaries will also vary from place to place,PPR/Vira offer you a chance to work for some of the finest hospitals, we have clients in most US states and Cities, check our client list, we have deployed over 75 nurses to the US who are happily settled in their jobs.

Q10. I was told that I could get $40/per hour in wages?

NONSENSE. Irrespective of your experience, you are still a new nurse with no experience in working in an American hospital. No one will pay you such high wages. More so, if they have invested high amounts to bring you to USA. Most firms will only pay you the statutory minimum. Consider yourself fortunate if you get more. But after one year you could become eligible for better rates. After your initial contract, you can choose your hospitals to work in. You will get sign on bonuses too when you are a nurse with experience in USA.

In CALIFORNIA, a typical offer for a nurse is around $22.17/ per hour as the normal rate. There is a guarantee of 36 hrs in three 12 hrs shifts. This means that part of the shift is on OT rate. Hence the combined wage rate becomes almost $25.86/hour. Just this gives one an income of over $45,000/ per year. If one were to do just one OT shift a week, the annual income goes up by another $ 22-24000/. 

Q11. Some agents had indicated that we have to give them a % of our salaries for the whole contract period.

PPR/Vira do not deduct any amount from the salary of the Nurses, we pay you your full salary and benefits.

Q12. Some agents are asking us for large sums of money

Again, the decision is yours. Normally, for placements in the USA there is technically no cost to the candidate . If at all any costs are to be incurred by the candidate , it is only for the initial exam and coaching fees. This is because a nurse is eligible to be considered only when they pass these exams. It is true that there are some employers who support the payment of the initial fees etc. However, the trend is changing because the pass percentages have been low and most of the people who made such offers have lost a ;lot of money. Moreover, it has been felt that the nurse also takes the exams seriously only when they spend their own money for it. The commitment is then genuine. Most employers commit to reimburse such money spent.

Q13.So finally what is the process?

The process is simpler now than it has ever been before

1. Contact a Vira Office and talk to the consultants and e-mail your resume to nurses@virainternational.com
2.  You will be set up for a telephonic interview with a US recruiter from PPR International

3. On passing the tele interview you are required to take 2 online pre tests and pass them, access to the sites are available from www.pprhealthcare.com or www.recruitindiannurses.com   

4. On passing the interview and pretests you will be required to sign up for the Study Program, you will be given books CDs and information on online testing.

5. On successful completion of your Employment pack and once you start testing online PPR will file for your US license and book a date for you to take the NCLEX in India, all this should take 3-4 months.

6. You would also be required to take and pass the IELTS A with a score of 6.5 and speaking 7.

7. Once you have passed your English tests and NCLEX RN exam you can sit back and relax, travel, work anywhere in the world while PPR files for your I 140 Green card application and PPR/Vira consultants guide you all the way trough to your departure from India to your arrival in the US and until your first day at work

Q14 what does a Nurse have to pay?

Nurse’s only have to pay a Study Program Fee of Indian Rupee’s 9000/- + 12.2% Tax the Total Amount comes to Rs.10, 098/-

PPR /Vira pay for your US Licensure, NCLEX RN exam Fee, ICHP Visa Screen, Green Card and Visa Fee;s, Airfares and accommodation to take the NCLEX RN and for Deployment to the US .