# Nursing College



## Bikerpat (Apr 16, 2013)

Hi my friends,

I am planning to move to Phils at a later date to be with my girlfriend of three years. We plan to set up a life together. 

I am retired and will be living off my Irish pensions which I hope will be enough to get by on.

My dream is to live near the sea or in an area where there is plenty of activity without living in the middle of a big city. Hopefully with a few ex-pats around.

My lovely girlfriend is much younger than me and her ambition is to achieve a nursing degree. I support this for her own benefit so that she has a skill.

We have yet to agree on how we will arrange our lives around both ambitions. I don't want to be a home alone retiree. I have that **** here in Ireland and I hate it. Retired and living alone. Especially with Irish weather. 

However my question is.

1. Is there anyone here who could recommend good Nursing colleges with high pass rates and where are they located.
2. How much does it cost per annum for the college
3. Is Nursing school full time per day for 7 days a week. Or is the day broken into different classes and free weekends
4 Is there holiday periods where the college year closes and how is that normally
5, Is 4 years the usual length of a degree course
6. Would my girlfriend have to live in as a student

Again any advice would be extremely welcome. 

This is a great site.

Pat


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Bikerpat said:


> Hi my friends,
> 
> I am planning to move to Phils at a later date to be with my girlfriend of three years. We plan to set up a life together.
> 
> ...


Not sure where your girl is from but check out this link Best Performing Nursing Schools in the Philippines - Nursing Guide

The school that is listed at the top of that list is in Dumuegete. There is large population of expats there and it is by the ocean. In 2009, it shows that the annual cost is between 20-60,000/year. I think that the classes are typically Mon-Fri. My girl is taking a Nurse Practictioner course (1 year course) in the Subic Freeport. She has a couple of days that are only half days and others are full days (one day up to 6pm). Her course cost me 30,000p for one semester. A four year course is typically an RN. Generally they have to perform some amount of community service at the end of their course along with passing a Philippine board exam. I would take the list above and try to find out which ones produce the highest pass rate for the US license to practice exam. That would be the true barometer of which schools truly prepare their students. 

The Philippine school year starts in 1st or 2nd week of June. 
1st Semester - early June to early October
2 week break in October
2nd Semester - late October - early April
2 week break for the Christmas/New Year's holidays
1 week break for Easter

Also the Philippine National Holidays are observed Holidays and observances in Philippines in 2013


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## Bikerpat (Apr 16, 2013)

jon1 said:


> Not sure where your girl is from but check out this link Best Performing Nursing Schools in the Philippines - Nursing Guide
> 
> The school that is listed at the top of that list is in Dumuegete. There is large population of expats there and it is by the ocean. In 2009, it shows that the annual cost is between 20-60,000/year. I think that the classes are typically Mon-Fri. My girl is taking a Nurse Practictioner course (1 year course) in the Subic Freeport. She has a couple of days that are only half days and others are full days (one day up to 6pm). Her course cost me 30,000p for one semester. A four year course is typically an RN. Generally they have to perform some amount of community service at the end of their course along with passing a Philippine board exam. I would take the list above and try to find out which ones produce the highest pass rate for the US license to practice exam. That would be the true barometer of which schools truly prepare their students.
> 
> ...


Thanks Jon. Super info. May I ask what is a Nurse Practictioner exactly. I like the sound of that. It seems you can get quality time together and also give your girl some education. The cost would be within my budget. And Dumugete sounds like a nice place. I'm Pat from Ireland. Nice to meet you and thanks. Hope to hear back from you.


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## Bikerpat (Apr 16, 2013)

Bikerpat said:


> Thanks Jon. Super info. May I ask what is a Nurse Practictioner exactly. I like the sound of that. It seems you can get quality time together and also give your girl some education. The cost would be within my budget. And Dumugete sounds like a nice place. I'm Pat from Ireland. Nice to meet you and thanks. Hope to hear back from you.


Sorry Jon. What does your girl get when she qualifies. Is it a degree or some kind of certificate?


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Pat,

I believe that she will only get a certificate as it's only a 1 year curriculum. It's not what would be a true Nurse Practitioner in the states (an advanced RN with specific additional training i.e. pediatrics).

She is mainly doing it so that she has some viable skill that can be used at home too.

Jon


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## raconnor (Oct 30, 2012)

Would suggest checking out San Fernando, La Union. There's Lorma Colleges and other good nursing schools with high pass rates It has a big expat population and the surfing's not bad in nearby San Juan.


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## Bikerpat (Apr 16, 2013)

jon1 said:


> Pat,
> 
> I believe that she will only get a certificate as it's only a 1 year curriculum. It's not what would be a true Nurse Practitioner in the states (an advanced RN with specific additional training i.e. pediatrics).
> 
> ...


Hi Jon,

May I ask do you work there while your girl is at class? 

My difficulty is that I am retired. My girl wants to learn some skill. I have no problem with that. But if she goes to nursing college she'll be away all day, studying at night and I'll be spending a lot of time alone. Not really what I had in mind. In a new country, different culture, maybe different language and if I'm in an apartment in a city I'd be bored silly. Yes, I'll have some stuff I can do but My original idea is that we'd spend most of our time together, find a nice place to live and share our days together. 

Pat


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Bikerpat said:


> Hi Jon,
> 
> May I ask do you work there while your girl is at class?
> 
> ...


I am semi-retired. I go abroad for 90 days and am back for 90 days at a time. So I pretty much relax when I am home. I have enough little ankle biting stuff to do to get me by (vehicle/household maintenance). When I am done with all of my obligations, I ride my motorcycle, go play some pool, hangout with the other expats while she is in school. I rarely get bored. We still get quality time in the evenings and have breakfast together. Sometimes I will meet her for lunch near her school.

The first few months here you will be busy setting up your household. And nothing ever goes quickly. For example, it can take a couple of weeks to get cable/internet turned on. You also want to look for some transportation (a scooter or vehicle, I recommend getting both) and that would require you to get a Driver's license (that is a half day the first time you get one).

Once you make some friends here you will find yourself networking a lot to get the full lay of the land. This forum is a great resource, but once you are here it's a whole lot more to get your arms around.


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## Bikerpat (Apr 16, 2013)

jon1 said:


> I am semi-retired. I go abroad for 90 days and am back for 90 days at a time. So I pretty much relax when I am home. I have enough little ankle biting stuff to do to get me by (vehicle/household maintenance). When I am done with all of my obligations, I ride my motorcycle, go play some pool, hangout with the other expats while she is in school. I rarely get bored. We still get quality time in the evenings and have breakfast together. Sometimes I will meet her for lunch near her school.
> 
> The first few months here you will be busy setting up your household. And nothing ever goes quickly. For example, it can take a couple of weeks to get cable/internet turned on. You also want to look for some transportation (a scooter or vehicle, I recommend getting both) and that would require you to get a Driver's license (that is a half day the first time you get one).
> 
> Once you make some friends here you will find yourself networking a lot to get the full lay of the land. This forum is a great resource, but once you are here it's a whole lot more to get your arms around.


Hi Jon,
Thanks for that.
What are typical accomodation rental costs in Dumugete? Scooter cost? How close to the sea is Dumugete?

Regards

Pat


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Pat,

Not sure what rentals cost in Dumaguete as I am in Subic. I would guess anywhere from $200-$1000 depending on the quality and standard of living that you want. 

Dumaguete is right on the ocean. Plug this information to google maps 9.291886,123.288574 and you will see what I mean. There is supposed to be a lot of expats there. I do know that they have the intermittent power issues common in most areas of the Philippines. 

Scooters brand new can range from 40,000p/$1000 (100cc) to 85,000/$2100 (135cc/150cc). It just depends on what you are comfortable with. When you get your Philippine Drivers License, make sure that you save the Original Receipt and keep them together. The police will tell you that your DL is not valid without it. Also, make sure your helmet has an "ICC" sticker on the back or don't buy it.

Jon


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## Bikerpat (Apr 16, 2013)

Sorry Jon, I thought you were in Dumaguete. What's Subic like?


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## Bikerpat (Apr 16, 2013)

jon1 said:


> Pat,
> 
> Not sure what rentals cost in Dumaguete as I am in Subic. I would guess anywhere from $200-$1000 depending on the quality and standard of living that you want.
> 
> ...



Sorry Jon, I thought you were in Dumaguete. What's Subic like? Re all the questions I have been asking?


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Bikerpat said:


> Sorry Jon, I thought you were in Dumaguete. What's Subic like? Re all the questions I have been asking?


Read thru these threads, if you still have any questions, fire away...

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/philippines-expat-forum/154393-questions-subic-area-living.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ph...-relocating-within-phils-opinions-please.html


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