Maureen Said:

hi.. i wish to study in a foreign country like the philippines. for practical nursing, lvn, associate?

We Answered:

In 20 years working in medicine in the US, it's safe to say I've worked with more Filipinos than Americans.
Filipino LVNs (LPN outside of California) are heavily employed by nursing homes in the US, largely because Filipinos will do the dirty work for much lower wages than a US-trained nurse. Get your RN or you won't have as many options in the setting you work in, the type of job you do, or the amount of money you make.
As far as I know, passing the NCLEX in the Philippines is the same as in the US-- it's the same test, or it wouldn't have the same name.
Because nurses are in such high demand, it shouldn't be difficult for you to find a job when you graduate. It is especially helpful that you have dual citizenship, because you won't have to go through the hassles of dealing with the visa nightmare.

Alice Said:

The nursing program I'm in requires purchasing a PDA. Nurses, is this practical?

We Answered:

It depends on where you work. I bought one when I graduated from nursing school, thinking I would use the drug reference a lot, but it turns out I have never once needed it. My hospital system has their own intranet that includes all kinds of helpful resources including drug references, etc., and since we have computers in every patient room, there is really no practical reason for me to have a PDA when I have access anywhere I want.

Other people find them very helpful because they don't have such resources readily available. It certainly can't hurt having one. At the very least, you'll have another toy to play Tetris. ;)