International registered nurses with Conexus MedStaff in the U.S. have the opportunity to shape their nursing careers through development pathways, guided by our education experts and aided by Conexus Academy’s wealth of continuing education units (CEUs). In this article, Tracy Moore, our Associate Director of Education, explains how registered nurses can achieve their career goals with Conexus.
Conexus believes in supporting registered nurses at every stage of their U.S. journey. We take care of the immigration process and secure an EB-3 permanent residency visa, also known as a Green Card; work with each healthcare professional to identify the best-fitting position for them in a facility and location that meets their career and personal ambitions, and offer continued support before and after arriving in the U.S. to ensure that our nurses are confident about working in the United States while following a career trajectory that they are happy with.
Along these lines, there are two main career paths that Conexus offers. “One of these is academic growth,” explains Tracy. “We’re partnered with four academic institutes that offer discounts to our healthcare professionals so that they can further their academic careers. This could mean moving from a diploma to a Bachelor’s degree, from a Bachelor’s to a Master’s, or even from a Master’s to a doctorate. Each of these academic institutes offers a discount of up to 20% on education fees.”
Nurses who work with us in the U.S. also have the opportunity to apply for the Conexus MedStaff Education Advancement for Registered Nurses (EARN) Scholarship. Awarded biannually, the scholarship provides financial support that allows eligible nurses to advance their clinical knowledge, skills, or education to further enhance the level and service of care provided to the healthcare community. According to Tracy, the EARN Scholarship is a popular route amongst Conexus registered nurses. “A lot of nurses who apply for the EARN Scholarship are keen for academic growth and want our help to achieve their career goals.”
The second career path offered by Conexus is lateral growth. Also called a lateral move, this is when a registered nurse focuses on learning new skills to transfer from one department to another. During the clinical assessment phase of their journey to work in the U.S., nurses are asked what their goals are for the near future, and how they would like Conexus to support them. “This helps us to determine how we can best help them from a professional and academic standpoint, as well as from a facility location aspect,” explained Tracy.
For example, a registered nurse may have worked in the emergency department or intensive care unit (ICU) in their home country, but the skills required there may not equate to those needed in the same departments of a U.S. hospital. As Tracy explained: “The emergency department in the nurse’s home country may have fewer beds than in the U.S., and the nurse may deal with patients who have chest pain, influenza, or something like that. In the U.S., the emergency department is considerably bigger, and the cases are significantly different. Nurses need to be prepared to deal with gunshot wounds, stabbings, multiple motor vehicle accidents, trauma crashes and so on. The skills needed are very different.”
In such cases, Conexus will find the nurse a different role that they are happy with and can excel in. If the nurse is passionate about pursuing a career in the ICU or emergency department at a U.S. hospital, a tailored education program is devised to help them develop the skills they need to get there. “We can look at placing the nurse in a facility that is open to them moving to the emergency department in the future, after they’ve gained the experience needed.”
Alternatively, the nurse can complete their Conexus contract in the department they are placed in, treating it as what Tracy calls a ‘stepping stone’, while training to be able to move into the specialization they want in their next role.
“We’re invested in our nurses’ futures and listen to what they want,” said Tracy. “Our goal is to help them get to where they want to be. While our education program, Conexus Academy and career pathways are part of this, so is having frank, open discussions. Sometimes a nurse is set on being placed in a certain location, such as New York, but the healthcare facilities we work with in that area don’t align with their career goals. We can offer advice on options available to the nurse, but it’s ultimately their decision if they want to choose to work in a different field but in the place they want to be in, or if they want to be flexible in their location in order to work in their preferred specialization.”
While every Conexus nurse receives a tailored experience and has a unique journey to the U.S., our aim is to support registered nurses in creating a career they’re proud of while building a life they love in the United States.
Are you an international registered nurse or medical technologist looking to start a new career in the U.S.? Apply now to find out how we can help.
