Finding a job once they get to the U.S

[♥Sora_9_Dam3a♥ 0]

I worry about this for my husband too. His english is great, but he is a medical school graduate so he is too educated for a lot of jobs. I have been working on ideas for him, but we can't know what will happen until he gets here. The refugee place is supposed to help him, but I heard the jobs they find refugees are basically like factory work for almost no pay Iraq has been a weird exception to most refugee countries because many Iraqis are well educated and we aren't set up to deal with that. I have been considering having my husband apply at Walmart or Walgreens. Has anyone tried that for their husbands?

why didn't he try doing something with his medical education?!?!?!! i'm sure it'll be a little rough, but well worth it in the end! try researching about evaluating his degree and stuff...i'm sure you'll find a way around it...the longer wait, the more difficult it will get, i think...

good luck!

[S and S 12]

I worry about this for my husband too. His english is great, but he is a medical school graduate so he is too educated for a lot of jobs. I have been working on ideas for him, but we can't know what will happen until he gets here. The refugee place is supposed to help him, but I heard the jobs they find refugees are basically like factory work for almost no pay Iraq has been a weird exception to most refugee countries because many Iraqis are well educated and we aren't set up to deal with that. I have been considering having my husband apply at Walmart or Walgreens. Has anyone tried that for their husbands?

why didn't he try doing something with his medical education?!?!?!! i'm sure it'll be a little rough, but well worth it in the end! try researching about evaluating his degree and stuff...i'm sure you'll find a way around it...the longer wait, the more difficult it will get, i think...

good luck!

My husband isn't here yet so there isn't much he can do. He has been working for free in a hospital in Jordan because Iraqis are not legally allowed to work for pay. Unfortunately due to the problems in Iraq and moving around as a refugee he hasn't been able to do his official residency time. I checked into all the medical licensing and there are three tests he has to take before he can be licensed to start his residency. Also, they will accept his college in Iraq without an evaluation because his college is recognized by the medical association. The first two tests are about $700 to $800 a piece and he will not let me pay for them. They are eight hours long so he will really have to study before he takes them. They third test is done in only a few US cities and is an evaluation of his handling of actual patients. There is another fee for that, but I forget how much. On top of this Residency programs only start in June each year. Most Hospitals already start looking at prospective residents in August and finalize their decision by January. There is no way my husband will get the tests done in time to submit to any applications to resident programs before the deadline. This means he will have to wait until June of 2010 to begin anything. It does give him more time to prepare for the tests which is good. I checked around for some lower medical jobs but they all require certification. I checked the certification requirements and they all say a person must complete a certain course of study at a school. When I compared the classes under these jobs to my husbands college transcript I found mostly they are nothing alike.

Basically he will just have to work whatever job he can find until he can start his residency. I am hoping he could at least get some position in a hospital or volunteer there so he will not lose his skills in the meantime.

[♥Sora_9_Dam3a♥ 0]

I worry about this for my husband too. His english is great, but he is a medical school graduate so he is too educated for a lot of jobs. I have been working on ideas for him, but we can't know what will happen until he gets here. The refugee place is supposed to help him, but I heard the jobs they find refugees are basically like factory work for almost no pay Iraq has been a weird exception to most refugee countries because many Iraqis are well educated and we aren't set up to deal with that. I have been considering having my husband apply at Walmart or Walgreens. Has anyone tried that for their husbands?

why didn't he try doing something with his medical education?!?!?!! i'm sure it'll be a little rough, but well worth it in the end! try researching about evaluating his degree and stuff...i'm sure you'll find a way around it...the longer wait, the more difficult it will get, i think...

good luck!

My husband isn't here yet so there isn't much he can do. He has been working for free in a hospital in Jordan because Iraqis are not legally allowed to work for pay. Unfortunately due to the problems in Iraq and moving around as a refugee he hasn't been able to do his official residency time. I checked into all the medical licensing and there are three tests he has to take before he can be licensed to start his residency. Also, they will accept his college in Iraq without an evaluation because his college is recognized by the medical association. The first two tests are about $700 to $800 a piece and he will not let me pay for them. They are eight hours long so he will really have to study before he takes them. They third test is done in only a few US cities and is an evaluation of his handling of actual patients. There is another fee for that, but I forget how much. On top of this Residency programs only start in June each year. Most Hospitals already start looking at prospective residents in August and finalize their decision by January. There is no way my husband will get the tests done in time to submit to any applications to resident programs before the deadline. This means he will have to wait until June of 2010 to begin anything. It does give him more time to prepare for the tests which is good. I checked around for some lower medical jobs but they all require certification. I checked the certification requirements and they all say a person must complete a certain course of study at a school. When I compared the classes under these jobs to my husbands college transcript I found mostly they are nothing alike.

Basically he will just have to work whatever job he can find until he can start his residency. I am hoping he could at least get some position in a hospital or volunteer there so he will not lose his skills in the meantime.

..oh wow...that's complicated...and annoying....so, it'll take time, but insha Allah, it'll work out in the end. as for the certification, maybe he can take a course when he gets here. those little certificates really help because it gives them something from america...usually jobs that require those certificates don't look at educational background, so they won't give him a problem with the foreign degree and all. they're just looking to see if he passed the required course.

i wish you two all the best and i pray that your united soooooooooon...

[S and S 12]

I worry about this for my husband too. His english is great, but he is a medical school graduate so he is too educated for a lot of jobs. I have been working on ideas for him, but we can't know what will happen until he gets here. The refugee place is supposed to help him, but I heard the jobs they find refugees are basically like factory work for almost no pay Iraq has been a weird exception to most refugee countries because many Iraqis are well educated and we aren't set up to deal with that. I have been considering having my husband apply at Walmart or Walgreens. Has anyone tried that for their husbands?

why didn't he try doing something with his medical education?!?!?!! i'm sure it'll be a little rough, but well worth it in the end! try researching about evaluating his degree and stuff...i'm sure you'll find a way around it...the longer wait, the more difficult it will get, i think...

good luck!

My husband isn't here yet so there isn't much he can do. He has been working for free in a hospital in Jordan because Iraqis are not legally allowed to work for pay. Unfortunately due to the problems in Iraq and moving around as a refugee he hasn't been able to do his official residency time. I checked into all the medical licensing and there are three tests he has to take before he can be licensed to start his residency. Also, they will accept his college in Iraq without an evaluation because his college is recognized by the medical association. The first two tests are about $700 to $800 a piece and he will not let me pay for them. They are eight hours long so he will really have to study before he takes them. They third test is done in only a few US cities and is an evaluation of his handling of actual patients. There is another fee for that, but I forget how much. On top of this Residency programs only start in June each year. Most Hospitals already start looking at prospective residents in August and finalize their decision by January. There is no way my husband will get the tests done in time to submit to any applications to resident programs before the deadline. This means he will have to wait until June of 2010 to begin anything. It does give him more time to prepare for the tests which is good. I checked around for some lower medical jobs but they all require certification. I checked the certification requirements and they all say a person must complete a certain course of study at a school. When I compared the classes under these jobs to my husbands college transcript I found mostly they are nothing alike.

Basically he will just have to work whatever job he can find until he can start his residency. I am hoping he could at least get some position in a hospital or volunteer there so he will not lose his skills in the meantime.

..oh wow...that's complicated...and annoying....so, it'll take time, but insha Allah, it'll work out in the end. as for the certification, maybe he can take a course when he gets here. those little certificates really help because it gives them something from america...usually jobs that require those certificates don't look at educational background, so they won't give him a problem with the foreign degree and all. they're just looking to see if he passed the required course.

i wish you two all the best and i pray that your united soooooooooon...

Thank you so much for your input and prayers. Inshallah it will all work out and God will guide us in what is the right path to take.

[Nothing1234 2]

I worry about this for my husband too. His english is great, but he is a medical school graduate so he is too educated for a lot of jobs. I have been working on ideas for him, but we can't know what will happen until he gets here. The refugee place is supposed to help him, but I heard the jobs they find refugees are basically like factory work for almost no pay Iraq has been a weird exception to most refugee countries because many Iraqis are well educated and we aren't set up to deal with that. I have been considering having my husband apply at Walmart or Walgreens. Has anyone tried that for their husbands?

why didn't he try doing something with his medical education?!?!?!! i'm sure it'll be a little rough, but well worth it in the end! try researching about evaluating his degree and stuff...i'm sure you'll find a way around it...the longer wait, the more difficult it will get, i think...

good luck!

My husband isn't here yet so there isn't much he can do. He has been working for free in a hospital in Jordan because Iraqis are not legally allowed to work for pay. Unfortunately due to the problems in Iraq and moving around as a refugee he hasn't been able to do his official residency time. I checked into all the medical licensing and there are three tests he has to take before he can be licensed to start his residency. Also, they will accept his college in Iraq without an evaluation because his college is recognized by the medical association. The first two tests are about $700 to $800 a piece and he will not let me pay for them. They are eight hours long so he will really have to study before he takes them. They third test is done in only a few US cities and is an evaluation of his handling of actual patients. There is another fee for that, but I forget how much. On top of this Residency programs only start in June each year. Most Hospitals already start looking at prospective residents in August and finalize their decision by January. There is no way my husband will get the tests done in time to submit to any applications to resident programs before the deadline. This means he will have to wait until June of 2010 to begin anything. It does give him more time to prepare for the tests which is good. I checked around for some lower medical jobs but they all require certification. I checked the certification requirements and they all say a person must complete a certain course of study at a school. When I compared the classes under these jobs to my husbands college transcript I found mostly they are nothing alike.

Basically he will just have to work whatever job he can find until he can start his residency. I am hoping he could at least get some position in a hospital or volunteer there so he will not lose his skills in the meantime.

..oh wow...that's complicated...and annoying....so, it'll take time, but insha Allah, it'll work out in the end. as for the certification, maybe he can take a course when he gets here. those little certificates really help because it gives them something from america...usually jobs that require those certificates don't look at educational background, so they won't give him a problem with the foreign degree and all. they're just looking to see if he passed the required course.

i wish you two all the best and i pray that your united soooooooooon...

Thank you so much for your input and prayers. Inshallah it will all work out and God will guide us in what is the right path to take.

Insha'allah S and S! Thank god for all the good resources here and great support!

[S and S 12]

Insha'allah S and S! Thank god for all the good resources here and great support!

So true Nawal. The support here is so amazing and helpful while going through this process!

[Carolyn 1]

S and S,

Could your husband get a certificate as a Nursing Assistant? I know it's a HUGE step down from being a doctor, but usually the certification only takes a few weeks, and entry-level jobs often pay very well. I have a friend who is working as a NA in the Emergency Room at a major hospital downtown--fabulous exposure to the American way of doing things in hospitals! Her starting pay was over $16 an hour. One of the reasons why they hired her was for her language skills (she is fluent in Spanish, but I know there is a great need for people who speak other languages as well).

[Nasturtium 500]

Basically, if it's something that takes a degree, unless our SOs get lucky-- it's very hard to get into a degreed job right off the bat. If you're applying for an academic position, it's even worse. It takes about 6 years for the average graduate student now to find a good academic position... so imagine what our Sos go through. Also, lots of people are very nervous about foreigners as they have the "not legal to work" thing stuck in their heads. It can help to mention one is a permanent legal resident/green carded/ etc with work authorization. Just because people hear you say PLR or GC doesn't mean they associate that with work permit either Also, as has been mentioned-- most jobs want you to have work experience. Think about it-- we all had to go through teh exact same ####### when we were teenagers. We looked around and got a ####### job, most of us, and then slowly improved as we did other things or kept switching upwards as much as we could-- whatever. They are not only starting like we were all those years ago, they are also fighting the language/illegal immigrant/foreigner/prejudice/etc factor. At the end of the day, who would most people want to hire? me, the little blonde American girl with the kid voice and 16 years of work experience with multiple degrees or Ammar, the guy with one year work experience, foreign degrees from schools you have never even heard of or places you have no clue about, who is an ARAB, probably Muslim, has an accent, not 100% stellar english, who is like towering over you? So as sad and as unfair as it is because we KNOW our SOs... that is what they are working against. Sucks! But with the right connections or trying hard enough and enough time... they can move up and will move up!!

[polarbear 0]

S and S,

Could your husband get a certificate as a Nursing Assistant? I know it's a HUGE step down from being a doctor, but usually the certification only takes a few weeks, and entry-level jobs often pay very well. I have a friend who is working as a NA in the Emergency Room at a major hospital downtown--fabulous exposure to the American way of doing things in hospitals! Her starting pay was over $16 an hour. One of the reasons why they hired her was for her language skills (she is fluent in Spanish, but I know there is a great need for people who speak other languages as well).

I have a friend who is thinking about doing that or nursing school, but right now works in the emergency room doing paperwork or something like that. She still has contact with patients and is around the hospital and is learning a lot of the policy and paperwork side of it. She went from a banker to this and is a hijabi (no prejudice so far) and so it seems like it's doable for your husband S and S. If they would hire her with no medical experience, no college degree (although she is in comunity college), and is obviously muslim in a Jewish majority city... mayby he has a shot. His english would have to be pretty good, but they need people who speak other languages in the emergency rooms.

Any hospital job would be a start and give him exposure to the American way of medical care and maby even some conections that might come in handy.

[doodlebugg 10]

For anyone still looking don't lose hope! The problem my husband had at first is that we're in the Boston area surrounded by TONS of college kids and in the summertime they snatch up all of the entry level positions but now that fall is approaching (i love summertime) all of those jobs seem to be opening up and he's getting tons of emails from places he applied to about a month ago. Feast or famine I tell ya. He already has a job but might take one of them as a second job.

What I wanna know is what do you all do when they start working??? I'm gonna miss him!!!

[AlHayatZween 2]

Great idea... will have to check it out...

OMG! Health Nuts! i work right near there!!!

Cool - I've gone in there a few times when I am in the neighborhood and the guys stocking the shelves were speaking Nepali - I am so tempted to go up and talk to them but I am shy... Seriously, maybe ask around or go to a Moroccan/MENA neighborhood(maybe Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn or Astoria) - I actually found out about the emp. agency through an ad in a Nepali-American newspaper that I picked up in a Nepali video store.

Girl! Get in there and bust out your Nepali! Turn a few heads!

B)

[caybee 21]

A bit of a hijack: Did any of your hubbies get a job with benefits at the beginning? From your descriptions I would think not and this scares me the most... To add Govi onto my work plan it would cost $300/month which we will not have. Did you add your hubbies to your insurance or do they not have insurance?

I did...but I could do it for about $100 a month 4 years ago. It is scary, and they always say - oh, I'm healthy. I just think insurance means, as Chris Rock said, "In case $#!T happens" which it inevitably will.

Yep - especially if you are working a bottom-of-the barrel job like a dishwasher, break a glass, cut your hand and have to go to the ER, or are a stock clerk and drop a gallon jar of mayo on your foot - of course guys NEVER think these things through.....

Or burn the daylights out of yourself as a fry cook or grill cook working 12 to 14-hour shifts. Or cut yourself with lawn equipment. Or fall out of a tree. The jobs they are most likely to get at first are the most hazardous and the ones least likely to provide insurance (including worker's comp, hate to say it). The grounds keeping job worried me enough that we got him a temp policy. Thankfully, he won't need it anymore.

[mybackpages 0]

I worry about this for my husband too. His english is great, but he is a medical school graduate so he is too educated for a lot of jobs. I have been working on ideas for him, but we can't know what will happen until he gets here. The refugee place is supposed to help him, but I heard the jobs they find refugees are basically like factory work for almost no pay Iraq has been a weird exception to most refugee countries because many Iraqis are well educated and we aren't set up to deal with that. I have been considering having my husband apply at Walmart or Walgreens. Has anyone tried that for their husbands?

opefully because of the demand in the medical field it will be easier to get into. I know he will have to do the medical boards etc and that will take time. I know a Libyan doctor who is teaching biology and AP parttime at a community college while he works on all the certification and finding a residency. All he needs is 18 graduate hours in a field but an advance degree in any field.

[S and S 12]

S and S,

Could your husband get a certificate as a Nursing Assistant? I know it's a HUGE step down from being a doctor, but usually the certification only takes a few weeks, and entry-level jobs often pay very well. I have a friend who is working as a NA in the Emergency Room at a major hospital downtown--fabulous exposure to the American way of doing things in hospitals! Her starting pay was over $16 an hour. One of the reasons why they hired her was for her language skills (she is fluent in Spanish, but I know there is a great need for people who speak other languages as well).

I have a friend who is thinking about doing that or nursing school, but right now works in the emergency room doing paperwork or something like that. She still has contact with patients and is around the hospital and is learning a lot of the policy and paperwork side of it. She went from a banker to this and is a hijabi (no prejudice so far) and so it seems like it's doable for your husband S and S. If they would hire her with no medical experience, no college degree (although she is in comunity college), and is obviously muslim in a Jewish majority city... mayby he has a shot. His english would have to be pretty good, but they need people who speak other languages in the emergency rooms.

Any hospital job would be a start and give him exposure to the American way of medical care and maby even some conections that might come in handy.

The nursing idea may be a good option though we will need to get his college transcript evaluated. I think at the very least he could use a American medical ethics class since we do things differently over here. He will need to know those things for his medical licensing test anyway. I am working on convincing him a college class or two isn't a bad thing. He just worries about the cost. My husband's english is very good, especially in medical terminology, but also in every day talk. He may have to get used to some of the accents here that he is not used to, but other than that I think he will be fine.

Hopefully you are right and it shouldn't be too hard for him to get some kind of job in the hospital in the meantime. I purposely picked an apartment only a mile from the hospital and then they built a new one and now it is much further There are buses he can take to get there though.

Thanks to all of you for the advice. Every little bit helps in getting ideas of what course of action to take and prepare for when he comes.

[Staashi 371]

The nursing idea may be a good option though we will need to get his college transcript evaluated.

Thanks to all of you for the advice. Every little bit helps in getting ideas of what course of action to take and prepare for when he comes.

This company - J.A. Silny in Miami, Florida is a leader at evaluating transcripts. Why don't you have them do it now, before he gets here. They did my husband's. It is not cheap, but it is worth it. Here is their website: http://www.jsilny.com/

Good luck!