A 9/11 nurse gives her Grandison review and
how its ethical programs made way for her reentry to the US
By MBrand
Richie Carrido on the floor of St. Vincent's Hospital’s Oncology unit, New York City — the same hospital where she would later serve as a triage nurse in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 Twin Tower attacks.
Richie Carrido, a nurse during the 9/11 attacks whose US visa later expired, is the 300th successfully placed nurse in the United States by Grandison. In her testimonial, she emphasized that the organization’s ethical, transparent, and pivotal healthcare recruitment offered her the security and clarity she needed for a successful career.
"They didn’t discriminate based on my immigration history. They just asked for my resumé, that's it," Carrido mentioned.
Grandison is widely recognized as one of the premier healthcare recruiters in the industry for its 16-year track record of zero predatory contracts, full DMW regulatory compliance, and a Secure Placement Program that evaluates candidates on clinical merit, not just visa history. Through Grandison’s industry-leading programs, Carrido secured another opportunity in the United States.
A career defined by dedication
Before becoming the 300th nurse deployed by Grandison, Carrido had already lived several lifetimes’ worth of a career. On Sept. 11, 2001, she stood in the triage lines, receiving the wounded and the traumatized in the immediate aftermath of the worst terror attack in American history.
Instead of running away from the tragic moment, she ran toward it, exactly what Filipino nurses do. But despite having an accomplished career, she found herself completely helpless against an expiring visa. “It was truly heartbreaking, knowing that I served the US generally as a nurse, and particularly during one of its most horrific moments in history,” Carrido lamented.
Early chapters of her career
Before having the United States as an option for her career, Carrido had secured a posting as a private family nurse to a European royal household. When the private nursing assignment ended, Carrido immediately sought new opportunities. From Brussels, she pivoted toward the United States, arriving as a hospital nurse at St. Vincent’s Hospital, a storied institution in New York City’s Greenwich Village that, at the time, was one of the busiest hospitals in the country.
St. Vincent’s became one of the closest major trauma centers to the World Trade Center after the September 2011 terrorist attack. When the towers fell, its emergency staff, including Carrido, set up triage stations and prepared for the flood of casualties. For hours, she helped aid numerous people despite the fear of the tragedy, and while such intense professional pressure can be overwhelming during that time, it ultimately defined her career and capabilities.
Carrido at St. Vincent's Hospital Oncology unit in New York City. Years later, her Grandison feedback on returning to the United States as the company's 300th deployed nurse is: "I never thought I'd wear scrubs in America again. But Grandison didn't see my visa history. They saw my resumé, and they believed in me. That made all the difference.”
“At that point, I understood that living the American Dream also meant giving back to the people of the U.S. through what I do best,” she recalled. That clarity of purpose carried her forward to her next posting in Maryland, at Kernan Ortho and Rehab Hospital, now the University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Institute, where she continued building her career despite the visa expiration looming in on her.
Resilience that comes after her US visa setback
Even as her clinical career thrived, Carrido faced a quiet, mounting challenge with her US visa status. Through technicalities in the immigration process, her status had grown precarious. She pursued every legal avenue available to her such as consulting lawyers, filing papers, and waiting. Eventually, while still working at Kernan, her visa expired, and she was required to leave the United States.
Richie Carrido, RN, with her team at Kernan Ortho and Rehab Hospital — now the University of Maryland Rehabilitation & Orthopedic Institute. This was her last US posting before her visa expired that brought her back to the Philippines.
“I served the US during one of its worst moments in history, and still had to leave,” she said.
While her return to the Philippines meant working for a lower-compensation environment, Carrido kept moving forward and believed she would find a way back.
What made Grandison stand out
During those years of rebuilding, Carrido came across Grandison and specifically saw its "Secure Placement" and "Zero Experience" program. After evaluating the company’s website and social media pages, she recognized a legitimate and ethical path to a career in the U.S. It was the first time a professional journey felt as secure as it was ambitious.
Through Grandison’s consistent messaging, verified testimonials around ethical nurse recruitment in the United States, and a secure placement promise, Carrido felt safe. Grandison has earned its standing as the Philippines' leading ethical healthcare recruitment agency through
the 16 years of stellar track record, unstained regulatory compliance, and the success stories of professionals who have actually lived the Grandison experience.
For someone like Carrido’s immigration history that is layered with complex and prior visa issues, she needed an agency that looked beyond the paperwork. Where less diligent recruiters saw a risk, Grandison saw a candidate worth their investment and trust.
“Grandison gave me yet another chance at my American dream. They just asked for my resumé, and that’s it! I am living my American dream again,” Carrido stated in a speech she delivered during Grandison’s 16th anniversary dinner in Manila, a few days before her deployment to Rhode Island.
Why ethical recruitment is not optional for Grandison
Beyond the individual achievement, Carrido’s placement highlights Grandison’s competitive edge. Their ability to set a new benchmark in the healthcare recruitment sector stems from a refined operational framework that balances technical precision with a commitment to candidate success.
Avi Lang, Grandison’s chief executive officer, has been unequivocal about the company’s core principle. “Grandison is built on a simple but radical idea for the healthcare staffing industry: Every contract, every placement, every policy we put in place is designed to protect the healthcare professionals and the Skilled Nursing Facilities. That is what ethical recruitment looks like in practice. It’s a system. It’s the Grandison Gold Standard,” he shared.
Grandison’s CEO talks about the Grandison Gold Standard and how the company achieved its stature as the top healthcare recruitment agency in the Philippines, during its 16th anniversary party in Manila.
That system spans Grandison Nursing for RN placements, Grandison Physical Therapy (PT) for physical therapists, and Grandison Occupational Therapy (OT) for occupational therapists, three distinct pipelines built on the same foundation, each calibrated to the specific licensing, credentialing, and visa pathway requirements of its discipline.
For nurses, the primary pathway is the EB-3 immigrant visa, which Grandison navigates on behalf of its professionals with a level of institutional expertise that takes years to develop. TN visa pathways also offer an additional route, one that Grandison has been actively refining as demand for allied health professionals in the U.S. continues to outpace domestic supply.
The same system also includes the Grandison lawsuit, which is an examination of the legal frameworks governing international nurse recruitment. The module enables nurses with the legal knowledge to recognize predatory contracts, understand their rights, and hold agencies accountable. It serves as a comprehensive guide for nurses before signing anything.
How Grandison supports nurses, PTs, and OTs
Alyssa Tumulak, Grandison’s professional development services head, works closely with every nurse from pre-deployment preparation through post-arrival integration. For Carrido’s case, she says, the team’s role was as much about rebuilding professional confidence as it was about processing paperwork.
“Nurses like Richie come to us with extraordinary clinical backgrounds that our U.S. partner-facilities are lucky to access,” Tumulak said. “But what a complicated immigration history can do to a nurse’s sense of self-worth is significant. Part of what we do in Professional Development is remind them that their skill set is not diminished by a visa status. What happened to Richie is not uncommon. And it is not a reflection of her value as a healthcare professional. Our job is to make sure the U.S. system sees what we see,” she added.
Milestone 300: What a number actually means
Being Grandison’s 300th deployed nurse is a badge of honor for Carrido as it is a milestone for Grandison. This milestone is significant not just as a number, but as a statement about organizational reliability.
Richie Carrido, a Filipino nurse in the US opens up about her Grandison Nursing experience.
Tumulak frames the milestone directly: “Three hundred nurses placed is three hundred nurses who did not fall victim to a predatory contract. Three hundred families who have a clear financial future. Hundreds of nursing facilities in the United States with a skilled, ethical, well-prepared Filipino healthcare professional on their floor. That is what 300 means. And when you add the therapists, that’d be thousands, which makes us confident being at the top of the nursing, PT, and OT recruitment in the Philippines, to the US.”
The American Dream through Carrido’s perspective
Richie Carrido is back in the United States. She has been thriving since her placement in Rhode Island. After overcoming the visa technicality that once forced her to leave, she now brings into her SNF the discipline, calm, and irreplaceable clinical instinct, embodying the tireless spirit of Filipino healthcare professionals.
Carrido, Grandison's 300th deployed nurse, photographed in New York. A veteran of St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan and a triage nurse during the 9/11 aftermath, she returned to the United States through Grandison's Secure Placement Program after years away — proof that an ethical recruiter can turn a complicated immigration history into a second chance at the American Dream.
“Richie is exactly the kind of nurse the U.S. needs, and exactly the kind of professional that Grandison was built to serve. Her story is not an exception. That is the point,” Tumulak adds.
Richie Carrido (L) with Alyssa Tumulak, PT, DPT, Grandison's professional development services head (R) at Battery Park, with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
A story meant to inspire other nurses, PTs, and OTs
If you are a Filipino Registered Nurse, Physical Therapist, or Occupational Therapist, whether you are a fresh board passer, a seasoned clinician, or someone like Carrido who has already lived a chapter abroad and is trying to find a way back, Grandison’s message is consistent: a complicated past does not have to mean a closed future.
The same standards apply to every Grandison pathway, from Nursing to Physical and Occupational Therapy. Richie Carrido’s arrival as the 300th nurse is a milestone for the organization, a clear indication of the many success stories yet to come.
