Importing Foreign-trained nurses

Peeps Mcarthur · Nov 18, 2001

"However, while this minority of Filipinos studied at prestigious universities and colleges across the United States in preparation for assuming positions in the Philippines once held by Americans, the overwhelming majority of Filipinos in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s were male migrant workers who labored in the sugar plantations of Hawaii, the agricultural fields of California, and the canneries of Washington and Alaska.23 These Filipino men supplied an integral source of labor to American industries, yet faced considerable racism and prejudice in the form of segregation, poor working and living conditions, anti-miscegenation laws, and racial violence"

." In the end, these "opportunities" abroad ultimately served the interests of the expanding U.S. hospital system, which benefited from a less costly, skilled new immigrant workforce. "

The author speaks of "racism" and "prejudice"as being the reason for poor working and living conditions of migrant farm workers in sec 22-23, at the same time filipinos were training to fill positions once held by americans. They were supposed to be training them to support the philipine health system in the wake of decolonization.

Filipinos were being trained and funded by federal and private money, while taking jobs away from U.S. citizens on both continents. The Great Deppression was starting and former stock brokers were fighting for scraps of bread with thier bare hands.

The author choses to call Americans being pissed off about it "racism and predjudice"

Some things never change:rolleyes:

Are we going to let this happen again.

Brad

Columbia, MD

NurseTami · Nov 18, 2001

Just a humble opinion......

I have worked with two different groups of immigrants- brought here soley for the purpose of relieving a currrent shortage. The older group is Indian, the younger Filipino.

Now, the group I worked with in the Nursing Home setting were very unimpressive and lacked basic knowledge, but they were brought here to be put on a pedestal as a trophy sort of thing- you know," Our Nursing home has round the clock BSNs". They were not expected to work the same as everyone else, and lived up to the expectations set before them.

The two above named groups in the hospital setting are impressive, I have learned a lot from them and they do not talk only to each other, or just in their own language. They are always willing to help, AND, they expect the same conditions as the rest of us American nurses. They have assimilated well.

Mijourney · Nov 18, 2001

Hi. Debate and discussion is what makes this bb go around. As far as discrimination and reversing it goes, I do know that a growing number of us that are white get scholarships to the so-called minority colleges.

Back to the topic. NurseTami, I like your scenarios about two different type of nurses recruited from other countries. It's the quality of their practice and not necessarily where they're from. I don't have a problem with any nurse that respects his/her profession and is good at working in it. I think the problem is that the employers are just focusing on mere numbers and not thinking about the long term consequences of their actions. It's true that a respectable, caring, foreign-born nurse is a plus particularly when there are diverse populations to be cared for. I'm not overly paranoid about working with these individuals. I do have a problem with bringing in large numbers of nurses at one time when there are large numbers of nurses already in the states that could be lured back into practice.

Peeps Mcarthur · Nov 18, 2001

Assumption of lack of skills of forieng trained nurses IS NOT THE ISSUE.

Assumption of thier willingness to accept current conditions as being the motivation for health organizations recruitment of them IS!

It's not a "stopgap measure" or a "bandaid".............IT IS AN END-GAME STRATEGY.

As we all know there is no true "shortage". There are, in fact, more nurses than anyone outside of this story will ever know about.

What other motivation could administrators, politicians, corporations, possibly have?

Quoted from above post of Mjourney.

"Hi. Debate and discussion is what makes this bb go around. As far as discrimination and reversing it goes, I do know that a growing number of us that are white get scholarships to the so-called minority colleges. "

White and middle class?

Discrimination is an inequality, not a skin color. If you get into the "minority" college or any other one on a scholarship, it has to do with your income first, then your choices are further limited by your skin color.

That being true, that is the focus and extent of your interest in developement funds. If you only fund the poor, then the ethnicities in order with disregard to GPA, then that is what you'll get.

ATTENTION: To Racecard players and the substantialy ignorant........I am not inferring(sorry) trying to make the generalization that poor people and/or ethnicities have low GPA's.

Do you suppose that is a strategy that could be compared to that above?

I think so.

It's good to see you around Mjourney. What do you think?

Brad

Columbia, MD

Larry · Nov 18, 2001

There certainly are not enough nurses according to ICN - what constitutes a nurse ? Certainly we are looking at qualitative nurses with the skills at University level in both theory and practice, and not quantitively. Nurses arriving in US as in UK are expected to have good knowledge of English and pass a three month adaptation programme if not longer.

Immigrants must be welcomed and encouraged to settle there are good and bads in all societes.

Our countries have and are colonial powers and we have a duty to others, to educate etc. Don't forget lack of investment in undeveloped countries and their personnel can only lead to strife and the unjustified jealousy we see now.

Facing staff shortages daily in the workforce of nursing in uk we welcome foreign nurses.

Peeps Mcarthur · Nov 18, 2001

Larry,

Is your staff shortage related to wages or working conditions?

We have licensed nurses that have found something other than bedside nursing to do because of the problems that are being addressed only by ignoring them. That is at the heart of the problem here.

SharonH, RN · Nov 18, 2001

Originally posted by Peeps Mcarthur

White and middle class?
Discrimination is an inequality, not a skin color. If you get into the "minority" college or any other one on a scholarship, it has to do with your income first, then your choices are further limited by your skin color.

Brad, you are misinformed. Allow me to respond to your assumption with some facts. There is a concerted effort to desegregate so-called "minority" colleges or (HBCU)Historically Black Colleges and Universities as they are known by the rest of the country. To that end, scholarships have been set aside just for White students and the only requirement needed for the scholarship is White skin. Income is not an issue. This is going on all over the country. Some HBCU are now majority White. Go figure!

Oh, don't take my word for it. I like to back up my statements with facts. See for yourself:

Scholarships for Whites

Whites at Black Colleges

reggiedoc · Nov 19, 2001

NRSkarenRN, thanks for the warm welcome. I enjoy the exchange of ideas here and appreciate the differing opinions.

JT, yeah I just heard about Lolita Compas' election to the presidency of the New York State Nurses Association. She is a tremendous source of encouragement for the Filipino American community.

Larry, Thanks for your insights. I have a number of classmates, friends and relatives recruited to work as nurses in the U.K. They are doing fine as far as I know. I've read some unfortunate stories of other Filipino nurses in the U.K. but I am glad the British government is looking into this. I agree with

you. We need to be focusing on improving the working conditions for nurses. Every single day that I go to my workplace, I have to muster enough courage and pray for strength and wisdom. I remember working in the nursing home for three years here in Durham and having to endure poor staffing and/or increasing workload. It was not easy. I can still vividly remember saying to myself when I was just two months in the U.S. and newly licensed in NC, "Is this what nursing practice in the U.S. is?" referring to being assigned to and being responsible for 60 patients and being in charge for the entire facility as I was the only R.N. in the building. I notified the R.N. supervisor on call but I only got some reassurances that I'll do just fine. I survived that night shift but I was so overwhelmed. After a talk with the Director of Nursing, I did not have to do that again. Over a period of time, the Filipino nurses were becoming overworked , underpaid and the contracts were breached. Consequently, some of my Filipino colleagues brought the issue to the Department of Labor and the latter ruled that the nursing home pay back each Filipino nurse a lump sum equivalent to the months or even years of undercompensation. Soon after that, the nursing home became more equitable.

Brad, I think the author of said reasearch chose the word racism and prejudice in reference to the segregation, poor working and living conditions, anti-miscegenation laws and racial violence happening in that particular period in US history. They are well documented too. Of course, people use different words depending on the degree to which they feel strongly toward an issue.

I share every U.S. nurse's struggle toward professionalization. I might be from another country but I feel and experience everyday the rigors of a demanding profession. I believe that corporate America and the government need to recognize the hard work and vigilance of today's U.S. nurses. I loathe the audacity of people in the healthcare industry that take advantage of cheap, imported labor. This exploitative strategy is unethical and unAmerican. We do need to take care of the nurses already in this country because this vicious cycle is only gonna get worse. We all remember the downsizing of the mid-90's. A lot of U.S. nurses including newcomers recruited abroad at the height of the nursing shortage felt like discarded lemons. I think our fight is a long one but we need to band together to overcome. Our efforts have long been stymied by various factors some even beyond our control. Let our fight not be against each other but against the real, identified enemies.

My 2 cents,

Reggie

OzNurse69 · Nov 19, 2001

This is a bit of a late reply to jt.. but I've been on hols:

EXCUSE ME for having an opinion but not having the answers to everything. Now, we have exactly the same problems as you guys in the US with regards to money, staffing, etc. BUT....... I make AU$46,000 pa, working full time, including penalties. Last time I looked, a nurse in the US could make about US$45,000 with the equivalent level of responsibility (yes?? Please correct me if I'm wrong). AND...... last time I looked, the exchange rate was about 50c US : $1 AU. SO, JT, DON'T WINGE TO ME ABOUT BEING UNDERPAID, BECAUSE YOU MAKE DOUBLE THE AMOUNT THAT I DO!!

Oops, sorry, just reread and I sound really b!tchy, don't I?? Had a rotten day, think I'll go to bed now, hopefully wake up happier in the morning.

Peeps Mcarthur · Nov 19, 2001

Oh, don't take my word for it. I like to back up my statements with facts. See for yourself:

Sharon,

There's no reason to be snotty. I have only observed an inequality for the last ohhh.....ALL OF MY LIFE!

I can only express my condolences for the passing of the torch of racial discrimination.

I tend not to believe everything I see on the internet, but I do believe anythings possible from those idiots on capitol hill.

Do you believe there should be a college scholarship based on skin color alone?

Do you believe blacks and whites should be segregated or what?

I don't understand why you took all the time to post links, and then not discuss the issue. Is your oppinion just as unpopular?

Just because I didn't do web research or spend the day in a library to compile facts like I was going to court before I ever so carefuly posted, is no reason to slam me. I was only stating the facts as I have experienced them. How would I know about something that's going on in frigging Missippi? How would I know about Traditional Black Colleges? There's no White Scholarship at the college I go to and I have never seen or heard of one in any place I have ever lived. I have visited hundreds of websites about scholarships and I subscibe to several news services...............Still, I have never heard of such a thing.

Why are you holding me accoutable for it?

Anyway,

I think getting a scholarship based on your skin color alone is disgusting.

Don't you?

semstr · Nov 19, 2001

what are you all talking about?

"black colleges", "white scholarships" are we living in the same year? 2001? same planet? the earth? ok, different continents and countries, but still!!

i can't believe this! am i that blue-eyed! wow!

and know something, i am training rn's from eastern countries at the moment, they have to do a year of training here, before they are allowed to work as rn (they can work as nurses aides, what most of them do)

the simple reason for most of them to go abroad is money!!

and know something, i understand them.

do you know what the average icome for a rn (and for other better trained people) is, in moldavia? no i tell you, it is

$30 a month .

questions? nope

take care, renee

(i am not going to complain about my wages for a long time!)

Peeps Mcarthur · Nov 19, 2001

Rennee,

$30 a month! :eek:

I don't think anyone here is planning on attending a program in Moldovia on a full scholarship!

I think the hospital management wants to copy thier business plan though!

Brad,

In a bunker somewhere on an undisclosed continent.