Demand for Nurses in Canada

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Could somebody give me current info regarding the current demand of nurses in Canada and the usual requirements for foreigners before they are employed in a hospital. Do you happen to know how many Filipino nurses are currently employed in Canada and what can you say about their performance?:nurse:

Fiona59

8,343 Posts

https://allnurses.com/forums/f75/any-filipino-nurse-working-apex-corporation-agency-pinoy-excellence-276633-17.html Post #163.

gives my experiences with the latest recruits.

There are good nurses from all over the world. It's just up to the employer to find the right fit for the facility.

Personally, I don't care where you come from as long as your skills are good and you can work with the same orientation a local new grad would get.

It occurred to me earlier this year that many nurses from the Phillipines were very insecure in themselves when the board started to get comments like "we are the BEST nurses in the world" or I come from "the land of nurses". Several posters felt that other countries should feel honoured to have them come and that they would "save the system over there".

Nurses are people and like all people there are the good, the bad and the mediocre.

cocoy2go

56 Posts

Hi

What is this theme that keeps reoccuring about philipino nurses..asking about other philipino nurses advice? Thought this website is for international nurses. We are all nurses here and advice is given to anyone who asks for it. I won't ask you for your nationality first.

Is this racism in disguise? For your information, my wife is a philipino nurse. I would hate to think that she will only talk to philipino nurses.

Feel free to contact me cos i like to be treated as equal ...we are all NURSES here..thats all that counts.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist

NotReady4PrimeTime, RN

5 Articles; 7,358 Posts

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

The original poster asked specifically about Filipino nurses in Canada. The second poster replied to that question. The second post didn't strike me as racist. She expressed her opinion in the same way you expressed yours. What she says is true, there are good nurses, so-so nurses and poor nurses that come from everywhere and anywhere. This particular thread asked about Filipinos.

cocoy2go

56 Posts

Hi to all of you

I would like to point out that i have noticed that the philipino nurses are turning to Canada now as the way to the US is getting harder for them. There have been an increase in posts regarding nursing in Canada from philipino nurses and Australia is another country they are now turning their attention.

There is nothing wrong with that but I can only hope that it is not a stepping stone for them to go to the US from Canada. This in turn will cost millions of dollars to recruit them and after a few years they will bugger off to the States.

I remember once a philipino nurse said to me : ' The US is like an Eldorado for philipino people and once you are there that means you have achieved something in your life. Its a dream for every philipino to be in the US. You have gained status among the people back home in the Philippines.' I could not believe it but its the truth.

Would any Philipino comment on that quote as far as i have known the philipino nurses that seems to be true as most of them at my work are always carrying a NCLEX book when they are on nite shifts. BTW my wife is a philipino nurse too. She wanted me to go to California but i chose Calgary instead cos all my relatives are in Canada.

Cocoy

libie

34 Posts

Hi to all of you

I would like to point out that i have noticed that the philipino nurses are turning to Canada now as the way to the US is getting harder for them. There have been an increase in posts regarding nursing in Canada from philipino nurses and Australia is another country they are now turning their attention.

There is nothing wrong with that but I can only hope that it is not a stepping stone for them to go to the US from Canada. This in turn will cost millions of dollars to recruit them and after a few years they will bugger off to the States.

I remember once a philipino nurse said to me : ' The US is like an Eldorado for philipino people and once you are there that means you have achieved something in your life. Its a dream for every philipino to be in the US. You have gained status among the people back home in the Philippines.' I could not believe it but its the truth.

Would any Philipino comment on that quote as far as i have known the philipino nurses that seems to be true as most of them at my work are always carrying a NCLEX book when they are on nite shifts. BTW my wife is a philipino nurse too. She wanted me to go to California but i chose Calgary instead cos all my relatives are in Canada.

Cocoy

hello there! i beg to disagree with that Filipino nurse who told you that. i know a lot of philippine nurses who would not want to work in another country. It's just a matter of personal choices.

i also want to agree with you that other people, not only Filipinos, should not make Canada as their stepping stone for them to go to US. Canada is a great country and i know you'll love it here:wink2:

Fiona59

8,343 Posts

Well, I've heard two of the Phillippino nurses recruited by Capital Health say they only came here to wait out getting into the US. They actually said it at morning coffee. They plan on doing the two years they contracted and then heading south.

I don't know if they plan on doing it legally but they seem to think it will be easier to get into the US from Canada due to NAFTA.

Specializes in Peds.
Well, I've heard two of the Phillippino nurses recruited by Capital Health say they only came here to wait out getting into the US. They actually said it at morning coffee. They plan on doing the two years they contracted and then heading south.

I don't know if they plan on doing it legally but they seem to think it will be easier to get into the US from Canada due to NAFTA.

Maybe I'm confused, but I always thought that NAFTA visas were only for Canadian citizens. And from what I understand, a person has to be a physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days out of the preceeding 4 years to apply for citizenship, and the days they're in Canada before they obtain permanent residency only count as 1/2 a day, and they have to have a minimum of 2 years of permenent residency status before they can apply. Maybe my math is shaky, but there's no way they can do all of that in 2 years. More like at least 4. They're in for a rude awakening... Is there no way this kind of thing can be stopped? It strikes me as very calculating and disrespectful. I don't think I could work with the people fiona59 has described and not say something to somebody with some authority. And I'd have a hard time looking at these folks too.

Fiona59

8,343 Posts

Well Pedi-Gree thanks for your words of support. I've been slammed by various nurses from the Phillipines for telling what I am seeing at work.

If you have a good read around the international forums, you will see the various strategies that have been considered and shot down for entry into the US.

I'm pretty sure that NAFTA only applies to Cdn. citizens as well, but sometimes it's just easier to bit your tongue and let people hang themselves.

I'm just waiting for the hate pms to begin and for the replies to this post telling me I'm a racist slurring all Phillippino nurses.

Silverdragon102, BSN

1 Article; 39,477 Posts

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

nafta definitely is only available for canada citizens and to become a citizen you have to have lived in canada for x amount of days

time lived in canada

to become canadian citizens, adults must have lived in canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the past four years before applying. children do not need to meet this requirement.

you may be able to count time you spent in canada before you became a permanent resident if that time falls within the four-year period.

becoming a canadian citizen

this applies to everyone

nafta

cocoy2go

56 Posts

Hi

I have visited the Philippines 4 times in the last 6 years and I have noticed that nursing students were walking all over the place in the city centre of one of the main city in Eastern area. i wont mention the name here.

So I asked my Philipino wife about it and she told me the number of nursing schools has rocketed in the last few years due to excessive demand for nursing. Every family was sending someone to do nursing.

Do you know the reason behind it? ££££ and $$$$. Mass production of nurses to export. Nursing has been turned into a main source of revenue to the Philippines economy. My point is that quality is falling due to oversupply.

In 2005 the health system nearly crashed in the Philippines as there were no nurses to look after the patients. Everyone was going abroad. Only the nurses over a certain age/ near retirement were left behind and they were looking after large amount of patients due to nursing shortage.

In the United Kingdom, i was part of the recruting team who dealt which overseas nurses. The UK has been saturated with overseas nurses and the last overseas nurses were recruited 3 years ago. The recruitment started in 2000 and since then I can say that 40-50% of the Philipino nurses working in my hospital have moved to the US or intend to go there soon. The NCLEX was not available in the UK but since demand was so high they had opened NCLEX centres all over the UK. I can assure you I work in one of the largest hospital in London. So the strategy was to increase the salary for newly trained nurses in the UK so more people are joining nursing now and they will eventually cover the gap left by the overseas nurses when they leave.

My point is that I am afraid that Canada will become like the UK with load of overseas nurses especially Philipino and then most of them will move down to States. Thats their goal...I talk by experience here..I am all the time with the Philipino nurses as my wife is a philipino too.

You may think that i am against the Philipino nurses ..yes i am against any mediocre nurse who is here to take the place of a genuine person who wants to establish in Canada. Actually i wanted to be an accountant.... thats another story.

mctina_20

76 Posts

well - just because you have seen 1 or 2 or 3 or ten Filipino nurses who's aiming to transfer to US thru Canada does not mean you have seen and talk to everyone.

my husband and i are working as nurses here in BC for almost 2 yrs already and we have no plan in going to the US. and same is true with the rest of the Filipino nurses who works in this hospital.

Now - for Filipino nurses who used to work in UK - they moved here in Canada or in US because the cost of living is way cheaper / better compared to that in the UK.

and i absolutely disagree that US is a goldmine for Filipino nurses. Any country is a goldmine for every hard working people.

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