Why do so many nurses from the Philippines come to Canada/USA?

World Philippines

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I hope nobody takes offense to this question because I certainly don't mean it in any negative way.

I am just wondering why so many nurses from the Philippines are coming to Canada and the USA? I always thought the Philippines was supposed to be a beautiful place? Why does it seem everyone wants to leave it? It seems to be the most common country to see foreign nurses from here in Canada (west coast). Why don't they want to stay in their home country? I love visiting other countries but I don't think I would want to go through the hassle of permanantly relocating to another country. I know I am probably being really naive here but I have always been curious about this. Here in Vancouver BC I think I work with more Phillipino nurses than fellow Canadians. Frankly its kinda sad considering how many Canadians are out of work...

Probably the same reason why 20% of the world's seamen are Filipinos; better pay.

But a person must have the passion for the profession. Someone shouldn't become a nurse just because the pay is better abroad. People should enter the profession for the love of helping people. People shouldn't look at nursing as a ticket abroad. Unfortunately some schools are looking at nursing as a profit by charging outrageous tuitions and letting just anybody in that can pay the tuition. I'm not just speaking about schools in the Philippines, I see it ALOT in the US too. I see some enter the profession who really don't belong in the profession but they paid their tuition so they graduated, and that includes in the US too.

I can see a lot of nurses here are in it for the love of nursing. But unfortunately I've seen a lot of people in it because they think it's a ticket abroad. Those people who are in it for the love of the profession are so desperately trying to find a position anywhere just to get the chance to practice as a nurse. The Filipinos are working their butts off FOR FREE!!!! I hate to see people giving into the higher ups just to get a chance to gain some experience that most likely wont be accepted abroad unless it's paid.

I know a Mexican (now US Citizen) who left his job as an attorney back in the 1980's and started out working in the fields just to feed his family. A field worker in the US makes more money than a nurse abroad. Both are back breaking jobs and yet the one that requires more skill is paid less. It's sad, but that's the reality. People leave their countries for a better life. My family left Cuba during the Batista regime for political reasons, now a days, even though the elite Cubans will beg to differ, most leave for economical reasons but claim the political game. For the Filipinos it's the same, they leave their country for economical reasons. Now if the Philippines was paying their nurses better wages and they could afford the cost of living, I'd bet most would stay put. People love their culture and heritage, and who can blame them. It's who they are, and they want to keep every piece of themselves that they can. So by moving abroad, they like everyone else are just looking for a better life economically.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Infection Control.

@Jenmesh

Sorry but I didn't ask any questions. Post number 57 is my first post in this topic.

But a person must have the passion for the profession. Someone shouldn't become a nurse just because the pay is better abroad. People should enter the profession for the love of helping people. People shouldn't look at nursing as a ticket abroad.

That should be the case but unfortunately the world is not perfect.

Also, Filipinos speak better English than most international nurses so it's just natural you find them in English speaking countries.

@Jenmesh

Sorry but I didn't ask any questions. Post number 57 is my first post in this topic.

That should be the case but unfortunately the world is not perfect.

Also, Filipinos speak better English than most international nurses so it's just natural you find them in English speaking countries.

I agree the world isn't perfect. People are going to do what they want to do anyway. Once they get into the profession abroad it shows who's in it for the money and who's in it for the love of nursing.

In my experience, the ones who spoke the best English from abraod were the ones who came from Scandanavia. When you hear them speak it's crispy clear and their written English is far superior than most.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Infection Control.
I agree the world isn't perfect. People are going to do what they want to do anyway. Once they get into the profession abroad it shows who's in it for the money and who's in it for the love of nursing.

In my experience, the ones who spoke the best English from abraod were the ones who came from Scandanavia. When you hear them speak it's crispy clear and their written English is far superior than most.

And life is not always that simple. Its a dream if people always do what they want. Don't get me wrong, I love nursing (well health sciences in general) my parents actually wanted me to take marine transportation or marine engineering way back before college. I do have colleagues who's been forced into nursing but eventually fell in love with it. Some of them are the most caring nurses I've ever met. They don't care if they do NA jobs (some old timers are just too lazy), bonds well with relatives, don't get picky with patients.

Just I thought, you can be in it for both the money and the love of nursing.

They require Filipinos to study Norwegian before being able to work in Norway. It seems like language is still a barrier there. Where specifically in Scandinavia?

@Jenmesh

Also, Filipinos speak better English than most international nurses so it's just natural you find them in English speaking countries.

This is so untrue, how rude

I worked with nurses originally from Sweden and Finland, and their English was just the best. I was very impressed. The one from Finland received her BSN in the US but she hadn't been in the US long before she started college. It's not just nurses from Scandanavia, it's the Scandanavians in general who IMO, speak and write the best English.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Infection Control.
This is so untrue, how rude

Sorry if you took it that way but it's true.

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Sorry if you took it that way but it's true.

I think anyone whose English is not first language if they take the time and patience to learn English will excel all it takes is patience and determination to do well. I have seen both good and bad English with nurses from the Philippines in the same way I have seen good and bad from other EU countries when they have come to England to work

Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Infection Control.

Well anyway, I really can't say who speaks the best English but I used "than most" in my previous post to be on the safe side. My point for saying this is that most overseas Filipino workers would work on countries with English as their first or second language (maybe with an exception of Japan and the likes where Filipinos learn to speak Nihongo). Also if you're in the Philippines, you'll notice the "call-center boom" where a lot of outsourcing companies hire Filipinos as customer assistance agents for their English speaking customers.

I must say I work with a disproportionately large percentage of Filipinos as well (versus what the community is comprised of). Interestingly, despite living in a state where Hispanics are the majority, I work with NO hispanic nurses, so it definitely seems that it is at least part cultural. That being said, I enjoy working with them all and find them all to be incredibly hard working. The ones I have never have a negative attitude, never complain and are nothing but courteous and helpful, as another poster pointed out I think they are quickly snatched up because they do tend to follow policy to the T. There meds are passed on time, there documentation/charting is accurate, they do everything that is required which is more than can be said for the majority of other nurses that I work with. Not to mention occasionally, for special occasions they will bring Lumpia :redpinkhe which has to be one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten and would probably never had got the experience to try otherwise.

thanks a lot for this post.. i feel so proud being a filipino despite all the bad news that are happening back home

Wow you have no idea how offshore call centers are viewed here in

Australia.......very poor English skills can never understand them and things are never fixed up y them.

Overseas call centers are the biggest source of complaints for upr phone companies...having call centers is not a recommendation for good English skills, but shows cheap,scab labour with no unions.

another input.. before any filipino nurse gets accepted to a nursing job in either canada, UK or US, they undergo and pass all the necessary examinations for practicing the profession legally. it means that filipino nurses are comparable with nurses educated in either canada, UK or US.

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