effects of financial crisis in employment of foreign nurses?

Published

I am under contract with Global Scholarship Alliance here in the Philippines. I, together with some fellow nurses, were supposed to go to the US this December or early January next year under F1 visa for a part time work and full time study program. However, our employer (the hospital) backed out. We were told that it was because of the financial crisis the US are experiencing. Has the recession really affected the hiring of foreign nurses in the US and elsewhere in the world?

In fairness to the foreign nurses, if they are used to being abuse they won't know if they are exploited now. Every day when more bad news hits the airwaves and more foreign nurses can't find employment I wonder how many will still be "practicing nurses " when retrogression is lifted.

Nurses from third world country have high tolerance from pressure works, and that's one of the wonderful trait I have being a Filipino, and I know most of them do so, we have experienced a lot of hardships in the hospital settings in the Philippines like manpower problem(no enough aides), long hours of work just to earn more, high nurse-patient ratio(1:40):cry:, low pay:crying2: and not quite good hospital technology :banghead:and because of this we were able to stand whatever pains and hardships we are facing in the US because these hardships are just a piece of cake for most us.

So basically you are saying that tolerating being exploited by employers is a positive trait??? Interesting point of view, and not one that would be admired by many US nurses.

Nurses in the United States are constantly negotiating for better staffing and better working conditions--for third-world foreign nurses to come here and undermine the progress we have made by tolerating poor conditions is a big step backwards for nursing. You may think of it as a "wonderful trait," but in the US, we don't want to lower our standards to match yours.

it's not a matter of tolerating exploitation, i don't see anywhere in the poster's statement that she said that.

what she's trying to point out is the resiliency and the adaptability of the foreign nurse which i think should be a common trait for all nurses

Im a FILIPINO nurse myself and i will be starting to work here soon..although what pampanga kid says is true with regards to work condition in the philippines. Still I dont believe tothe point of accepting abuse from anyone either here in the US,in my Homecountry or in any country for that matter. Working hard and being exploited or abuse in work i believe is two different thing. Now that i will be starting soon, i will make it to the point that im not or will not be treated poorly based on my nationality, considered as new grad here or whatever. ANd as a Filipino nurse that mentality of working like as a slave must change. We must work our way on top , knowing that we are getting what is just and NOT SETTLE FOR LESS.

Not a case of nurses being choosy but not willing to put up with certain attitudes and actions of management

Nurses from third world country have high tolerance from pressure works, and that's one of the wonderful trait I have being a Filipino, and I know most of them do so, we have experienced a lot of hardships in the hospital settings in the Philippines like manpower problem(no enough aides), long hours of work just to earn more, high nurse-patient ratio(1:40):cry:, low pay:crying2: and not quite good hospital technology :banghead:and because of this we were able to stand whatever pains and hardships we are facing in the US because these hardships are just a piece of cake for most us.

i don't see anywhere in the poster's statement that she said that.

what she's trying to point out is the resiliency and the adaptability of the foreign nurse which i think should be a common trait for all nurses

Look again. The statement "...and because of this we were able to stand whatever pains and hardships we are facing in the US because these hardships are just a piece of cake for most us" was made in direct respose to Silverdragons's statement that American nurses are "not willing to put up with certain attitudes and actions of management".

but that is relative.....a hospital/company's policy,actions and attitudes will be accepted by different quarters, differently.

a foreign nurse in general will be afraid to rock the boat during the early days of employment because he/she knows that his/her livelihood and her immigration status depends on the employer.

i don't think that Filipino nurses though will just keep quiet and do nothing if they knew that they are already being exploited. case in point: THE SENTOSA NURSES ( although i don't agree on the way they expressed their discontent)

Specializes in NICU.
So basically you are saying that tolerating being exploited by employers is a positive trait??? Interesting point of view, and not one that would be admired by many US nurses.

Nurses in the United States are constantly negotiating for better staffing and better working conditions--for third-world foreign nurses to come here and undermine the progress we have made by tolerating poor conditions is a big step backwards for nursing. You may think of it as a "wonderful trait," but in the US, we don't want to lower our standards to match yours.

Hey..I never said that I am tolerating exploitation of nurses by management or hospital employers is a positive trait, what I said was " I have a high tolerance for pressure works" I didn't even undermining what nurses here in the US does and that's the reason why I came here because of your openness to suggestions and improvements of everything. Most of our hospital management in the Philippines are willing to accept changes but it's hard for them to implement it as you know we are a "third world country", we don't have enough funds for this changes. What I am trying to point out here is that there is a lot of jobs available for nurses in the US and those positions are open for those who are really in need, and it's up to you if you will accept the job and take the consequence same thing in our country.

..for third-world foreign nurses to come here and undermine the progress we have made by tolerating poor conditions is a big step backwards for nursing...You may think of it as a "wonderful trait" but in the US, we don't want to lower our standards to match yours.. Don't say that third world foreign nurses are into that, you cannot stop somebody who is willing to work on poor working environment, I see a lot of Americans still work in places with poor conditions and that's they desire, no changes has been made for the management for betterment of their employees.

Im a FILIPINO nurse myself and i will be starting to work here soon..although what pampanga kid says is true with regards to work condition in the philippines. Still I dont believe tothe point of accepting abuse from anyone either here in the US,in my Homecountry or in any country for that matter. Working hard and being exploited or abuse in work i believe is two different thing. Now that i will be starting soon, i will make it to the point that im not or will not be treated poorly based on my nationality, considered as new grad here or whatever. ANd as a Filipino nurse that mentality of working like as a slave must change. We must work our way on top , knowing that we are getting what is just and NOT SETTLE FOR LESS.

As a new Grad from a foreign country, you do not know the standard of care. If you are use to taking care of 16 patients an assignment of 6 will seem like a dream. That is unacceptable to a US new grad. No one mentioned slave but not meeting current US Standards. Many foreign nurses will accept as much over time as available, they don't contest that this is an unsafe nursing practice they are thinking of the paycheck.

but that is relative.....a hospital/company's policy,actions and attitudes will be accepted by different quarters, differently.

a foreign nurse in general will be afraid to rock the boat during the early days of employment because he/she knows that his/her livelihood and her immigration status depends on the employer.

i don't think that Filipino nurses though will just keep quiet and do nothing if they knew that they are already being exploited. case in point: THE SENTOSA NURSES ( although i don't agree on the way they expressed their discontent)

That is a great example, the Senosta nurses did not file the complaint properly. They should have reported horrible working conditions to the board of health and nursing. Instead they looked for higher paying jobs and all left the same day leaving the patients. Why didn't they hire a lawyer before they left? The lawyer could have assisted them to break their contract legally and have a better transition for the patients. Their motive from what I read was to better their working conditions not the patients.

As a new Grad from a foreign country, you do not know the standard of care. If you are use to taking care of 16 patients an assignment of 6 will seem like a dream. That is unacceptable to a US new grad. No one mentioned slave but not meeting current US Standards. Many foreign nurses will accept as much over time as available, they don't contest that this is an unsafe nursing practice they are thinking of the paycheck.

this statement, i assume is just your opinion and not based on facts. how can you assume that a new grad from a foreign country don't know the standard of care? is standard of care not taught in nursing school? how can you say that many foreign nurses are only thinking about the paycheck? we all work to live,but it's not the end all and be all.

I am assuming when you attend nursing school in another country, that country's standard of care is taught. How can a nursing school address every standard of care. Also from wha IEN nurses have written the standard is very different. It would be overwhelming to learn the standard of care in every country when you are trying to master your own nursing practice.

In the USA, no volunteer nurses. In the USA instructors have to have clinical experience. In the USA in some states their is min nurse patient ratios. Some US hospitals have the magnate status assigned to them. All US hospitals are Joint Commission Approved and have to follow CMS mandates. US hospitals have to follow NSPGs, my understanding is from reading posts here that their are no infusions pumps how can a hospital follow a standard when they don't have the equipment.

I am assuming when you attend nursing school in another country, that country's standard of care is taught. How can a nursing school address every standard of care. Also from wha IEN nurses have written the standard is very different. It would be overwhelming to learn the standard of care in every country when you are trying to master your own nursing practice.

how can you assume that? the person you were talking to has already passed the necessary exams to practice as a nurse in the states.at the very least,she has an idea about the standard of care your talking about.

again, it's very dangerous to assume that foreign nurses or Filipino nurses in particular are not exposed to high tech medical equipments.there are a lot of teaching hospitals in the Philippines that are world class and at par with developed countries with regards to medical equipments.

i would be more than willing to show you what i'm talking about if you can find the time to visit the Philippines.i'll show you around for free.:yeah:

+ Join the Discussion