Importing nurses from the Phillipines

Gardengal · Oct 6, 2002

I believe I use a different definition of exploitation than it seems others do. I do not believe that my hospital is planning to use the Phillipine nurses coming to our facility to derive unjust profit from the work of another. We are viewing this as a mutually beneficial relationship. The nurses want to come to the US, we want them to come and work with us. How is that exploitation?

These nurses obviously know the level of committment they are making as they undergo an arduos process of paperwork, testing and approvals before they can even come. They will receive an orientation to their new positions and will have a group of persons welcoming them and trying to help them in their transition.

Remember, the whole reason I opened this can of worms was because I was attempting to be additionally prepared to offer assistance to the newcomers and am seeking guidance from the international network of nurses who view this site. How is that exploitation?

These new nurses coming from the Phillipines will be part of our staff! Just like any other new person they will be instructed in policy, procedure and chain of command: and how to complain. There really is no reason to fear retribution when questioning something or making a complaint.

If I didn't think my place of employment was a good place to work I wouldn't be there. The job market is wide open and there are always other places to go. I choose to invest my energies into assisting in fixing broken systems which make work more difficult. Is it easy? No. But I truly believe that work is what we make of it, and it is only through our collective energies that we are able to effect change.

I think it is exciting that we are welcoming a group of nurses from another country. I understand from our interview team that they are a nice group of people who are motivated and intelligent. I see no reason why they would feel exploited. I hope that they would want to stay after the contract is over and that they are able to do that with immigration services if they choose. After all-not only are we interested in recruitment, we want to retain staff too. Isn't the first part of that assisting them in their transition and making them feel welcome?

-jt · Oct 6, 2002

If the hospital is having a staffing problem & cannot recruit local area nurses because of what the nurses view as unacceptable working conditions, inadequate compensation, unsafe staffing ratios or management practices like forced overtime, etc, but instead of addressing those problems & making changes in the facility to improve upon those things & be more attractive as an acceptable place of employment to the local RNs, the administration is just shrugging its shoulders to it all & going off to recruit from the Phillipines & will then have THOSE nurses working in the same unacceptable conditions & for the same inadequate compensation that are driving the local nurses away, that is exploitation - whether those unsuspecting foreign nurses want to come there or not. And unfortunately, thats how foreign recrutiment is being used in most of the places where we work. The job market is not wide open for the foreign recruit. They have to stay & work for the hospital that sponsored their visas.

Theres enough US nurses out here. If the employers would just fix what we need fixed, we'd come back to work. But they refuse to do that & choose rather to go get foreign nurses who will be obligated to put up with whatever the adminsitration wants to dole out if they dont want to be sent back. Thats exploitation.

Please excuse our cynicism in these posts but this is what we see happening everyday where we work.

Its great if thats not what is happening at your facility, but if its not, yours is certainly the minority.

Check out http://www.advancefornurses.com

NY edition this month. It had an editorial on how to make new recruits in general feel more welcome & a part of the staff.

NancyRN · Oct 6, 2002

Gardengal, I'm not saying anything BAD about foreign nurses. In fact, if you liked them as much as you say you do, you'd be concerned for them.

FTell001 · Oct 6, 2002

OH my G**!!! this group is discussing the etiquette? Can't they see what the hospitals are doing? Have you thought about what will happen to your jobs if they continue to bring in these nurses?

And..if you keep your jobs..what keeps them from lowering the salaries you are currently getting? What if....they can hire them for a lot less money..give them a lot more patients to care for....and then you try getting management to listen to your complaints about pt. overload!

OH..and .......this is an "out" for the hospitals. They can import those nurses..take your jobs..and do you really think MORE nurses will be put on a shift? Nah...no nurse shortage. Nurses are refusing to hire on to those hospitals for that back breaking labor, stress and disrespect. But....we won't have to worry about that soon...they will staff the hospitals with nurses that will just be grateful to be living in the USA..maybe they won't complain?

YEp...THATS THE TICKET!

Gardengal · Oct 6, 2002

Originally posted by NancyRN
Gardengal, I'm not saying anything BAD about foreign nurses. In fact, if you liked them as much as you say you do, you'd be concerned for them.

I am concerned for them, which is the reason for my initial question.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Oct 6, 2002

Originally posted by FTell001
keep your jobs..what keeps them from lowering the salaries you are currently getting? What if....they can hire them for a lot less money..give them a lot more patients to care for....and then you try getting management to listen to your complaints about pt. overload!

Under state and federal wage laws, they have to pay same salary across the board to employees. That was part of lawsuits JT mentioned above. Several nurses won big $$$ from facilities for unethical business practices under the WAGE Laws.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Oct 6, 2002

Gardengal:

I would contact the Philippine Nurses Association of America , know that they have an eastern chapter.

"The purpose of the Philippine Nurses Association of America is to provide an organization that will uphold the image and foster the welfare of Philippine Nurses in the United States as a professional nurse."

http://www.pnaamerica.org/announcements.htm

Tried to find contact info from website but unable. Since you are inPA, contact PSNA: 717-657-1222. Sure they can obtain info from ANA re regional group.

Yes look for Phillipine caterer for food for your event---check with Philly convention center for contact names. Champion assigned will help assimilate perosn to unit/culutre. What about housing resources in area, grocery stores, where to find consulate , post office etc. Put together a welcoming package of info about your area.

Good luck!

Gardengal · Oct 7, 2002

NRSKaren and -jt thanks for the links to the sites and helpful resources.

Thank you to everyone who has offered me helpful suggestions. I am committed to making this a positive experience for my new Phillipine nurse coworkers and for my existing coworkers at my hospital. I'm sure we'll have a few bumps in the road, but will continue to strive to make this a beneficial experience for all of us.

I am grateful to have a forum in which to air my questions and concerns.

-jt · Oct 7, 2002

That California educator or whoever it was gave you the wrong info. You might be doing her a favor if you directed her to where she can find the accurate information: The American Nurses Association & the US Department of Health and Human Services.

excerpt from the ANA website:

The US Registered Nurse-

Numbers and Demographics:

".......Roughly only 10 percent of the employed RN population come from non-Caucasian backgrounds. African-American RNs make up 4 percent of the population. Asian/Pacific Islanders account for 3.4 percent. Hispanics are 1.4 percent, and American Indian/Alaskan Natives are 0.4 percent of the US RN population. RNs of non-Caucasian background most often practice in the Middle and South Atlantic states, as well as the East, South Central, and Pacific states. (See Geographic Distribution).......

Geographic Distribution:

Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington

.......This region had the largest portion (16 percent) of RNs from a non-Caucasian background, with the most represented group being Asian/Pacific Islander (9.5 percent). Also, the Pacific region included the largest portion (2.7 percent) of Hispanic RNs....

RNS ON THE JOB: Hospitals | Community/Public Health | Ambulatory Care | Nursing Home/Extended Care | Other Areas

Job Duties | Position Titles and Average Annual Earnings | Certifications | Geographic Distribution, See: http://nursingworld.org/readroom/fsdemogr.htm

SOURCE

Moses, E.B. (1992, March). The Registered Nurse Population, Findings from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, March 1992, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Public Health Service, Division of Nursing, Health Resources and Services Administration; Notes from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses 1996, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services"

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Oct 7, 2002

vision 50/50 from north carolina: calling all filipino and filipino american nurses in the usa

reggie horwitz, bsn, rn

newsletter and website editor

pna north carolina

http://www.pnaamerica.org/announcements.htm

first, it was only a well-meaning wish, then a vision. later it be came a burning dream. now, it is reality, a living testimony of the faith of the pioneering filipino american nurses who came to the us to broaden their professional nursing practice as well as to seek greener pastures to provide for their families left in the philippines. since the coming of the first filipino nurses to america in the 1920s, the exodus of filipino nurses has repeated itself in predictable cycles. the us colonization of the philippines at the turn of the 20th century laid the foundation of the perpetuation of americanized nursing in the philippines. today, the legacy of america is so much alive in the lives of filipino nurses who now practice in most of the major continents of the world. there are an estimated 300,000 filipinos practicing as nurses abroad according to figures by poea (philippine overseas employment agency), 1/6th or approximately 50,000 of which are serving in america's huge health care system. what was this dream that was realized through the sweat and tears of our filipino nurse predecessors? it was a dream to organize the growing numbers of filipino nurses across the us. in 1979, the philippine nurses association of america was born. its mission to foster the positive image of filipino nurses in the us and present a unified voice that will further the visibility, viability and vitality of the filipino nurses. the roads traveled and paths taken by our nursing colleagues during the early years of the diaspora were bumpy, winding and risky. today, we enjoy the fruits of their labor. yet, the challenges that lay before us remain multifaceted and complex. the filipino nursing leaders of the past and the present had, have and will continuously toil tirelessly to champion the cause of filipino nurses in america. we are grateful to the american nurses association for their support and recognition of the contributions of the filipino nurses in caring for america. in some issues we may differ from ana, the latter has always demonstrated the spirit of collaboration, compromise, and professionalism in dealing with delicate issues that migrant nurses face. these efforts have resulted in a more equitable and conducive environment for foreign nurses. nevertheless, the complexity of today's healthcare landscape plus the uncertainty of the future of nursing in the us in the wake of a worsening nursing shortage has made it more urgent for the filipino nurses to band together in the spirit of camaraderie and compassion to step up and be counted. in this light, let us rise to the occasion. let us continue to uphold the ideals of the philippine nurses association whose humble beginnings date back to the 1920's. let us be visible as one pna in all 50 states and rally behind our colleagues in the ana on issues that threaten p u b l i c health as well as the very essence and existence of the nursing profession. if you are a filipino nurse or one with filipino heritage residing in the us today, let your voices be heard, let your unique needs be met, let your sacrifice count for the nurses of tomorrow and last but not least, celebrate your ethnicity, for america has always been built by people who look beyond their color and take pride in their uniqueness and origin. organize your own chapter of the pna in america. as of this writing, there are already pna chapters in 19 states of the us, spread out into 28 chapters across the usa. if you are in a state where no organized pna can be found, please visit pna-america.org or contact pna america and share a vision. you may also contact pna north carolina directly. mabuhay to the filipino american nurses!

kamdarr · Oct 7, 2002

Originally posted by Gardengal
My hospital is working on getting nurses from the Phillipines to fill some of our needs. We have been in the paper process for almost a year and now it looks like we actually will be getting some of these nurses in the next few months. Has anyone else gone this route? What were your challenges and surprizes. What did you discover you worried about needlessly?

Hello,

Most important factors to be considered:

1. Communication and Presentation

2. Most of them are not prepared to ask questions to physicians

3. Cultural issues - Local culture..

4. Detailed hospital orientation

Many more.....but above factors are most important.

Rakesh Kamdar

877-CALL-DBH

DB Healthcare, Inc.

http://www.dbhealthcare.com

Trauma Columnist · Oct 7, 2002

Get it together guys!!! We need nurses here in the US. So...please don't snub the ones we get. Work with them. It takes guts to get on a plane, fly thousands of miles away from home (language, culture and family) and try to fit in. Please...give everybody a chance!!!

I have been on the other side of the coin too - have worked in military hospitals in Korea and Spain. We did exchanges with local hospitals for training purposes. Everyone was very friendly and went out of their way to make me feel welcome. Goodness knows I don't speak Korean and they were all wonderful. My Spanish is much better, but again I was never made to feel the outsider.

There is a lesson here for all us...treat people as you would like to be treated!!!!