Filipino nurses emigrating to US

Nurses Relations

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Is there any reason that there seems to be lots of RNs trained in the Philippines that come to the US to practice?

I just wonder because I never hear of nurses from other countries coming to work in the US as much as I hear of Filipino RNs. Does it have to do with the similarity of their training compared to RNs in the US?

It bears noting that one can be concerned about the influx/influence of foreign workers to the detriment of our own countrymen without it being "foreigners go home". The black and white nature of modern day debate is ridiculous. There IS middle ground and I stand firmly in it. Accusations otherwise are unfounded and insulting.

Thank you.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical Nursing.
Can anyone post requirements for a Bsn in the Philippines?

I often wondered how long their programs are and if they are identical to ours.

http://www.ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/CMO-No.14-s2009.pdf

:) I hope this is helpful. :)

$$$$, significantly better living conditions

Money yes.

Better living conditions I don't see that. I see the country as a whole as much more relaxed and happy. Versus the USA where is it rather stressful.

I can hire a helper for less $100 a month who will cook, clean, shop 24/7 for me, try that in USA

As to why there are so many foreign born nurses in the US?

There is a huge number of empty openings here in the US that are not being filled by American nursing students. There are not enough grads to fill the spaces. This is the main reason why there are foreign born nurses.

As to why there are so many nurses from the Philippines?

Many dont realize that the Philippines was a US territory from about 1904 till 1945. From 1915 or so up until just before WW II, there was an American movement in the Philippines to train leaders, educators, medical professionals, etc., to prepare for Independence. After WWII, The economy of the Philippines was in shambles, and for much of the next 20 years, they were rebuilding. Unfortunately, they had been our ally during the war, and didn't receive the same attention as did Germany and Japan, whose economies excelled with US Dollars from the Marshall Plan. Philippine Nationals have always been welcomed into the US military. They have fought beside US servicemen in Korea, Vietnam, and more recently, in the Middle East. The Philippines is just behind Mexico, for legal immigration into the US. English is the second, National Language of the Philippines, along with Tagalog.

But the Philippines struggled on into the 60's and 70's on it's own.

The Philippines is the only Catholic/Christian nation in Asia. The oldest University in Asia is The University of Santo Tomas, a Catholic University in Manila, established in 1605. The Medical University at Santo Tomas houses nursing, physician training, and other allied health providers training. It is considered one of the finest universities in Asia. The university has educated MANY high achieving medical professionals. They work across the globe from Israel, to Finland, to Saudi Arabia, and the US.

As a developing economy in what was traditionally an agrarian economy, the Philippines has taken advantage of it's nations excellent educational system, and has provided engineers, medical doctors, seaman, both enlisted and officers, and nurses and other allied health service providers, to the rest of the world. Off Shore Workers have become an important part of the national economy of the Philippines. And it has only been in the last several decades that the Philippine economy has begun to expand, and become competitive with other Asian countries.

As the possibility of work in the US and in other foreign countries became an acceptable way to care for one's family, nursing programs sprang up in other universities around the country. Nursing professionals are highly regarded, in the Philippines, and to obtain a BSN, and to pass the National Exam, is a definite status symbol. The results from the National Licensing Exam are published publicly. Provinces, townships, burrows, all watch to see which local graduate has succeeded.

With the increase in nursing programs across the country's considerable university system, the numbers of Filipino nurses began to increase in the world market. Along with the increase in numbers, came, I believe, an inevitable decline in some of the quality of the product. One can check the US statistics on Filipino nursing students who have passed the NCLEX, and the numbers are in decline since about 2004. Graduates from the Philippine nursing classes of the early 2000's, have been much more successful than later graduating classes. Of course, the stats don't clarify who has taken the exam more than once, so this could be a confounding factor.

At any rate, the Filipino nurses who have made it to the US, and have passed the NCLEX as described in some other posts on this topic, have excelled in training. It would seem that one factor could control for some of the lesser nursing talent, as described in other posts, and that would be a requirement of having passed the NCLEX prior to work in US Hospitals. Even with the BSN, passing the NCLEX insures that US nursing will remain as the standard it has become.

As to why there are so many foreign born nurses in the US?

There is a huge number of empty openings here in the US that are not being filled by American nursing students. There are not enough grads to fill the spaces. This is the main reason why there are foreign born nurses.

As to why there are so many nurses from the Philippines?

Many dont realize that the Philippines was a US territory from about 1904 till 1945. From 1915 or so up until just before WW II, there was an American movement in the Philippines to train leaders, educators, medical professionals, etc., to prepare for Independence. After WWII, The economy of the Philippines was in shambles, and for much of the next 20 years, they were rebuilding. Unfortunately, they had been our ally during the war, and didn't receive the same attention as did Germany and Japan, whose economies excelled with US Dollars from the Marshall Plan. Philippine Nationals have always been welcomed into the US military. They have fought beside US servicemen in Korea, Vietnam, and more recently, in the Middle East. The Philippines is just behind Mexico, for legal immigration into the US. English is the second, National Language of the Philippines, along with Tagalog.

But the Philippines struggled on into the 60's and 70's on it's own.

The Philippines is the only Catholic/Christian nation in Asia. The oldest University in Asia is The University of Santo Tomas, a Catholic University in Manila, established in 1605. The Medical University at Santo Tomas houses nursing, physician training, and other allied health providers training. It is considered one of the finest universities in Asia. The university has educated MANY high achieving medical professionals. They work across the globe from Israel, to Finland, to Saudi Arabia, and the US.

As a developing economy in what was traditionally an agrarian economy, the Philippines has taken advantage of it's nations excellent educational system, and has provided engineers, medical doctors, seaman, both enlisted and officers, and nurses and other allied health service providers, to the rest of the world. Off Shore Workers have become an important part of the national economy of the Philippines. And it has only been in the last several decades that the Philippine economy has begun to expand, and become competitive with other Asian countries.

As the possibility of work in the US and in other foreign countries became an acceptable way to care for one's family, nursing programs sprang up in other universities around the country. Nursing professionals are highly regarded, in the Philippines, and to obtain a BSN, and to pass the National Exam, is a definite status symbol. The results from the National Licensing Exam are published publicly. Provinces, townships, burrows, all watch to see which local graduate has succeeded.

With the increase in nursing programs across the country's considerable university system, the numbers of Filipino nurses began to increase in the world market. Along with the increase in numbers, came, I believe, an inevitable decline in some of the quality of the product. One can check the US statistics on Filipino nursing students who have passed the NCLEX, and the numbers are in decline since about 2004. Graduates from the Philippine nursing classes of the early 2000's, have been much more successful than later graduating classes. Of course, the stats don't clarify who has taken the exam more than once, so this could be a confounding factor.

At any rate, the Filipino nurses who have made it to the US, and have passed the NCLEX as described in some other posts on this topic, have excelled in training. It would seem that one factor could control for some of the lesser nursing talent, as described in other posts, and that would be a requirement of having passed the NCLEX prior to work in US Hospitals. Even with the BSN, passing the NCLEX insures that US nursing will remain as the standard it has become.

Umm, there isn't any nursing shortage in the US (there hasn't been for some years). Plenty of US new nursing graduates have difficulty finding jobs. And it's not clear what you are saying in your last paragraph. It is already a requirement to have passed the NCLEX in order to get licensed to work in any US state.

To provide some background facts to answer your question, the 2010 Census counted 3.4 million Filipino Americans, while the United States Department of States in 2011 estimated the total at 4 million, or 1.1% of the U.S. population. the total at 4 million, or 1.1% of the U.S. population. They are the country's second largest self-reported Asian ancestry group after Chinese Americans according to 2010 American Community Surveu. They are also the largest population of Overseas Filipinos. Significant populations of Filipino Americans can be found in California, Hawaii, the New York metropolitan area and Washington, New Jersey, Illinois, and Texas.

Many Filipino nurses work in the United States for the higher quality of life available in the States as well as to send remittance to family members back home in the Philippines. Various legal claims have been pursued about unfair wages paid to Filipino nurses based on ethnicity.

Many times you have hiring managers that are Filipinoa that hire other Filipinos, which I think is unethical, that is also a reason you have so much Filipinos working at California hospitals.

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