Survey: Should nurses from other countries be recruited to aid in the nursing shortag

Published

  1. Should nurses from other countries be recruited to aid in the nursing shortage?

    • 149
      Yes
    • 514
      No

663 members have participated

This month's survey Question:

Should nurses from other countries be recruited to aid in the nursing shortage?

Please take a minute to take answer our survey and please feel free to reply to this topic to post any comments that you may have on the topic.

It seems like the same questions come up no matter which side of the atlantic you live.

We in the Uk have the same problems with the recruiting and retaining nurses within the hospital settings from UK nurses, like yourselves they are tired of the shortage of staff, poor working conditions, long hours and in some areas incompetent management' this results in the recruitment of oversea's nurses who can barely speak english when they arrive here.

Could this just be a way or obtaining a form of cheap labour untill they obtain their registration in this country as they have to work as nursing auxillaries till they complete an adaptaion course for their registration . This can take upto and above 12 months to complete, during this time they are a cheap alternative.

There appears to be more office staff than nursing staff in our hospitals these days.

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I think it is true that if we tap into the non working nurses that are out there, it would ease up the shortage a bit. In my circle of friends alone, there are 8 of us (all with BSN degrees) who are out of the workforce. Two of us substitute for the school nurses whenever they need us. If the schedules were more flexible then maybe some of us will consider going back.

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I could be wrong, but I believe there are new English proficiency requirements to potentially remedy that problem?

(P.S. Where's suzanne4? She would know. ;) )

As a new grad, the topic of foreign nurses has bothered me. Over 50 % of the nurses on my floor are from the Philippines. That does not bother me but what does is when the nurses, N/A and other staff start talking in another language. I have no clue what they are saying and for all I know they could be bad mouthing me. I feel like their language should be kept out of the american workplace.

#2 the foreign nurses have received free housing and transportation for a few months. I did not see my hospital paying for my rent or any gas money.

These problems leave room for animosity toward the Philippino nurses . Does anyone else agree?

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As a new grad, the topic of foreign nurses has bothered me. Over 50 % of the nurses on my floor are from the Philippines. That does not bother me but what does is when the nurses, N/A and other staff start talking in another language. I have no clue what they are saying and for all I know they could be bad mouthing me. I feel like their language should be kept out of the american workplace.

#2 the foreign nurses have received free housing and transportation for a few months. I did not see my hospital paying for my rent or any gas money.

These problems leave room for animosity toward the Philippino nurses . Does anyone else agree?

When I first came to this country, I used to work with other Filipino nurses and I remember that we also used to talk in our "native" tongue. Rest assured, they are no bad mouthing you. It is just so much easier at that time to talk in our first language. True, our curriculum was in English, but we still used our national language in conversation. We tried to refrain from talking in Tagalog, 'cause one of our clinical instructors at the time (she was doing our orientation) would say, " English only, English only", but it is almost automatic to revert back to Tagalog. Now, it is the other way around for me. After 25 years, it is so much easier to speak in English now, since there's no one to talk Tagalog to. I feel bad that I was not more persistent in teaching my children my first language.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical.
As a new grad, the topic of foreign nurses has bothered me. Over 50 % of the nurses on my floor are from the Philippines. That does not bother me but what does is when the nurses, N/A and other staff start talking in another language. I have no clue what they are saying and for all I know they could be bad mouthing me. I feel like their language should be kept out of the american workplace.

#2 the foreign nurses have received free housing and transportation for a few months. I did not see my hospital paying for my rent or any gas money.

These problems leave room for animosity toward the Philippino nurses . Does anyone else agree?

Philippines is a country where there are 87 major and regional dialects. The only language where most of us can understand is Tagalog or Filipino which is our national language. That's why when Filipinos meet they usually speak in Tagalog even if these Filipnos are working abroad.

I am sure they are not badmouthing you. But if you are part of the conversation then I think it is impolite to speak in a langauge where you can't understand.

As for the free housing and transportation. Usually it is only for two months. Filipino nurses who were recruited in the Philippines have to sign 2 or 3 years contract that's why Filipino nurses can not leave and change employers unless the contracts were finished. That is why they were given free housing for a couple of months considering the length of stay in the hospitals.

Another reason maybe that nurses brought to the US are not yet financially stable so giving a couple of months free housing would lessen the stress.

I agree with you that these things if not explain properly would somehow lead to animosity toward the Filipino nurses for those who were uninformed.

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I don't have a problem with foreign nurses coming here to work. But I do feel that the funding used to recruit them should be invested in american citizens that would like the opportunity to go to nursing school but can't afford to.

I couldn't agree with you more. It is always great to have other view points, the $ being spent could be utilized for 2nd degree students getting financial aid for school. I am a 2nd degree student and finding financial aid is next to impossible since I have a degree.

My sister-in-law is filipino and came to the US when she was a BSN/RN. She had a kidney transplant 12 years ago and has been out of nursing since then. We have spoken bout her nursing classes and they were extremely intense. She told me, she wasn't able to graduate until she had delivered 10 babies, including remote areas. She had the starched white uniform, the whole nine yards.

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It amazes me to look at the posts from the foreign nurses. It makes me wonder, why they train for a job that pays poorly and for a job that has an overabundance of nurses in their country. It seems the only reason why they do it is to come to the US. Are any nurses in the US applying for jobs outside of this country. In Canada you are not allowed to have a job unless no one wants it, also the same way in Bermuda. Why the tude if we are not all pleased that this country is not taking care of those who are already here.

You also take a job and put someone in it who is willing to do most anything and work for almost anything, it will bring the wages down.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
In Canada you are not allowed to have a job unless no one wants it, also the same way in Bermuda.

Same way in the US. A foreigner can not take a job that Americans want. Usually it's things like hotel maids, picking vegetables, etc. that Americans don't want to and there is a need, so foriegn workers pick up the slack. Sad that there aren't enough Americans that can fill nursing positions positions (yeah I know there are waiting lists at school, and lots of RNs who left the field and there really isn't a true shortage, etc. but that's another issue).

But the immigration laws are clear. For a foreigner to come to this country and take a job, the employer must prove it's a job no American wants.

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I love our foreign nurses, but do you want to know who helped me get thru nursing school while being a single mom of two and working full time? NOBODY! The warm bodies are out there and could use a little help.

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I don't think it is fair to all of those waiting on lists to immigrate to this country. Then there is also the threat of introducing old pathogens to our vulnerable patients, those diseases that have been virtually wiped out of this country will be on the rise. There are plenty of nurses out there, nurses that demand a change in the healthcare system/politics before returning to work as nurses.

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Hi from MiamiMike-I voted No! The powers to be need to correct the Nursing situation here in this country-deal with the root problems,patient ratios,Ot,safety,ect. Otherwise the problem just festers like an old wound! these foreign nurses just depress our wages. Here in Miami, Fl. we have a lot of Nurses from the carribbean islands and south america and their english proficiency leaves a lot to be desired. Take cuban nurses for example-all they have to do is go to a federal govt. accrediting agency with their degree and a copy of their transcripts-have them validated and officially transcribed and translated and they are ready for the State of Florida Nursing Exam. Many do not pass due to their lack of english the 1st time:I know some in home health who do their rough narratives in spanish and then pay a high school or college student who is bilingual to write them in english for $1 a page. Their pts. are spanish speaking but still -no license until a nurse can communicate-error free-in english at the Technical level-is my contention.Many of these nurses only care about getting a license and a job and $$$$$$-with really no concentrated effort to learn english at the technical level.I have performed Q&A chart reviews and I kid you not-a good 5th grade student communicates at a higher level of english then some of these island nurses!! Hard for someone living out of this area to beleive but it is true!! Also some are confused on simple tasks such as operating various glucometers, Ventilators,ect. Wound care technique is another story-Sterile Techique-What's That? Lots of MRSA here due to this lack of sterile technique in the local hospitals. AND some of these home health nurses are knocking down $100k-$120k yearly. I think that before granting these nurses a license here in the USA-they should have to undergo a Practical Exam also on US nursing procedures and that includes the equipment also. Before they get a US driver's license-they have do pass a written and practical on the road test-no less for a nursing license. My opinion only for what it is worth. Mike:chuckle

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I am acutely aware of a nursing shortage in our area, at the same time the agencies are being cut back in their requests. The working conditions here which are 30-40 to one nurse in a long term facility are ridiculous. Nurses come in, burn out, and leave rapidly. I am so exhausted as a PRN nurse, with inadequate orientation to a facility (this costs money), not always supported in the overtime needed to complete the notes after giving up breaks and meals and running constantly, that I cannot share any enthusiasm for regular nursing in an instititution. There is not ONE local working nurse I have met that does not show signs of extreme stress. Committed nurses are not the issue. Greed somewhere at the top and inefficiencies in managerment are my observatiions. I find it ironical that in Casa Grande, AZ they are bringing over nurses from Scotland and England and overseas nursing agencies are recruiting RNs to those areas! What is happening in the medical arena is happening in corporate America everywhere. Greed. Working conditions everywhere have changed dramatically. Is it any different than giving all manufacturing to 3rd world countries and then having our taxes bail out their unstable US investments there after NAFTA passed? When will America wake up?

I am actually from Casa Grande, AZ. After doing some of my clinicals in the local hospital, seeing the horrible working conditions, poor quality of pt care, and the down-trodden, long suffering nurses in that hospital, I would never work there. Very few of my fellow grads work there, either.

After graduation, I drove 72 miles each way to another town to work, even though I lived only blocks from the local hospital. Casa Grande is full of nurses who drive many miles out of town to work.

But, the hospital would rather spend $$$ to bring in nurses from the Phillipines, Canada, etc than address working conditions.

There is no shortage. It's all about the working conditions.

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