U.S. Plan to Lure Nurses from NY times

alma.ata1978 · Jan 21, 2008

I humbly still think the US might consider investing in schools in the Philippines, considering that the health care system of the US benefits from the lower cost (relative to the US) of schooling. The US government is so far not raising the salaries of teaching nurses in US community colleges, expanding the absorption capacity of colleges and has a long backlog of applicants wanting to study nursing. I don't know the position of US nurses labor unions, but maybe they can ask the US presidential candidates to increase funding of nursing schools if the United States wants to come clean about the issue of draining the labor force of poor country health care systems.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 21, 2008

The US is not draining nurses, there is actually a limit as to the number of visas that can be issued to those from any one country per year. And this has been in place for years, not something that is recent.

Your country actually has more than 632,000 students currently enrolled in nursing programs but jobs for only very few of them.

The US is currently under a retrogression and will continue to be under one. At the moment, it is looking like five years for even a chance at a visa for the US. There are less than 10,000 green cards issued per year to those that were born in your country and that includes other professions that are also under the EB-3 category, as well as dependents such as spouses and children.

The nursing unions do not permit temporary work visas any longer, only nurses that can get a green card. Financing an education in the Philippines does not make any difference to the immigration process.

The focus of the US government is actually changing now as well and that is to put Americans thru a nursing program for two years and get them the RN, not any longer in time than what it takes to get thru the testing and immigration when there are visas and then Americans can have jobs that will support their families.

So saying that about 2500 nurses could expect to get thru per year to the US on average, how is that draining when there are more than 600,000 in school? The US is not looking to drain your country, it is actually the other way around. Many in your country have actually gone into nursing as a fast way to get to the US and they never had any desire to work in your country as an RN, or even stay more than a couple of years in the field over here.

But thankfully, things have changed.

alma.ata1978 · Jan 21, 2008

Well said. Suzanne. I still have to check my data to see how all those numbers crunching go, but three days ago, our Secretary of Labor was on television telling other government bureaucrats that the Philippine government should be asking the US to invest in nursing schools, for the reasons I wrote in my first post here.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 21, 2008

And this is the same gpvernment officials that think that it is just fine for someone to complete the LPN program in your country, and expect to just be able to go overseas and work. Funny thing is that your country does not even accept the practical nurse training for licensure in the first place. Nor does any other country accept it for immigration purposes, but your government has given it their seal of approval.

And add in the fact that there are so many nursing schools there now and not enough actual patients to go around since the medical school students are getting first crack at any procedures and therefore the quality of many of the grads is not the same as it was.

I understand that you are new here, but suggest that you spend some time reading on this forum as well as the International Forum to get some idea of what is truly happening in your country. Number cruching does not tell me anything but the fact that there has been a drastic increase in the number of new grads that are getting their contracts cancelled and the majority are from your country. It is also much harder to get a facility to petition someone from your country that does not have several years of experience because of this. And without having the NLE completed and the expected five year wait for even a chance at a visa for the US, where does that put a new grad from your county? And with more going into nursing there as well as no jobs, and the situation is becoming worse there, not better.

There are plenty of jobs on outlying provinces/islands, but there are not enough that wish to go and work there. Nursing is nursing, and if someone wishes to care for someone and get experience so that they can go to another country, then this is what they need to do.

But not expect the US just to open their doors since your country is producing many more nurses than it could ever use in my lifetime.

Your politicians can say all that they want, but I can assure you that it is not going to happen for the US just to take everyone. Changes are not going to me made to our immigration laws to satisfy a want of another country.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 21, 2008

Noticed that you are a nursing student by your profile, all I can say is expect things to get much worse before they will get better. Right now there is an expected five year wait for a chance at a visa for the US, even a student that has graduated from a program in the US now, has no guarantee that they will be able to remain here.

Anif your goal is to work in the US only, would suggest perhaps considering another field unless it is truly what you want to do and are quite passionate about it.

Most other foreign countries also require at least a local license as well as two years of experience, we expect to see the US going towards this. Until recently, the CGFNS exam was required by all, and that required the local license. And to attract the better nurse and one with acceptable experiences, more than likely we are going to see the US government also require the two years of experience.

Without having a local license, then there is no way for any one to get experience and what happened here in the past has no bearing on what is happening today with immigration in the US.

Sorry, that you have to listen to this but you may as well be aware of what is actually happening in the US and not what your politiicians are recommending. Their ideas are not very well thought of over here lately.

Best of luck to you on your schooling.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 21, 2008

And while I am at it:

Your country has always produced more nurses that it could use with the expectation that they would go overseas and send money home and this has worked for many years.

But with the increase in salaries for nurses in the US, this has gotten completely out of hand in your country. There are IT schools that have opened nursing programs to cash in on it and nothing more. You have clinical instructors in many programs that have never even worked as a nurse, but they are teaching. That is not permitted in any other country that I am aware of.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jan 22, 2008

Can I ask why you feel the US should contribute to help training Philippine nurses when they have large waiting lists into nursing schools in the US and surely the money would be better spent in the US enabling US citizens who want to train as nurses train or even try and make conditions a bit better.

When moving from home country to another it is our choice and we should make sure we offer new country some experience. I have over 20 years nursing and at times hated it but to stay in it this long means that generally I love it. I also feel my background offers my petitioner some good solid experience ,just needs to learn a new way of working ie paperwork. After all no matter where you live disease and illnesses are the same just things may be done differently.

How fair is it for a country to allow thousands of nurses to train but not have the work for them? How fair is it to encourage LPN training when not accepted in the Philippines and stating acceptable for immigration abroad when it isn't as most countries require RN?

galvtexas · Jan 22, 2008

The U.S. does not need to do anything for the Philippine government and the hundreds of thousands of nurses who all want to work here. It was the decision of the Philippine government to "sell" (like a commodity) their most important resource (people) to 1st world countries. I am not talking about nurses alone but teachers and other professionals as well. Unfortunately, because of the "insensitivity" (and corruption) of the government a lot of people are suffering. It is really tragic that the Philippines has hundreds of thousands of nurse graduates who cannot even work and acquire that much needed experience. On the issue of nurses, the Philippines needs the U.S. more (not the other way around). Things really look bleak.

I love the Philippines. However, I left 4 years ago because the level of corruption in the government is just unprecedented. Policies with regard to overseas employment are always one-sided and :oworkers suffer.

high hopes · Jan 23, 2008

Philippines is a good place to live in but unfortunately, most of its official are corrupt that's why our country is very poor. they didn't give any importance to the professionals in their country that's why all of them, i mean us, wants to leave this place... to look for better life... It's not only in the US that people want to migrate in. Canada , New Zealand, UK and Australia are also good places to go to.

high hopes · Jan 23, 2008

then actually they(the US) are not draining the Philippines of professional nurses. It is the nurses own decision/will that they leave the Philippines for US to have a better life. I honestly don't think that the US have some obligation over the Philippines or something of that sort. They just need some professionals to work for them and since the Philippines have lots of them, then I guess that's why we go to their country to work. Not to mention, they have better compensation and benefits there than here in the Philippines.

I love the Philippines. Don't get me wrong with that but we can't blame others for the mistakes or failures of our own government officials. if only the government officials have focus more in our health care system rather than making money for themselves, then I guess our country wouldn't be this poor and its professionals would not have left for another place. right?