US needs foreign-trained healthcare workers

[mhwa]

:monkeydance:The Wall Street Journal, one of America's leading newspapers, has just published an editorial imploring Congress to free up visas for healthcare workers who are trained overseas.

http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/wsj91207.pdf

[ca-us rn]

why do americans hate to work as a nurse? and why do asians love to work as a nurse?

If your an Employer, which would you prefer, an american nurse or an Asian nurse? hmmm...

i prefer a nurse who is competent. it does not matter what nationality the nurse belong as long as he/she works within the professional standards of nursing care.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

and I don't think Americans hate to nurse but the working conditions they hate.

[suzanne4, RN]

why do americans hate to work as a nurse? and why do asians love to work as a nurse?

If your an Employer, which would you prefer, an american nurse or an Asian nurse? hmmm...

All Americans do not hate to work as nurses, so please do not make a blanket statement like that. I started working as an RN when more money could have been made working at a checkout stand at a supermarket because it is something that I always wanted to do.

And do not state that all Asians love to work as nurses, that is not the case either. Currently, there are many in second courser programs in your country that just wanted a quick way to a green card in the US and have no desire to work as a nurse. Especially when they find out exactly what they will be expected to do over here in the hospital. Because of the ratio laws, not all areas have CNAs any more, the dirty work is done by the RN.

Many are going into it now because of the money and nothing more, and it shows. Show me good solid work experience and that wins out over who will get hired, it has nothing to do with nationality, or anything else. Experience trumps it all when a manager is deciding who to hire, the one that needs to least training will usually win. That is just how it is.

[topscot]

All Americans do not hate to work as nurses, so please do not make a blanket statement like that. I started working as an RN when more money could have been made working at a checkout stand at a supermarket because it is something that I always wanted to do.

And do not state that all Asians love to work as nurses, that is not the case either. Currently, there are many in second courser programs in your country that just wanted a quick way to a green card in the US and have no desire to work as a nurse. Especially when they find out exactly what they will be expected to do over here in the hospital. Because of the ratio laws, not all areas have CNAs any more, the dirty work is done by the RN.

Many are going into it now because of the money and nothing more, and it shows. Show me good solid work experience and that wins out over who will get hired, it has nothing to do with nationality, or anything else. Experience trumps it all when a manager is deciding who to hire, the one that needs to least training will usually win. That is just how it is.

Experiance will win if there is an experianced person going for the job. In the UK and from speaking to the nursing manager of the facility i will be working in the US experianced staff are in short supply, especially younger experianced staff where i work in the UK all my colleagues are over the age of 45 most will retire in the next 10 years. What i have heard from the press and speaking to people in the US they are facing the same problem. Young people in the UK just don't want to be nurses any more there is more money in many other professions these days.When i went for interview for US facility the nursing manager said it was the same in the US certainly in her hospital and the staff shortage there would become critical in the next 10 years.Uk nurses are very much sought after and alot are choosing now to go to Canada & Australia because it is alot easier to get there. With conversations i have had with the facility i am going to they are eager to get theyre Foreign trained nurses and will welcome them with open arms and like here in the UK they are becoming a necessity

[elkpark]

I believe that others are just using this as justification to increase the nurse's salary. These people are just greedy. They don't realize that increasing their salary also put the lives of people at risk. The salary of nurses is capped by the current pension and insurance being received by retirees. Increasing the salary of nurses more than what the retirees can afford is putting their lives at risk as well. The law of supply and demand cannot just work without the economic cap.

I'm pretty amused by the idea of any nurse or would-be nurse in the Phillipines saying that American nurses are "greedy." Many of the half-million (plus) licensed US nurses who are not presently working as nurses (more than enough to fill all the current US vacancies) left because of the dangerous conditions in which they were being expected to work in many settings, not because they weren't making enough money, and many of us feel that it is at least partially because of the large influx of foreign nurses into this country that employers are able to get away with keeping nursing salaries low and working conditions so poor and dangerous. Many US nurses are putting their licenses on the line every day they show up for work, and yet they (we) continue to show up and do our jobs. Like Suzanne, I entered nursing at a time when all my friends and family were shocked that I would choose to enter a "pink collar ghetto" occupation when I could go into any profession I wanted, and I have continued to work in nursing even though I could make a lot more money doing other things. That is true of many US nurses.

Meanwhile, someone please explain to me why so many Asian nurses want to come here (to the US) to practice nursing if not to make much more money than they can in their own countries? What is that if not "greed"? Many, many posters from Asian countries on this board are v. open about how the only reason they want to become nurses is to come practice in the US and make lots of money. People post articles here about the "brain drain" in the Phillipines and other countries, as so many of their professionals of all kinds, necessary to keep society functioning, are training as nurses so they can come to the US. How come if you all want to come to the US to make a lot more money than you can in your own country, that's "wanting to provide a better life for your family" and noble, but if US nurses want decent working conditions and to be able to provide a comfortable life for their families, they're "greedy"?? What is the difference??

If Phillipine nurses (and nurses from other poor countries) were only going into nursing because they wanted to selflessly serve humankind, they'd stay home and practice nursing in their own countries, where they are sorely needed, instead of flocking to the US to make the (comparatively) big bucks.

And I have no idea what the rest of that paragraph is supposed to mean, the part about salary "caps" being related to retirees' pensions and insurance costs. Is that supposed to refer to the US? Because it doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard of.

[great_jaspah]

Shortages are in the nursing home arena for the most part, and the reason for the shortages is that the work conditions are horrible for nurses in the first place. Having 30 to 60 patients that you are legally responsible for is the best way to lose a license, and this does happen in nursing homes and we are seeing more of it. And if you lose a license, then you lose the Visa Screen Certificate, and that means that you are subject to being deported.

If things were so good there, there would not be the shortages. Think about that.

Hi, again! I don't want to get in the middle of some of the posts that generalize and stereotype, but i just had to ask if there is an available statistic regarding losing the license which you just mentioned. So, it's really that bad in nursing homes, huh?

[leslymill]

why do americans hate to work as a nurse? and why do asians love to work as a nurse?

If your an Employer, which would you prefer, an American nurse or an Asian nurse? hmmm...

I could care less what the employer wants. I am the consumer. I know I am probably dying if I am in a hospital..I would totally prefer an American born and a fellow citizen....any ethnicity....

[rafaeltoney]

boys and girls! we all have our motivations.We just have to keep working hard and who ever works the hardest almost always gets rewarded financialy and/or win their patients' hearts whatever nationality one may have

[Rep]

why do americans hate to work as a nurse? and why do asians love to work as a nurse?

If your an Employer, which would you prefer, an american nurse or an Asian nurse? hmmm...

There are lots of Americans who want to go into nursing and the waiting lists to get into the program is long. To get into the program, US students have to finish all the prequisites and then they will be in the list. The graduates produced by US nursing schools are not enough to meet the demand. A lot of US nurses are leaving the profession because of conditions and the demands of the work. Nursing here is a very demanding work. Patient knows their rights and they are so demanding to the extent just to paged the nurse to hand over the TV control, even the "uninsured ones."

When it comes to hiring, employers hire regardless of race. As long you can get the job done, they will hire you. The hospital where I worked conducts RN Session almost every week to look for nurses to work. And to think this hosptial is one of the best hospitals in CA.

And in the hospital I work, you can find a lot of Filipinos on the Medical-Surgical and ED floors and more American nurses in specialize areas. I guess we Filipinos has the knack for having a lot of patience and perseverance when it comes to nursing because you can find us in the most demanding and stressful floor in the hospital. Just my opinion. Don't flame me on this.

And one thing why Filipinos stayed on the job as a nurse while Americans can move forward and look for another career is because of the system. If you are a not a graduate here, the only work you can find is the one that pays the minimum wage per day. SO most of us Filipinos will stay working as nurses because that is the only well paying job we can get.

And for Americans who thought that we are here for the money are wrong. Most of us who migrated wants a better future for our family which is impossible in the Philippines. Even with the problems facing the US, the opportunities offer to us is much better than in our country. Off topic, at least here, politicians can go to prison due to corruption unlike in the Philippines.

Those Filipinos who posted are still based in the Philippines and they don't know the reality here. Once they moved here they will realized it is not all about money. Because as nurses whether Filipinos or Americans we don't make enough money unless you have two jobs at a time.

[SilverSurfer]

There are lots of Americans who want to go into nursing and the waiting lists to get into the program is long. To get into the program, US students have to finish all the prequisites and then they will be in the list. The graduates produced by US nursing schools are not enough to meet the demand. A lot of US nurses are leaving the profession because of conditions and the demands of the work. Nursing here is a very demanding work. Patient knows their rights and they are so demanding to the extent just to paged the nurse to hand over the TV control, even the "uninsured ones."

When it comes to hiring, employers hire regardless of race. As long you can get the job done, they will hire you. The hospital where I worked conducts RN Session almost every week to look for nurses to work. And to think this hosptial is one of the best hospitals in CA.

And in the hospital I work, you can find a lot of Filipinos on the Medical-Surgical and ED floors and more American nurses in specialize areas. I guess we Filipinos has the knack for having a lot of patience and perseverance when it comes to nursing because you can find us in the most demanding and stressful floor in the hospital. Just my opinion. Don't flame me on this.

And one thing why Filipinos stayed on the job as a nurse while Americans can move forward and look for another career is because of the system. If you are a not a graduate here, the only work you can find is the one that pays the minimum wage per day. SO most of us Filipinos will stay working as nurses because that is the only well paying job we can get.

And for Americans who thought that we are here for the money are wrong. Most of us who migrated wants a better future for our family which is impossible in the Philippines. Even with the problems facing the US, the opportunities offer to us is much better than in our country. Off topic, at least here, politicians can go to prison due to corruption unlike in the Philippines.

Those Filipinos who posted are still based in the Philippines and they don't know the reality here. Once they moved here they will realized it is not all about money. Because as nurses whether Filipinos or Americans we don't make enough money unless you have two jobs at a time.

:yeah:

[Music in My Heart]

boys and girls! we all have our motivations.We just have to keep working hard and who ever works the hardest almost always gets rewarded financialy and/or win their patients' hearts whatever nationality one may have

I prefer to see the rewards go to those citizens and legal residents that are already here.

Most of us feel very blessed to live in the USA and we understand why so many millions around the world want to come here. I would, too, had I not been born here. As a country, we are pretty generous and have long welcomed immigrants from around the world.

However, the reality is that many that are already in our country are being left behind due to the relentless pace of off-shoring and out-sourcing well-paying jobs to third-world countries. I believe it's in the best interest of all of us already here in the US to preserve as many well-paying service jobs as we can. Nursing is one of them.

Rather than import nurses from countries where their services are needed, the US needs to focus on how we can increase the supply of nurses drawing from the human resources already resident in the US.

Were I living in the Philippines, I would hope and pray that the US would grant immigration preference to nurses. However, my philosophy leads me to support the idea of working to enhance opportunities and the standard-of-living of those folks already here and those to whom we'll extend invitations to join us under a measured approach to immigration that considers our ability to successfully host the newcomers.

The reality is that importing workers from foreign countries artificially increases the supply and therefore has a depressive effect on wages, benefits, and working conditions. If the third-world workers are not available, improvements must be made in order to entice those who are available into performing the work.

I've happily worked with immigrants from all over the world, including the Philippines. My CNA instructor is a nurse from the Philippines and we got along so well that he took me out to lunch at his favorite Filipino food restaurant during our class.

I have no issue with measured immigration (though I think we should presently be giving priority to Iraqis trying to flee the mess that we've made in their country). I do have an issue with the selective importation of particular skill-sets in an effort by employers to avoid increasing compensation and improving working conditions.

I believe that this problem can be solved domestically and that it should be. I would not expect any nurse living in the Philippines or anywhere else to agree with me.

Since you live in the Philippines, you may not realize that your use of "boys and girls" is derogatory. I'm going to choose to believe that rather than believe that you're intending to be insulting.

[JunRN4u]

US needs more nurses - US trained or not, US Citizen or not! That is a fact.

Solution: Increase the faculty to increase nurse student admission in colleges and universities.

Question: Where to get the faculty? From the pool of nurses so in effect you need more nurses to replace them.

Question: Where to get nurses to replace them? From US graduates or Foreign-nurses....

Conclusion: US still needs foreign nurses....

SOLUTION: Increase the pay of nurses to attract nurses who are not doing nursing anymore.

Question: By how much to attract them? $$$$$$$$....

Question: Increasing the salary, increases the patient's bill???

Conclusion: US needs nurses whose pay is affordable but attractive. That you can get from Foreign nurses...