What are the effects of over-supply of Filipino nurses?

suzanne4, RN · Jun 22, 2007

The high school student that completes a full four to five year program will have a better chance of finding a job. But the bigger problem is that the person should truly wish to be a nurse, and would want to do that no matter what. Not that it is a way from them to get a job in another country as soon as possible. That is usually not the case.

decartes · Jun 22, 2007

What are the effects of over-supply of Filipino nurses?

Ans: Lots of Filipino nurses out there.

tantrum · Jun 22, 2007

Lots of underemployed graduates. Especially with recurrent retrogression going on.

blabber, RN · Jun 22, 2007

I'm not sure of the figures, but I can safely guess that the Philippines has been producing TENS OF THOUSANDS Registered Nurses annually the past 3 - 4 years.
Is it still safe for fresh high school graduates or people over 40 or 50 y.o., to take up nursing for the sole purpose of seeking a greener pasture outside this hopeless state?

Although poverty in the PI is a very sad well-known fact, I don't agree with people taking up nursing just so they can seek "greener pasture". :nono: Yes, nursing is a job/profession that is very indemand and you may get good opportunities abroad but it is not right to make it as a means of escaping our so-called "hopeless" country. I'm quite disappointed that you feel that way with our own country. PI will really be hopeless if we continue to think that it is. Nursing is not an easy profession. It takes a lot of dedication and passion to really become a NURSE.

tinekrism · Jun 22, 2007

In my younger years I heard my grandpa declare: "our country's bleak state cannot be changed or improved in our (their) generation." I heard same line from my parents. Hope the buck stops at me.

Many of us have been optimistic and put hope on our government. Whether we accept it or not, we know where it's headed - without uttering them in words. I'm happy you can provide a better future for your loved ones by being a nurse outside the Phil.

I'm an engineer but, just like others, we hardly practiced our profession. Considering the effort and money involved in taking a degree, we put our heart and dedication in learning all necessary knowledge and skills to be effective in the profession we are studying.

As experienced in most families, our son wanted to take up architecture. After months of huddling with him, he consequently took up nursing. With his dedication & hard work, he's getting good grades.

I plan to take up nursing myself but suzanne4 appraised students in their 40's has a slimmer chance of finding a job compared to the younger ones. I'd appreciate further evaluation on this. Thanks a lot.

suzanne4, RN · Jun 23, 2007

In my younger years I heard my grandpa declare: "our country's bleak state cannot be changed or improved in our (their) generation." I heard same line from my parents. Hope the buck stops at me.
Many of us have been optimistic and put hope on our government. Whether we accept it or not, we know where it's headed - without uttering them in words. I'm happy you can provide a better future for your loved ones by being a nurse outside the Phil.
I'm an engineer but, just like others, we hardly practiced our profession. Considering the effort and money involved in taking a degree, we put our heart and dedication in learning all necessary knowledge and skills to be effective in the profession we are studying.
As experienced in most families, our son wanted to take up architecture. After months of huddling with him, he consequently took up nursing. With his dedication & hard work, he's getting good grades.
I plan to take up nursing myself but suzanne4 appraised students in their 40's has a slimmer chance of finding a job compared to the younger ones. I'd appreciate further evaluation on this. Thanks a lot.

You are taking what I have said the wrong way. There are many in the US that start nursing in their 40s, or even 50s. The issue is with the training in many of the second courser programs in PI right now. The ones that have the better chance of getting petitioned now are those that have gone thru the full four year program. We are seeing fewer and fewer hospitals hire those from the second courser programs, and especially harder for those that were physicians first. It is not something that I have made up, just what hospitals in the US are actually doing.

And there are more wishing to work in the US than there are visas for them, and the numbers are increasing, but the number of visas are not. So not all are going to get jobs in the US, that is the point that I have been trying to make.

RNHawaii34 · Jun 23, 2007

is it still safe for fresh high school graduates or people over 40 or 50 y.o., to take up nursing for the sole purpose of seeking a greener pasture outside this hopeless state?

i don't know by what you mean " safe". the question maybe is that " do you want to be a nurse, just because you want to be a nurse?", not because you just want greener pasture? it is a common belief that many people from the philippines wants to study nursing, regardless of the age bracker, 30's, 40's 50's, because they beleive that it is the easiest way to get out of the country. i think if you are willing to study, and you got problem taking care of sicker, demanding people, then go for it. here in the united states, most students study nursing was already in their mid 20's, even 50's. and they have better opportunities here. in the philippines, it is much harder because of the visa issue. oh by the way, i will not really call the philippines the "hopeless state" if i were you..., you don't know the life outside the philippines, and you might think of it as a bad place to live, or work, but you don't how lucky you are that you live there. once you get out of the country, then you will understand what i meant. and if the country is really that "hopeless", why do you think we filipinos, from all over the world, looks forward to come and visit?

tinekrism · Jun 24, 2007

thanks for the clarification suzanne4, i learned a lot from your inputs in other posts.

let me emphasize though that the training of the 'second courser' and those who go thru the full four year program are exactly the same (minor/major subjects & rle). second courser may seem shorter by about a year because minor subjects from previous degree have been credited. it would be impractical to re-take the same syllabus of same subjects. technically, second coursers would even have a 7-yr college education.

descartes & tantrum, i agree with your observation.

to blabber & rnhawaii34:

i'm happy you can provide a better future for your loved ones by being a nurse outside the phil.

i have visited some cousins and my doctor/nurse-bro-in-law in the us; i have seen the big disparity in our way of life. most of them have been urging me to take up nursing if i want a better future for my family.

all i was asking, and let me rephrase:

is it still achievable for fresh high school graduates or people over 40 or 50 y.o., to take up nursing - be an rn - for the purpose of seeking a greener pasture outside this hopeless state?

(it's amusing to read some contradictions) :idea:

precy · Jun 24, 2007

and if the country is really that "hopeless", why do you think we filipinos, from all over the world, looks forward to come and visit?

primarily to visit relatives and friends....even dead relatives or friends. i think what is hopeless in the philippines is the government.

mayflower2000, RN · Jun 24, 2007

I'm not sure of the figures, but I can safely guess that the Philippines has been producing TENS OF THOUSANDS Registered Nurses annually the past 3 - 4 years.
Is it still safe for fresh high school graduates or people over 40 or 50 y.o., to take up nursing for the sole purpose of seeking a greener pasture outside this hopeless state?

One has to have determination, dedication and passion to become a nurse.Just to become a nurse in order to seek greener pasture is a different story. Nursing in our country is different, we have doctors to check blood results and etc... and will tell you what to do. There are relatives/family members to help clean/assist patients. If you are not in our country then you will have to check blood results, do assessments, refer to doctors, clean/wash patients. These are only bits of being a nurse, there are more to it. Remember, a nurse is dealing lives. Its not to be taken lightly.

Without passion of the nursing profession, one will not stay nursing for long. Being a nurse, one has to enjoy with what he/she is doing.