Nursing dream turns sour in the Philippines

[lastlid]

"If you go into an American hospital, a Japanese elderly care centre, a British hospice or even the clinics at the centre of the recent violence in Libya and Syria, you are likely to find a nurse from the Philippines working there.

Filipinos' reliability and high level of English, coupled with the fact they are willing to accept jobs almost anywhere in the world, have proved a lifeline for many countries in need of nurses and care-workers.

It is an arrangement that has always seemed to work well for the Philippines too.

Not only is nursing a highly respected profession here, it has also been traditionally viewed as a passport out of poverty for many.

But in recent years, this dream has turned sour.

There are far fewer jobs than there once were, leaving tens of thousands unemployed.

Many rural folks had to sell their carabao - their water buffalo - and even their property just to send their child to nursing school”

At the beginning of this year, more than 200,000 registered Philippine nurses could not find work, and an estimated 80,000 are graduating this year to join an already saturated job market.

"It's so disappointing," said Tina Siuagan, who has been looking for a nursing position since she left university three years ago.

"You can't help but question: 'What's wrong with me, why can't I get a job?'" "


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18575810

[mickcant]

My first contact with a Filipina was a nurse in our local hospital, I was very aware the way they had compassion for their patients despite having difficulties back home such as leaving their children to work here in the UK.

I always then tried to ask a Filipina for help if I could:xxgrinning--00xx3:
Mick.:)

[hawk]

my wife is a midwife but when i asked if she could get a job over in uk i was told they dont reconice her certs whitch is nuts as we need more midwifes in uk

[Iani]

I was about to ask - until I saw Hawks post, I was sure that we had a shortage of nurses, midwives, just general medical staff in the UK.

A physio will always find work, and will be in great demand as a skilled occupation in one of the usual suspect countries for Brits wanting to emigrate to thinking the grass is greener etc.

Same but for different reasons (maybe) we have a shortage of certain types of teacher

[grahamw48]

It is tragic that all their efforts and studying seem to be going to waste.

One of my nieces in the Phils has just completed her midwifery course. I know her family are very poor and will have made many sacrifices to put her through college, but she is still looking for work and without practical experience I believe she will not be able to fully qualify.

[Terpe]

It is tragic that all their efforts and studying seem to be going to waste.

One of my nieces in the Phils has just completed her midwifery course. I know her family are very poor and will have made many sacrifices to put her through college, but she is still looking for work and without practical experience I believe she will not be able to fully qualify.

My daughter is a Board exam passed fully qualified Nurse. But still working now long days and long hours at the hospital as a non paid voluteer to maintain her experience and update her knowledge. Without our support though she would not be able to do that.

It's a very bad situation for employment in many areas.

I have a sister in law who is midwife. She's doing OK now at last after a good 10 years struggling to find a permanent salaried position.

[lastlid]

Perhaps it is time for the Philippines to restructure its education system in favour of other courses. The world and the Philippines needs only so many nurses.

[raynaputi]

My youngest brother is a Registered Nurse. He worked as a volunteer for 2 years after he passed the board exam at 3 hospitals (one in Cavite, one in Laguna and one in Manila). Right now, he's been working for a year already in Intellicare (an HMO company) as a reliever nurse/company nurse. He has applied to lots of hospitals (both public and private) before that but not one of them are offering a permanent job. They're all just looking for volunteers. My brother has always been assigned in the ER (even helped one of the doctors to deliver a baby) during his volunteer work and I know he's qualified enough because of his experiences. The bad thing though, most, if not all of the hospitals in the Philippines prefer to have volunteer nurses compared to a salaried one because it saves them a lot of money and work at the same time. :NoNo: Some of the doctors in the hospitals he volunteered for wanted to absorb him because of the good work he's doing, but told him they can't do anything about it because the hospital doesn't offer a job. :NoNo: I remember my brother going home after working for more than 12 hours a day and looking so tired that he went straight to bed to rest. :doh

[lastlid]

My youngest brother is a Registered Nurse. He worked as a volunteer for 2 years after he passed the board exam at 3 hospitals (one in Cavite, one in Laguna and one in Manila). Right now, he's been working for a year already in Intellicare (an HMO company) as a reliever nurse/company nurse. He has applied to lots of hospitals (both public and private) before that but not one of them are offering a permanent job. They're all just looking for volunteers. My brother has always been assigned in the ER (even helped one of the doctors to deliver a baby) during his volunteer work and I know he's qualified enough because of his experiences. The bad thing though, most, if not all of the hospitals in the Philippines prefer to have volunteer nurses compared to a salaried one because it saves them a lot of money and work at the same time. :NoNo: Some of the doctors in the hospitals he volunteered for wanted to absorb him because of the good work he's doing, but told him they can't do anything about it because the hospital doesn't offer a job. :NoNo: I remember my brother going home after working for more than 12 hours a day and looking so tired that he went straight to bed to rest. :doh

And some of the schools seem to operate that way. My wife's sister has a paid teaching job in Cavite now but during a 2 or 3 month interlude period, when she was looking for a new teaching job, she ended up taking a voluntary teaching post.

[raynaputi]

My brother's girlfriend, who's a Registered Nurse too, just went to Dubai last month trying to look for a job. Like my brother, she's had a hard time looking for a permanent job in the Philippines and she did a lot of volunteer work. :NoNo: Her last job was as a company nurse in SM Prime Holdings (SM malls operator) but they only offer contractual work for just 6 months. :doh

[Arthur Little]

It both angers and saddens me to see so many highly trained, Nursing Board Exam passers from the Phils who, when they come here to the UK, seem to find themselves bypassed for gainful employment in NHS hospitals :rolleyes: ... jobs for which they are every bit as qualified professionally as most British nurses - and very often temperamentally better-suited to the work involved - invariably ending up being assigned to carry out menial tasks that are part and parcel of the daily drudge in Care Homes for the Elderly.

What a sheer bloody waste of talent! :cwm23:

[grahamw48]

I'll second that Arthur. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

(Nice to see you and the other insomniac Stewart have arrived...just got dark up there in the frozen North has it ? :D)

[imagine]

im having an early night :NEW5:

[grahamw48]

Is your lady friend watching you sleep on Skype ? :icon_lol:

I'm going to do some more night racing:drivingx:

.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nZcvIJcUuk&list=UUwOwcgQU8nL4OZjJS5sdmyw&index=1&feature=plcp

[imagine]

no :D i watched her sleep today,her morning i went to the bus station and rode on the bus with her while i sat on her lap :D

she is at work now its monday

[grahamw48]

Naughty boy. :laugher:

[Arthur Little]

I'll second that Arthur. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Thanks, Graham. It's a fact, though ... they're treated like slaves in those places. Yet you never hear so much as a word of complaint pass their lips. :NoNo:



(Nice to see you and the other insomniac Stewart have arrived...just got dark up there in the frozen North has it ? :D)

Ah ... Myrna goes to bed around 10.30 most nights - like she did in her teaching days back home - and maintains her habit of being an early riser. Too early for me - on BOTH counts. ;)

[imagine]

Naughty boy. :laugher:

the bus was full of gwapa teachers :D

[grahamw48]

the bus was full of gwapa teachers :D

.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KyhnBWoWxY

[imagine]

:laugher::laugher::laugher: now thats woken me up laughing :laugher::laugher:

[joebloggs]

It both angers and saddens me to see so many highly trained, Nursing Board Exam passers from the Phils who, when they come here to the UK, seem to find themselves bypassed for gainful employment in NHS hospitals :rolleyes: ... jobs for which they are every bit as qualified professionally as most British nurses - and very often temperamentally better-suited to the work involved - invariably ending up being assigned to carry out menial tasks that are part and parcel of the daily drudge in Care Homes for the Elderly.

What a sheer bloody waste of talent! :cwm23:

not sure about nursing, but i can speak for my misses on the doctor side, my misses is just about to finish 2yrs of foundation training in the UK, and this is what British medical students have to complete to be registered, and looking back the other day she told me the training and mentoring that she has had in the UK is by far superior to anything thing she did in the Phils.