Posted on 12/12/2004 12:23:44 AM PST by nickcarraway
TWO congressmen Saturday urged the government to ask the United States to reconsider a policy to stop processing work permits for Filipino and other foreign nurses beginning Jan. 1 next year.
The labor and foreign affairs departments have to act fast and negotiate the opening of new labor markets for Filipino nurses and other overseas Filipino workers, said Representatives Roseller Barinaga (NPC, Zamboanga del Norte), chair of the House committee on labor and employment, and Lorna Silverio (Lakas, Bulacan), chair of the committee on interparliamentary relations and service.
A US state department bulletin said that starting Jan. 1, 2005, the US government will not be processing applications for work permits filed after January 2002. This means that the usual 60-day wait for approval could now drag on for years.
Barinaga said the US decision would have serious repercussions on the country, which has long been a major source of nurses for hospitals in the US, Canada and the Middle
"It's a major blow to the country which is known for producing highly-trained nurses. It's so sudden. We should have been given enough time to deal with it considering that many of our nurses have pending applications," he said.
Barinaga said the government should express to the US its "deep concern and objection to its policy," or ask that it exempt Filipino nurses from the restriction "since our local nurses are highly qualified to work in US hospitals."
Interestingly, the Philippines is one of the few countries in the world whose citizens would have voted for Bush over Kerry.
You must be High on somthing. The two or three page spread in the help wanted ads are'n't because we are lacking quaified people, it is because we lack willing people.
And in our Community, even lowering Standards and Boosting Incentives cannot create a minimum Classroom to teach.
Why is 2/3 of every Major City Newspaper Help Wanted Ad Section comprised of Healthcare / Nurse related Jobs?
(I tend to keep track of these things) They don't call it "Help Wanted" for nothing.
I am all for importing educated people to the US from anywhere, especially from the Philipines, which in my opinion has one of the best school systems on the planet.
I am against unskilled Welfare Recipients sneaking accross the Border under the cover of Darkness to receive our Fine Medical Treatment, only to sneak back to Canada and tell us how Great they have it afterwards.
(jus a Lil twist for the Hollyweirds)
Smart Folks, and that being said with a "Large" Muslim population.
Things that make you say "uhmmm"
"US to reconsider nurse policy, solons urge gov't (Philippines)"
The Title wouldn't make sense if was PI Congress
The Philippines is a special case, for many reasons, among them (a)was formerly a US Territory, from 1898 to 1946,(b) almost everyone there speaks English(see (a)), and (c)we are very popular and respected there, for the aforementioned (a)plus our culture, ideals, republican democracy, way of life, religion, sense of fair play, etc... If there is any country in the world that has modeled itself on the USA, at least on the surface, it is the Republic of the Philippines. Manila is the only city in the world outside the United States with a US VA hospital, since so many Filipinos served in the US military. If any country deserves a break from the US Congress, it is the Philippines. While they are at it, they should make it easier for Americans to marry and bring their Philippine spouses here without inordinate red tape.
I'm thinking retirment homes, Real Estate, the PI is such a Lovely place, but their #1 export is People, Educated People and if I didn't mention it damn fine Americans.
(Proud Americans, I might add)
The Title wouldn't make sense if was PI Congress
The title doesn't make sense and it does refer to the PI congress. The article is very misleading. The U.S. is simply changing the entry procedure. In the past we have fast-tracked the nurses by letting them in on a waiver permit. They work here for years before they get green cards. Now the U.S. is going to make them apply and get a green card first. It won't stop anyone that wants to come here and work as a nurse. The change is procedure is for security reasons.
In the last year or two the US has seen an increase in nursing applications at colleges. Now, this is being addressed by increasing class sizes (increasing instructors) and in a year to three years the U.S. will be producing more U.S. nurses. Perhaps, they are forecasting the output of U.S. colleges in that time frame.
I know of one possible reason why. My wife is a nurse, and out of two Filipino nurses that came into the country to work here, both of them ended up having TB. They aren't screening them properly. TB is rampant in the Philippines.
It caused my wifes nursing home to be quarantined, everyone had to take tests, including all residents. 2 old people got it and died before they figured out it was the Filipino's that were the ones who brought it into the home.
I don't know if that's the reason in this case, but it's possible.
TB has been rampant in the Phoenix area for at least 5 years now. The local population is largely ignorant of this, though.
Of all the countries that we can accept immigrants from, PI is very high on my list.
IMHO, the only shortage of nurses exist in hospitals and nursing homes. Community health and other non traditional areas of nursing have no problem filling spots. Hospital nursing is extremely difficult, with high stress, low wages, terrible hours. It's been my experience that hospitals refuse to examine any sort of flexible sheduling for those of us who would be willing to work, but cannot commit to a certain number of shifts, or hours because of age, family obigations or health.
Where in my post did I say the government should train them? Where do you think nurses come from? They come from college programs that have trained them in the profession. You don't just wake up one day and become a nurse and it is not a profession you can learn as an apprentice. It takes a lot of hard core academic study and work. If the government were to get involved and encourage colleges to add additional training programs when there is a screaming need for nurses what would be the problem? It is very much for the common good and every one will win. I'd rather see that than see more liberal classes like "Transgendered Gerbils Studies and Their Associated Psychology" being paid for by federal financial aid.
Nothing says private training programs which accept no federal dollars could not also be set in motion. I would like to see programs offered through hospitals much in the same way they were in the 1930's and 40's At that time student nurses lived in dorms and did part of their time on the floor and took their academic classes though local colleges. The colleges have taken over the whole thing at this point. Floor time is still required but it is the colleges who are in charge not the hospitals. This is due in large part because the profession has become much more complex and requires students with a more rigorous background in the maths and sciences. Private funding is available to students in large block grants and scholarships already. The pharmaceutical companies know that there is a need for nurses and are willing to open their purse strings. The issue is not money it is the inability to get a seat in a class.
More nursing programs would help people who have the brains and the desire get into a solid, honorable, life long profession. They in turn will pay a bunch of taxes like everyone else once they are out of school. Do you want all the nurses who care for you hardly able to speak English simply because Americans can not be bothered to set up enough training programs for their own citizens? Is it not better to help our own citizen first rather than those from foreign countries?
This is so true. People are leaving the profession because they are burnt out and used up. This policy of mandatory overtime needs to be changed. In a lot of states they are addressing this part of the problem. I am sure many would stay working as nurses if they could have a shift that would actually work with the rest of their life. As it is now they need to chose between being a nurse or having a normal life with their families. Nursing is losing because the demands placed on workers is unreasonable.The pay scale has started to come as more nurses leave the profession but all they do is get in a new batch and burn them out too.
I agree with high stress and terrible hours, but there are regularly running ads around here for hopital nurses to come work with a 2k sign-on bonus. The nurses I know are doing pretty well.
Cool idea. But considering all the Filipino support workers, there are probably 2 of them for every nurse now.
But then they’re typically off salary, working 25% more and getting paid 5% more with all the take home headaches. Smart nurses frequently turn now these “opportunities” like hot potatoes.
Money doesn't make up for missing the important events in my kids lives because I had to work!
I can tell you as a male RN, foreign nurses are't as easily assimilated into our hospital systems as we are lead to believe, but the Philapino's are some of the best of them. They seem to settle well into the cardiac and telemetry ICU's very well!
My hat is off to you. Trust me. I was married to a PA for 9 years. The work wrecked our marriage (but our friendship has remained).
NOT good.
We have a nursing shortage in this country as it is.
(:::::waving:::::!)
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