Posted on 02/23/2014 5:07:13 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Lucy Meg Quinit, pictured Friday at Trinity Health in Minot, is one of a group of 86 nurses from the Philippines recruited to work in Minot.
MINOT, N.D. – Filipino nurse Lucy Meg Quinit thought she and her family would miss home more as they adjust to a new life in North Dakota.
But Quinit is among more than 80 nurses from the Philippines that Trinity Health in Minot has recently hired, and the new recruits have formed their own support community.
“That’s one of the reasons we’re not getting so homesick,” said Quinit, who has worked for Trinity Health for one year.
International recruitment is one way Trinity Health has responded to western North Dakota’s oil development, which has increased patient loads in Minot while making it more difficult to retain staff.
“The oil boom has really, really had a tremendous effect on health care in general,” said Barbara Brown, Trinity’s chief nursing officer.
Trinity Health, a regional trauma center with a service area of 20 counties, continues to hire nursing graduates from local colleges and universities, as well as around the country, and has no problem getting applicants, Brown said.
But the high cost of living in Minot makes it difficult to attract and retain staff, and many hires from elsewhere in the country choose to move closer to family after they gain experience, Brown said.
Trinity Health responded by developing a recruitment plan, which included traveling to the Philippines about two years ago and interviewing more than 150 nurses, Brown said. During that trip, they hired 86 Filipino nurses, and they continue to conduct interviews via Skype when they have a qualified applicant, she said.
For Quinit, a native of Cebu City, the opportunity to work in the U.S. was something she wanted for years so she could have access to better opportunities.
“Nurses there are really paid so low,” said Quinit, 42.
Quinit moved to Minot about a year ago, and her husband, Dexter, and their sons Darren, 6, and David, 2, joined her after they completed the school year there and she had found an apartment.
Quinit works weekdays in Trinity’s podiatry clinic and her husband works nights and weekends for Trinity as a central processing technician, a schedule that allows one parent to always be with the boys.
In the winter, Darren has questioned why his mom would choose to move them to such a cold city, but he likes his school so much he wishes he could go to kindergarten on weekends.
“It wasn’t hard for him to adjust. He loved it right away,” Quinit said.
Most of the other Filipino nurses also have their families in Minot and they get together for birthday parties and holidays. They use technology to keep in touch with family back home.
“I still get to talk to them almost every day, if not every day,” Quinit said.
Trinity is now considering recruiting nurses from Canada as well, Brown said.
“I think we have to,” Brown said. “We have to continually look at all the different opportunities we might have because we’re not the only ones. Everyone’s struggling to make sure they have people.”
They typically make great wives, they’re still raised old school.
Don’t tell that to the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs (fka the Veteran’s Administration) as I haven’t had an American-born physician since the early 1980’s.
A person is far better off to stick with electrical or instrumentation.
It would take quite a while to fully respond but what I'll say for now is that reporting and assisting aren't *nearly* as mundane or uncomplicated as your post suggests that you believe they are.
Well said, and you even used the Canadian example I hold up to others.
A friend from graduate school who lived in Azerbaijan was able to enter Canada, but it required both he and his wife to have at least six years of college each and a spotless background check.
If the US did something more like that, we could appease those who wanted more immigration while kicking out all the leeches and criminals.
Yes,
I saw them do it, and I was part of it years ago as a IT Project Manager for a major IT firm.
The argument you give, is simply not true. If big business could figure out a way to save a buck hiring Pol Pot to teach ethics, they would do so in a second!
” Do you truly believe that most employers in this country would rather hire an Indian, Pakistani, Filipino or Chinese worker over an American? “ Take a look at how many American firms produce clothing in Vietnam, how many get busted every year trying to export arms to countries like Iran, Russia, China... For a buck, these noble and patriotic businesses (sarc) will fire their Americans and set up shop in Communist China (GM, Cisco), India (Dell, HP, etc), Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Turkey, Egypt...
boom-boom nurse from the P.I.?
I feeling a bit ill already ......
” my night nurse , you alone can fix this here curse....”
RE: “When the majority of college kids here won’t study engineering, the sciences, mathematics, medicine, nursing and the like, what is one to do? Go without?”
No.
Raise the pay, raise the benefits, improve working conditions.
Or - your solution - import foreign labor.
RE: “Do you truly believe that most employers in this country would rather hire an Indian, Pakistani, Filipino or Chinese worker over an American?”
Yes.
The foreigners are younger, and they can be compelled to work harder.
They work for less pay, fewer benefits, and they don’t complain about poor working conditions.
They want Green Cards, so they are docile.
They rarely quit, because, in many cases, visa law forbids them to seek a new employer, and because they need an employer’s sponsorship to get a Green Card.
RE: “Or is it that there is an inadequate supply of US workers to fill those slots?”
When there is an inadequate supply of gasoline, USA employers pay more for gasoline.
When there is an inadequate supply of labor, USA employers import foreign labor.
Wages go down, benefits go down, working conditions go down, and native born Americans walk away from that profession.
Gosh Mariner, guess you’ve never been hospitalized or with anyone that has, including having a baby. It sounds as if the Phillipino nurses are RN’s. That is a huge difference from a CNA, or certified nurses aid. The CNA’s, granted, take temps etc. RN’s are very highly,scientifically trained. They (we) actually have to check every move a doctor makes to make sure it’s correct. Our knowledge base is enormous. Geeesh
Is this the same Trinity Health care the feds raided in Florida and jailed the family members for organized crime. They were from Chicago. We lost our hospital because of them.
Best wishes. I don’t know where you live but be ready for a change in scenery. I don’t what city you are headed for but if it’s Williston be ready. It might be a hick town but evil people have come looking for a free ride
It’s been booming here for a very long time, no end in sight. We get some transients, but overall it’s a family town and we’re not that small, about 60,000.
Must be fargo or Bismarck
I agree that Nurses get good education in the biological and health sciences, but what, exactly, do they do that requires such knowledge?
Filipinos are wonderful people, male and female. Great people.
AND another one guilty of posting without reading the article. It CLEARLY mentions their husbands and children who came over with them. Preconceptions must come cheap today.
“They’re all hunting for rich dumb American husbands - the nursing thing is just the way in.”
Proving once again that the “ugly American” is not gone.
Grande Prairie, Alberta.
My sweet Filipina (soon-to-be-wife) is in the kitchen cooking. We were blessed with a rice sack full of camote (sweet potatoes), so she has gotten creative. We are opening a coffee shop and pizzeria, and she is looking for recipes to complement the coffee.
So. she cooked and mashed some camote, mixed it with sweet condensed milk and butter, and asked me to try it. I told her it needed more flavor and to try adding some cinnamon. She did and we liked it. The next trial was to make it into balls, dip in egg and flour, then fry it. Not so great.
BUT, the final product is a lumpia wrapper filled and rolled, then fried and brown-sugared like camote-q. Mmmmmm good and great with fresh brewed Batangas Kape (coffee for you 'kanos' reading along)!!!!
“BUT, the final product is a lumpia wrapper”
______________________________________________________
My wife frequently makes lumpia. It is a favorite with me.
I eat at least a dozen at one time.
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