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Nursing Philippines: End of the Demand

The American Nursing shortage is over

Kenneth Mann.......http://icedragon7.hubpages.com/hub/N...of-the-Demand# 2. http://icedragon7.hubpages.com/hub/Nursing-Philippines-End-of-the-Demand#

A Lost Generation

Origins: A difficult life in the Philippines

The surge began in early 2002, or probably earlier. Philippine parents and students noticed that suddenly, nurses were leaving for the biggest land of prosperity for this former colony of America. The chance to immigrate via a US greencard, away from the terrible economic misery of the Philippines that awaited the majority of nurses beckoned to all. The United States was suddenly set square in the target sights of every parent as the dream destination for their children. Almost everyone had heard of someone (a neighbor, a friend) who used to be a lowly RN working in some local hospital but now in the USA with a fat signing bonus, a brand new house and one or two cars. Local Sunday papers began to fill with advertisements from recruiters coming to hire PH RN with mouth watering benefits: free airfare, relocation bonus and housing. From a mere 7,000 or so candidates passing each RN licensure exam, the numbers rose to awesome levels, reaching a high of more 90,000 examinees at the height of the nursing bandwagon frenzy. It is hard to believe that overnight, tens of thousands of PH students had become advocates of the caring profession. Suddenly, every Filipino high school graduate wanted to become a nurse, whether by choice or by parental pressure. The Me Too scramble had begun. Schools were flooded with veritable armies of students in white, scenes that were replicated in campuses all over the nation. Dubious new nursing schools sprouted all over the nation like mushrooms to meet (and cash in) on the insatiable need for Filipinos to try her his/her hand at nursing. For the first time, more males were also taking up this female dominated career. Other courses lost their student populations, that would surely affect the workforce in those fields in the years ahead. Engineers, lawyers and other non-medical professionals joined the rush, hoping that with their multiple entry US visas they could jump the line after graduation by adjusting status in America. The PH beat India, China and all other countries with regard to the number of RNs taking the CGFNS and NCLEX - two examinations needed to practice in the US. The PH PRC, who gave the biannual licensing examination earned record fees from the tens of thousands of examinees. As greed set in, the quality of RN education became affected, with substandard schools opening overnight to meet the demand. This would eventually result in a scandal that would taint PH nurses - a board examination leakage of test questions. There is one Board of Nursing in the US whose staff had verbally declared that they are using a magnifying lens on the transcript of all PH applicants as "they are all suspected of being FRAUDULENT".

Law of statistics

Tens of thousands of students who probably didn't even think of nursing as a career

were goaded, pushed and pressured by classmates, friends, relatives and starryeyed parents to take up the course, that presumably would land them at once a job in America. Little did those who were down the line know that with only 10,000 immigrant visas allocated to the PH per year for all professions under EB3, it was a statistical impossibility akin to the lotto that everyone would land in the milk of honey as an RN. An NCLEX examination center even opened in Manila to accommodate the massive number of applicants. CGFNS, another company whose VisaScreen is vital to be issued an immigrant visa was undoubtedly reaping bundles from the thousands of PH applicants. On top of these, the nurse had to take English examinations to be qualified. Not only was the path to getting the coveted US greencard financially arduous, it demanded a lot of tests to be passed, whose validity often had to be renewed due to the long wait times for EB3 visa approvals. What goes up... the law of supply and demand But as with all fads, several events would crush the dreams of more than half a million PH RNs - the exhaustion of immigrant visas and the great Recession that struck the US in 2008.When a nurse with a spouse and three children, five visas would be granted to them. The four visas given to the dependents would mean these were taken away from nurses waiting in line. With tens of thousands applying for EB3 visas under which RNs are classified, the result is a backlog of five to six years. This includes RNs waiting in the PH, other countries and those who were allowed to enter the USA as tourists and adjust their status. This was termed 'RETROGRESSION" by the State Department. With the collapse of the Housing Market, the US economy wasn't in a hiring mode, and many hospitals laid off their workers. This included nurses. Things were never the same again for PH RNs. New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Canada, Singapore, Norway and the Middle East would become alternative destinations for RNs, who due to their excessive numbers had saturated the job market in the PH. RNs were now even paying hospitals just so they could gain certificates for training experience. Call centers saved most jobless RNs as competition for every single post in hospitals had reached epic proportions. Endgame: Retrogression, Recession, Concurrence Now, in the US, more new RNs have joined the workforce, and the shortage has eased significantly and has even been questioned as moving into the realm of myth. Most recruiting agencies had closed down, hospitals abandoning their petitioned nurses still in the PH due to the economic Recession and more US grown RNs entering the workforce. Very few companies were willing to hire a nurse from the PH when the whole process would take 5 to 6 years. A new graduate from the US would be preferable. American nursing schools were catching up with the demand now and pouring more nurses into the system. Take the case of the Board of Nursing of California: an applicant needs to have a valid Social Security Number (SSN) in order to apply. So you have to be an immigrant or a citizen to be eligible. This effectively eliminates the PH nurses from ever applying to CA. And now, the CA BON has enforced another existing ruling calledCONCURRENCY to include all PH graduates. If you are from the PH, forget about applying to CA. Many PH RNs now resort to marrying American citizens (fiancee visas) whether for real or not - just to be able to enter the US legally. As for those carrying multiple entry visas, adjustment of status in the US is no longer an option, as there are no employers willing to hire. So most tourists go back to the PH empty handed, or try their luck by overstaying and transforming into illegal immigrants working as

caregivers, separated painfully from their families back home by decades. But there are still lucky ones, like many pinoys who came to America after getting Family-based immigrant visas. Most of these already finished their BS Nursing, and when the petitions by their parents in America came through, they breezed through immigration, ready to work in the US. Advice to parents and children The Demand is now over for PH RNs. There is no nursing shortage, at least in the US that needs any more PH immigrant nurses. Now, more than ever, parents in the PH must acknowledge this fact and turn away from a profession whose long term employment prospects appears dim for a decade or more. Continuing on this path would lead to wasted cash on tuition fees that could be used more productively in other endeavors.This would also save the future of their children (and avoid misery) who would rather be interior designers, engineers, lawyers, business men or nautical graduates. Doing otherwise would result in a jobless, unfulfilled, lost generation of professionals numbering close to a million. A positive result of this oversupply though, is that healthcare could conceivably improve as there are more RNs among the population. Medical school enrollment might also increase as jobless RNs decide to proceed to take up Medicine instead.Call centers will have an abundant pool of workers to hire. For the rest, a lot of time, effort and money had been sacrificed for the dream or chance of immigrating. 2013 Board Exams for Nursing The June 2013 Board Examination Result for Nurses in the PH shows a steady and perceptible trend - a rapid decline in examinees. From a high of more than 90,000 takers at the height of the perceived "nursing shortage in America", only 37,887 took the test this June 2013. Pinoy parents have begun to wake up and accept the fact, that the "craze" is now over and being a nurse in the PH means joblessness, even if you are a topnotcher in the exams. It doesn't matter, you're still one nurse among more than half a million queuing up for scarce positions in both the public and private sectors.
DISCLAIMER MEMO: I did NOT write this, this was passed on to me by another person. I don't know who the actual writer is, she didn't tell me, but it was passed on to her from another friend. But definitely the original writer deserves all the credit for coming out and describing exactly what has been happening from a historical standpoint to present day issues from the frauds to the concurrency to the current job market Last edit by Esme12 on Oct 26, '13 : Reason: source sited
jtmarcy12, Esme12, zero., and 1 other like this.

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Dec 10, '13 by francis_coup very well said! The American Dream for Pinoy nurses is close to impossible. Even though you get your green card and RN license in the US, it is still hard to get a job. Many employers in the US do not accept or consider Philippine nursing experience. They prefer those with US experience.

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Dec 15, '13 by zero. That's a nice article that should and must awaken my fellow Filipino nurses to the reality of nursing in the US. I got into nursing exactly as described at the beginning of the text, persuaded by my parents and relatives who promised to financially support my education but sooner or later was nowhere in sight a year after I shifted from Information Management to Nursing. Eventually I graduated and passed the Philippine Nurse Licensure Exam, but had to work in a bank for almost 2 years since there were no local hospitals that were hiring staff nurses simply because of the oversupply of newly licensed RN's in the Philippines. With the help of friends, I luckily got a slot for a "training program" at a nearby tertiary hospital and eventually got hired, and selected for specialization after a couple of years. And here I am now, a dialysis nurse working in the Caribbean, with 5 years of experience and counting. But it won't stop there. I'm planning to get my Master's in the next couple of years, and would do my graceful exit in the clinical aspect of nursing and level up to administration and management, or public health. The thing is, even if I got sucked into a terrible system dictated by economic needs, there are still ways to jump out of it. America is not the only place where nurses can have a flourishing career, there's Canada, Australia and the UK. There's a whole big world out there. So if America is closing its doors, then look

somewhere else. If the situation is not to your advantage, then instead of waiting for your papers in the pile thanks to Retrogression, it might be more practical to go look for other options. ninakarel likes this.

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Dec 15, '13 by loriangel14 Guide Other countries are also tightening up their requirements for foreign educated nurses. Canada has taken nursing off the list for Federal Skilled Worker visas.The US is not the only place that no longer needs to recruit for nurse from outside their borders. francis_coup, Esme12, and Fiona59 like this.

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Dec 22, '13 by Fiona59 Zero: Australia, Canada and the UK are no longer looking off shore for qualified nurses. Read these countries threads on this forum. Locally educated new grads are having a hard time finding full time work. Governments are cutting healthcare spending which results in layoffs. Nursing isn't the golden ticket some people think it is. francis_coup, Ginger's Mom, loriangel14, and 1 other like this. 1. US labor market tough for Filipino Nurses until 2020

ABS-CBNnews.com Filipino nurses may have difficulty entering the US labor market until 2020, according to party-list Rep. Arnel Ty. Right now, they have ample supply of US -educated nurses, said Ty, the representative in Congress of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers Association (LPG-MA). In a statement, Ty cited statistics from Americas National Council of State Boards of Nursing which show that the US produced close to a million nurses from 2006 to 2011.

Ty said the US demand for Filipino and other foreign nurses may start to recover in 8 years when thousands of US-based nurses would have retired. The US first encountered a shortage of nurses in 1998. This created a surge in number of Filipino nursing graduates hoping to get a career in the US. However, the gap has since been filled by the large increase in the number of American nurses, plus a deluge of foreign-educated practitioners. Due to the huge oversupply of nurses in the Philippines, both the Commission on Higher Education and the Professional Regulation Commission have been urging high school graduates to shun nursing.

Late response Ty blamed regulators for their late response to labor market conditions. They should be more aggressive in researching and projecting future labor market conditions, both here and abroad, to help guide young Filipinos as to potential career paths, he said. Regulators are just reacting to what is already happening, such as the apparent glut of nursing graduates. Their late advisories would be more valuable once these are predictive and instructive, rather than merely reactive, Ty said. From 1995 to 2011, Ty said a total of 145,081 Filipino nurses sought to practice their profession in America by taking for the first time (excluding repeaters) the US licensure exam, or NCLEX. However, Ty said that from 2006 to 2011 alone, a total of 938,552 US nursing graduates also took the NCLEX for the first time. Special jobs plan Ty said he has been pushing for a new law that would establish a special local jobs plan for idle Filipino nurses, now estimated at more than 300,000. He has filed House Bill 4582, which seeks an expanded version of the Nurses Assigned in Rural Service or NARS, the short-lived Philippine government project that enlisted nurses to improve healthcare in poverty-stricken towns. Tys said the Special Program for the Employment of Nurses in Urban and Rural Services (NURSE) would mobilize a total of 10,000 practitioners every year.

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Aug 31, '12 by steppybay It's getting bad for us PH students and nurses, as in CA and many other states, they are hiring what's called "internals", which is hiring from within, of those that did their clinicals in their hospitals. Many hospitals are also going into a "Magnet" status and makes it easier for their students to go right into their nursing jobs upon graduation and just need to pass the NCLEX. While the actual open spots in each hospital is still very limited, not all internals gets hired, but many stand a good chance to get hired into other hospitals. Kujaji and riena_pie like this.

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Aug 31, '12 by Kuyafern Now this is terrible. Spread the awareness. So much for "demand". Kujaji and riena_pie like this.

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Sep 1, '12 by steppybay
Quote from Kuyafern

Now this is terrible. Spread the awareness. So much for "demand".

I'm trying, lol. Telling my other friends and others that are looking to come to the States later on, I mean, who knows, things could change, but I can clearly see this article is right on the outcome. I give them the information and it's up to them to make their own decisions, knowing that it's not only their time in years and the thousand's of $$$ spend, but to keep a realistic view on the nursing job market, as that is one of the main reasons we're wanting to be nurses. I liken it to how the job market is in the Phils, it's bad, yes, just as bad in the States with the extreme stiff competition with the thousand's of US educated students and nurses. Yes, there are still the personal care giver jobs, jobs in LTC, nursing homes, clinics, etc for some PH job seekers, but really the truth is I think most of us newer generation PH grads prefer the medium to larger hospital settings. For someone like me and several other PH friends, we would like that, plus to be working in the Peds unit versus being with the adults. riena_pie likes this.

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Sep 1, '12 by Kuyafern dead on. the thing is though, i've tried to warn other friends and they won't listen. I even tried to warn them about the problem the concurrency issue but they won't listen. They have to learn the hard way. The only way to alleviate the populated nurses in the Philippines is to limit the number nursing enrollees. Now the US is trying to alleviate the over population here by enforcing strict regulations specially in California.

No wonder Vermont started to enforce such regulations. thousands of nurse graduates without SSN have been applying for the NCLEX. Now our only hope is finding a state that don't have the concurrency issues. What I've come to observe is states with higher population of Nurse applicants are enforcing strict regulations and loads of requirements such as California, Vermont, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Florida. I'm not sure about NY because there are still applicants who were able to get their ATT. It's a matter of time before all states enforce the requirements just like California. Kujaji and riena_pie like this.

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Oct 3, '12 by riena_pie Kuya fern and Steppybay it's sad I'm on my 1st year now this is actually my second degree I've learned my lesson from joinin the bandwagon before of getting a Compurterscience degree too bad it wasn't for me I just applied in a call center biz after I graduated I worked as customer service agent for 5 yrs and moved to Florida to study CNA and got my license there and work in a hospital. Sad because I coudnt find a job at that time due to bad economy recession is still on and this is the longest ever!Now I'm pursuing BSN coz I liked the CNA job and I was working in a pediatric ward. Lucky me now my boss wants to rehire me if ever I plan to come back due to this concurrency issue here in PH.Now I'm not so sure if stil leant to continue my studies here in PH.From all the stories I've have read I just want to quit and forget about nursing or BSN just end up working as CNA.Or wait till I save up money to study in a private school for LPN instead.And Kuya fern u stated thatNo wonder Vermont started to enforce such regulations. thousands of nurse graduates without SSN have been applying for the NCLEX. Now our only hope is finding a state that don't have the concurrency issues. What I've come to observe is states with higher population of Nurse applicants are enforcing strict regulations and loads of requirements such as California, Vermont, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Florida. I'm not sure about NY because there are still applicants who were able to get their ATT.It's a matter of time before all states enforce the requirements just like California.So how about for student whose immigrants or US citizen meaning we already have SSN # jut like me I'm immigrant.Is there a bigger chance to get approve if I already have SSN?And all I need to do is process all my documents for CES and NCLEX?Just wonderin!Thanks

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Oct 3, '12 by RhanSantiago84 It's utterly frustrating finding a Nursing School if any at all.

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Oct 3, '12 by Kuyafern Hey there Riena,so does this mean you are in the Phils right now currently in a nursing program? I would encourage you to continue with your education. It's pretty tough for now and the economy is slowly trying to go back up. It's pretty hard for the economy to directly boom back up. Most schools in the philippines are trying to revise their curriculum to meet the US standards. I wouldn't give up if I were you. Most states now require an SSN and if you do have one that's one major advantage you have from non SSN holders. I would also suggest get a license from the Philippines as well. Just keep moving forward, and trust your struggles.
Quote from riena_pie

Kuya fern and Steppybay it's sad I'm on my 1st year now this is actually my second degree I've learned my lesson from joinin the bandwagon before of getting a Compurterscience degree too bad it wasn't for me I just applied in a call center biz after I graduated I worked as customer service agent for 5 yrs and moved to Florida to study CNA and got my license there and work in a hospital. Sad because I coudnt find a job at that time due to bad economy recession is still on and this is the longest ever!Now I'm pursuing BSN coz I liked the CNA job and I was working in a pediatric ward. Lucky me now my boss wants to rehire me if ever I plan to come back due to this concurrency issue here in PH.Now I'm not so sure if stil leant to continue my studies here in PH.From all the stories I've have read I just want to quit and forget about nursing or BSN just end up working as CNA.Or wait till I save up money to study in a private school for LPN instead.And Kuya fern u stated thatNo wonder Vermont started to enforce such regulations. thousands of nurse graduates without SSN have been applying for the NCLEX. Now our only hope is finding a state that don't have the concurrency issues. What I've come to observe is states with higher population of Nurse applicants are enforcing strict regulations and loads of requirements such as California, Vermont, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas,

Florida. I'm not sure about NY because there are still applicants who were able to get their ATT.It's a matter of time before all states enforce the requirements just like California.So how about for student whose immigrants or US citizen meaning we already have SSN # jut like me I'm immigrant.Is there a bigger chance to get approve if I already have SSN?And all I need to do is process all my documents for CES and NCLEX?Just wonderin!Thanks

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Oct 4, '12 by proudpinay @ riena_pie...You still can never be sure even if our universities in the Phil.take action with the concurrency issue and besides BON in any state mightcome up with something new that will cause denial for foreign grad.so if I were you just finish your education here in the US it's like being safe from any problem in the future...I have cousins taking up nursing in the Phils. and even if their school is trying to change the curriculum to meet with CABON requirements still they are not really sure what will the outcome would be once they apply to sit for the Nclex exam.. Kujaji likes this.

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Oct 4, '12 by Kuyafern if you do continue on going back to school here you would need to meet prerequisites that may take up to a year and then also deal with the waiting list 1-2 years for most schools. It's true that if you go to college here and graduate you won't have the problems a majority of international graduates are facing. The hard part is getting into a program. If finance is a problem, there's always aide's. It's really your decision. 1. you continue the education there but i would advise you to coordinate with your clinical coordinators and dean to complete your cases concurrently and have the right amount of hours. after graduating you may have to deal with this issue. 2. you can go back here in the US continue your education complete the prerequisites, and take your chances in getting into a program. it may take a year or two before you get in one. but in the end you won't have trouble applying for the exam.

it's all about taking risks. Kujaji, wena, and proudpinay like this. 1. Oct 4, '12 by steppybay The one main concern that seems to be mentioned by a couple of PH friends enrolled now is that they seem to be adjusting the clinicals and theory parts together, BUT they are much worried in doing that, the schools may now be "shortening" (or reducing) the hours that's required by the CA BON. They are lessening the hours to make sure the students can get in their clinicals. So guess what? PH grads you now are 110% in compliance with the concurrency rule, but you're lacking 1-2-3 hours in this or that course. FAIL Again, as I have said before, does the CHED know what's going on or does the PRC and PNA not know what the heck to do? These agencies really need to get their act together, hire someone who is an USA expert in CA BON rules and regulations. Someone commented here that why should the PH schools and colleges and government bother trying to meet the US standards? I say, well, because it's known that 33% of PH grads will want to or come to CA, with who knows what other smaller percentage wants to go into other States, maybe another 17% spread out over 35 States? That's 50%, that's why. Kujaji likes this.

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Oct 4, '12 by CrunchRN Not to rain on your parade, but the over supply is so bad now that often every new grad position in Cali gets 200 applicants. And most other states are just as bad. I have head North Dakota is looking for nurses though so you might try that. Fiona59 likes this.

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Oct 4, '12 by proudpinay [QUOTE=Kuyafern;6969683]if you do continue on going back to school here you would need to meet prerequisites that may take up to a year and then also deal with the waiting list 1-2 years for most schools. It's true that if you go to college here and graduate you won't have the problems a majority of international graduates are facing. The hard part is getting into a program. If finance is a problem, there's always aide's. It's really your decision. 1. you continue the education there but i would advise you to coordinate with your clinical coordinators and dean to complete your cases concurrently and have the right amount of hours. after graduating you may have to deal with this issue. 2. you can go back here in the US continue your education complete the prerequisites, and take your chances in getting into a program. it may take a year or two before you get in one. but in the end you won't have trouble applying for the exam.it's all about taking risks.[/QUOTE Very true Kuyafern it's about taking risks... we can do it...

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Oct 4, '12 by steppybay
Quote from CrunchRN

Not to rain on your parade, but the over supply is so bad now that often every new grad position in Cali gets 200 applicants. And most other states are just as bad. I have head North Dakota is looking for nurses though so you might try that.
I would like to correct you on your applicant numbers for CA, you're missing a zero, lol. No, but seriously, I know what you're talking about. I have a few USA nursing friends now and they tell me of how hospitals and even medium size ones are getting over 1,000 applicants on average, some less around 600-800 for only a few openings. UCLA had something like over 3,000. San Diego hospitals getting over 1,000 applicants. Many of the on-line applications are shutting down after reaching a few hundred, some closing the application process mid-way as the computer system gets overloaded and we're talking about open to apply for only a few hours! One is employed with the big LA hospital I mentioned, a couple of others in LA too but different hospitals and it took them almost a year, but many of their friends are still looking, so sad.

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Oct 4, '12 by CrunchRN It used to be no matter how bad your work history you could easily get a job there. The over supply thing is just evil greediness by schools and corporations. Good luck to you guys though. I certainly understand wanting to be able to make a decent living for yourselves and your families.

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Nov 9, '12 by greenjungle

It's not even until 2020. The US has caught up with its RN "shortage", there will be plenty to meet the demand and some. More like for good.