Global Brain Drain
It might be trite but true, the demand for nurses in the U.S. is growing. And recruiters continue to reach across continents for their new hires.
This might help U.S. facilities. But what is it doing to the countries from which they hail?
A news article in the Philippines' Sun Star Baguilo reports nurses on average stay about 2-3 years at a hospital on their homeland before seeking more lucrative careers oversees.
New nurses staying on board for 1-2 years after school is common in the states. But there is an interesting twist to this particular story.
Filipino physicians are now enrolling in nursing courses, according to the article. At the hospital where this occurs, an administrator reports the lack of physicians is not felt.
That might be because the country has an "oversupply of nurses." An article posted on Global Nation provides a headline most U.S. nurses can only dream of - "Oversupply of Nurses Plagues RP"
But too much or too little of one thing cannot be good.
According to University of the Philippines College of Nursing Dean Dr. Josefina Tuazon, due to the numerous nursing graduates this year at 67,728, hospitals turn to volunteer nurses - cheaper because they are unpaid - to accommodate the new grads.
Without a local demand, new grads go unemployed. And when they do get those 2-3 years in somewhere, many seek high-paying jobs in the states, Saudi Arabia and Japan.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration deployed a total of 13,525 licensed nurses around the world in 2006.