Some Pinoy nurses no longer seek US jobs

26Oct09

A number of Filipino nurses no longer see the United States as the land of milk and honey.

According to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the number of nurses who indicated their desire to look for US jobs plunged by 21.38 percent in the past nine months this year.

Former Senator and TUCP secretary-general Ernesto Herrera said America has lost some of its allure as a land of greener pasture for foreign nurses and other highly skilled professionals.

A total of 11,854 Filipino nurses took the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for the first time from January to September 2009, a decrease of 3,225 compared to the 15,079 that took the test in the same nine-month period in 2008

“The confidence of foreign workers in America’s economic supremacy has clearly been shaken by the staggering job losses there,” Herrera said.

In 2008, a total of 20,746 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX for the first time. This was slightly down compared to the 21,299 Filipino nurses that took the test for the first time in 2007.

According to Herrera, only 3,582 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX for the first time from July to September 2009, down 1,660 or 31.66 percent compared to the 5,242 that took the test in the same quarter in 2008.

“The continued decline in the number of Filipino nurses seeking to practice their profession in America comes even after the establishment of an NCLEX testing center in Manila, which has made it easier for them to take the examination,” Herrera pointed out.

Before the local testing center was established in Manila, Filipino nurses had to travel overseas to take the NCLEX in Hong Kong, Guam or elsewhere, the TUCP said.

Filipinos still account for four out of every 10 foreign nurses seeking to enter the US nursing profession.

According to Herrera, the aggregate remittances of Filipino workers in America, including some 200,000 nurses, fell by $635 million or 11.84 percent to $4.731 billion in the seven months to August this year compared to $5.366 billion over the same period in 2008.