Pinoys still most active job-seekers in US among foreign-educated nurses

Over a thousand Filipino nurses took the first step in gaining employment in the United States on the first half of the year—the most number among foreign-educated nurses—but a lawmaker said they should not get their hopes up.

“We do not expect the number of Filipino nurses seeking to practice their profession in America to increase any time soon,” said House Assistant Majority Leader and Cebu Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. “Healthcare labor market there remains somewhat bleak.”

Based on data reaching Gullas' office, 1,951 Philippine-educated nurses took the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for the first time from January to June this year, slightly higher compared to the 1,944 who took the same exam during the same period in 2013.

Gullas said based on statistics by the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. (USNCSBN), which administers the NCLEX, Filipinos are the most active job-seekers in the US among foreign-educated nurses.

He said 420 Indians, 300 Canadians, 266 Puerto Ricans and 234 South Koreans also took the NCLEX for the first time in the first semester of 2014.

Noting that US hospitals and nursing homes are still laying off workers, Gullas said it would be better for Filipino nurses to instead seek potential employment in the Middle East and other countries that continue to recruit foreign healthcare staff.

“Based on the latest report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in July alone, US hospitals shed off 7,000 jobs, while nursing care facilities there got rid of another 6,000,” he pointed out.

In 2013, a total of 4,034 Filipinos took the NCLEX for the first time, representing less than one-fifth of the record-high 21,499 that took the same examination at the height of the 2007 nursing boom. —KBK, GMA News

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