Aspiring nurses warned: 287,000 can’t find work

Published by rudy Date posted on May 21, 2011

Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) yesterday said hundreds of thousands of nurses remain jobless because of a saturated market and expressed hope that those who enroll in nursing this school year would do so for love of the profession.

“Since three years ago, there are some 287,000 nurses who are either unemployed or underemployed. There are so many nurses now who are working outside the health sector,” PNA president Dr. Teresita Barcelo said.

She said nursing students should not be in it for the money but to serve patients.

“We are not discouraging them from taking up nursing. We need nurses. But we just hope that their intention in going into nursing is not to go abroad but to take care of patients,” she said.

The past decade saw the mushrooming of nursing schools – many of them substandard – in the Philippines, owing to the demand for nurses in other countries. Even doctors joined the bandwagon and also took up nursing.

Barcelo noted that the industry eventually became saturated.

Many countries, on the other hand, had imposed stricter rules on hiring foreign nurses, leaving many Filipino nurses jobless.

“Before this (boom), most of those who take up nursing do so because they really want to serve patients. We hope to see that commitment and competence once again,” she said.

But Barcelo acknowledged that there is really a need to improve the working conditions and monetary compensation for nurses in local hospitals.

Despite the oversupply of nurses, the ideal ratio of one nurse per 12 hospital patients and one nurse per 5,000 in the community has not been reached.

She said that the government needs to allocate funds so that it could hire more nurses and give them better benefits. -Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star)

April –
MONTH OF PLANET EARTH!

“Climate change, El Nino,
and the Middle East conflict
are wreaking havoc on Planet Earth.”

Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the recommendations of the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry
against serious violations of protocols of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association.

Accept the National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!

#WearMask #WashHands
#Report Corruption #SearchPosts #TakePicturesVideos

April 24-30 — World Immunization Week

Daily Observances:

Apr 5 — International Day of Conscience
Apr 7 — World Health Day

Apr 15 — International Day of Wellness

Apr 21 — Civil Service Day
Apr 22 – World Earth Day
Apr 28 – World Day for Safety and Health
at Work

Aspiring nurses warned: 287,000 can’t find work

Events

#Coronavirus in Phl

Trade Union Solidarity Campaigns

Asbestos Campaign

No to Trafficking

Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

Categories