Lawmaker urges jobless nurses to work as clinical analysts in BPO industry

Nurses who are still unable to find jobs overseas or in local hospitals should consider applying as clinical analysts in the business process outsourcing sector, a lawmaker said Sunday.

Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education, said a growing number of BPO companies, particularly those servicing the US healthcare industry, are actively recruiting nurses for local employment.

“These outsourcing jobs for nurses require strong communication as well as analytical skills, and the readiness to work in shifts,” he said in a statement.

One of the jobs available for nurses in the BPO industry is medical coding, which involves the review and detailed analysis of the medical records of hospitals, physicians and diagnostic centers.

Medical coders list down all findings and treatments, including procedures performed, and then convert the records into international medical codes.

The simplified codes make it easier for healthcare providers in America to electronically manage and access their data.

The starting salary for healthcare outsourcing professionals range from P14,000-P18,000 while clinical appeals specialists employed in the BPO industry are paid between P20,000-P40,000, according to the Bureau of Local Employment’s Career Guide.

Nurses employed in the healthcare information outsourcing sector may even receive a higher pay depending on the hours of work, typing speed and type of employment.

“We are hopeful that these job opening will somewhat help ease joblessness among nurses,” Romulo said.

Based on data from the Department of Labor and Employment, some 300,000 nurses were unemployed as of 2012. Adding to the growing number of nurses seeking jobs are the 22,222 nursing graduates who had been issued licenses by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) this year.

The healthcare information outsourcing sector is considered one of the fastest-growing areas within the BPO industry, with over 100,000 medical-related jobs available to nurses, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in 2013. — Xianne Arcangel /LBG, GMA News