Nursing: a new craze

by Nestor C. Punay, MD

I received an email from one of my friends who told me about the new craze: nursing. Doctors are flocking to nursing schools. This phenomenon is caused by the acute nursing shortage in the U.S. that is expected to last for a decade. Indeed, a shrewd, if not wise and calculated move among physicians. Personally, I am sympathetic to their cause. Professionally, I am petrified.

This craze is not new. This is a resurgence of the craze in the 80’s and early 90’s. The fact is Bohol had a crisis of sorts when many promising young doctors left for the U.S. in the mid- 90’s as nurses. Many of them were working at Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital before they left. Their departure created a void in the health care sector that would never be adequately filled. These doctors are now permanent residents and are living their American dream to the fullest. Most of them still work as nurses but a few did manage to get their medical license here.

The nursing shortage in the U.S. is so acute that many hospitals are forced to adopt desperate measures including outrageous signs on bonuses ($5,000 to 50,000!), higher salaries and more attractive benefits. One of the hospitals that I am affiliated with has been forced to close some floors because of the nursing shortage. The situation is so desperate that some nurses are enticed to work more hours by higher overtime fees. The nurses in our medical center are literally playing musical chair by working in one hospital and then with the neighboring hospital for moonlighting. It has been a common sight to see an ICU nurse in VA Medical Center working in the University Hospital on their day off.

The U.S. has strict laws as regards the ratio between nurses and patients. Thus, hospitals are expected to have a certain number of nurses working in proportion to the number of patients on the floor. This is to protect the patient’s welfare and safety and to ensure the delivery of quality healthcare. Violations of these laws result in stiff fines and penalties.

The Philippines is one of the favorite hunting grounds for quality health workers by the developed countries. Recently, Great Britain has been recruiting Filipino nurses like crazy to fill their nursing needs. And from all indications, the British are so far satisfied with our kababayans’ diligence, proficiency and competence. Many more nurses are expected to leave our dear motherland for greener pastures in Europe.

Because of the widely publicized high demand for nurses, more students are now flocking to nursing schools. Cognizant of this, Xavier University reopened its nursing school this year. You can expect parents to start selling carabaos, lots and borrow money in order to send their kids through nursing school. For many, this move is a no-brainer. For some, this is make-or-bust move.

The expense is no joke. Most nurses will have spent at least $10,000.00 from the time they enter nursing school to the time they set their foot in a U.S. hospital. And this is a rough estimate. Remember that placement fees are outrageously high (some report as high as $4,000.00) and the CGFNS or NCLEX are not that cheap either. Many take the plunge knowing that the chances of success are far greater than the risks. A nurse in London or in New York earns thousands more than their counterpart in our country. The last time I checked, a nurse in our country earns around 10,000 pesos per month. That’s loose change compared to the salary ($20/hour) of nurses here in the U.S. (You do the math!) The salary is beside the point. The real issue is the quality of life a nurse and his family enjoy in the U.S. This life could only be dreamed of if they remain in our country.

Many of our doctors are underpaid in comparison to doctors from developed countries. The nauseous disparity in the salary of our overworked medical residents and U.S. medical residents best illustrates this problem. During my time, a medical resident barely earns 6,000 pesos per month. Today, it is around 15,000 pesos. Still, this is at least 6 times lower than in the U.S.

A doctor working for the government does not do any better either. I know for a fact that many of them earn less than 25,000 pesos per month. Physicians engaged in private practice in our country do better than government physicians but are still way underpaid compared to physicians in the U.S. I know. I have experienced this myself and had seen and heard my colleagues complain loudly about the profession in our country.

I would not be surprised if our country will experience shortage of healthcare soon because of the endless stream of nurses and doctors leaving for overseas. But before we condemn these health workers as selfish and treacherous with colonial mentality, we should also understand that their decisions are based upon the bleak and seemingly helpless situation that their profession has to put up with in our country. Unless we address and correct these problems, the brightest of our country will continue to leave in droves. And there is nothing that anyone can do about it. *

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