DEAR NURSES: STUDY NOW, IMMIGRATE LATER. By Joel Duque In the Philippines there are conflicting data as to how many nurses are unemployed or underemployed. Some say it’s about 80,000 to 100,000. Other government agencies put the figure at about 400,000 . At any rate, it is undeniable that there is a huge surplus of nurses in the Philippines. Too many that they outnumber the job openings for them. And we are only talking about those who pass the board exam. How about those who failed? It’s not hard to discern that more than a majority of those failed will find themselves unemployed too. Their plight should discourage others to take up nursing in the first place. And it is more unlikely for them to claim that they take up nursing because they want to serve our country’s dire health care system. But really, the main reason for the nursing craze is that Nurses Parents wants their kids to practice abroad. And so they should! How many nurses who went to the Canadian Permanent Resident route and still waiting for the result? Process can take up-to 3 years! dont you know?? cic.gc.ca/english/inFORMation/times/perm/skilled-fed.asp#asia Everything in their lives are in suspended motion and by the time they get here they will for sure spend at least a year in school. Once you land in Canada, is going back to school the first thing in your mind? there’s really a slim chance of this happening. Many of these landed immigrant are disappointed often consumed by the lengthy process on how to be a nurse in Canada (see my previous post) and found themselves working survival jobs to make ends meet. MANY ARE WORKING IN LOWER SKILLED TYPE OF OCCUPATIONS such as AS NURSING AIDS, CASHIERS, service jobs, Tim Hortons ..really? decent jobs, dont get me wrong, but these ARE HIGHLY TRAINED NURSES, TOP IN THE WORLD!! I am very much sad when I meet some of these kababayans. Most disappointing is that they are EARNING AS LITTLE AS MINIMUM WAGE COMPARE TO $30+ per hour as an RN (see my previous post how much do nurses make in Canada). And, the worst part is when they finally realized that they should be a nurse. But then, all of their education and experience is far too old already and useless. Most will have to go back to school and start over again. On top, they are not getting any younger!! (hate to use age)... So, landed immigrant or permanent resident first does make some sense to most of us, but as an immigration practitioner I am not at all in complete agreement. Being as an Immigration Practitioner I like to think of my clients as my patients and care for them, educate them, minimize and explain risk and work with my plan to maximize their chances of success on becoming a Registered Nurse in Canada and the process to become a Permanent resident all in the same time. Throughout Canada there is high demand for nurses. This is because of Canadian low births and our aging population. We require more healthcare professionals and the experienced healthcare professionals that are on the front line of Canada’s health care system are also retiring. The perfect solution to this problem is to bring internationally graduated nurses NOW, study now, become a nurse now and certainly not 5 years from now!! A lot of our Kapwa Filipinos thinks, especially nurses that they should come here for free or with minimal expense, but those days are gone for North American opportunities. Our Philippines education exemplary as it is no match to the Canadian Standards. To live the Canadian dream is to play by their rules, a small price to pay, to be able to work as Professional RN. Ms. Debbi jean Enot will join my pioneering of Nurses who is going to change the way nurses enter Canada. We submitted Ms. Debbie’s Study permit on May 29, 2014 and she was granted the Visa on July 22, 2014. YES LESS THAN 3 MONTHS!! She arrived in Vancouver last Tuesday, August 5, 2014. She is to take a refresher course in a college accredited by the Canadian Immigration and surely find a job in related fields. Ms. Debbie and her family for most people is taking a big risk, but in all intents and purposes is a calculated risk, a win-win situation; 200% return on all investment incurred on the first year as a Nurse. Remind you that she can work as well and study on the same time. Ms. Debbie is now here excited to start her dream, smelling the air of Beautiful British Columbia... Following her Journey to the great Canadian Dream: PRICELESS!! Where you at????
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 00:01:22 +0000