GLOBAL NURSE
October-December 2021
England

ENGLAND

Omicron: NMC takes action to address nursing workforce gaps

 

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has reopened its emergency Covid-19 register to internationally trained nurses, in light of the “increasingly severe pressures” being caused by the Omicron wave.

The move by the NMC comes as health and care services struggle with rising numbers of staff going off sick or needing to isolate, as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly across the UK.

Latest official data from NHS England shows Covid-19-related staff absences have been steadily rising since the end of the November. The absences come on top of pre-existing nursing shortages, with NHS Digital statistics showing 39,813 nurse vacancies across England in the second quarter of 2021-22.

The NMC said that, in order for an internationally trained nurse to join the temporary register, employers needed to provide assurance that the person was “fit, proper and suitably experienced to work in the emergency”.

Source: Nursing Times

PHILIPPINES

Trek to greener pasture abroad continues, grows among PH nurses

 

The exodus of nurses in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic has gotten worse as 25 percent more Filipino nurses migrated to the United States to practice their profession..

At least 46 percent of Filipino nurses had passed the NCLEX on their first attempt, while around 27 percent of repeaters made the grade. Since 1994, a total of 218,006 Philippine nursing graduates have taken the NCLEX for the first time.

Aside from the US, countries such as Brunei and Saudi Arabia have previously opened more job opportunities and offered to host more Filipino nurses.

The high COVID-19 case count in the Philippines, paired with the slow release of benefits for health workers amid high demand for Filipino nurses abroad have already enticed many to leave.

Source: Inquirer.Net

 

4%

of registered nurses in the
United States are Filipinos
as of 2021.

(Source: CNN)

border  

13%

of all foreign-born health-care workers in
the U.S. are immigrants from the
Philippines 

(Source: Migration Policy Institute U.S.)

  border

75%

of the 2.6 million foreign-born healthcare
workers in the U.S. in 2018 were
women.

(Source: Migration Policy Institute U.S.) 

USA

Visa Backlog Blocks Nursing Help in U.S., but Progress Seen

 

As the country grapples with COVID-19 and a need for more nurses, many foreign health care workers have been waiting for permission to enter the U.S. .

Observers say they’ve started to see progress on efforts to streamline the immigration visa process to allow more internationally trained health professionals to work in the U.S. and help address widespread nursing shortages amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But they also say more needs to be done.

An estimated 10,000 foreign-trained nurses have been on the waiting list for an interview, with the average wait time anywhere from 12 to 18 months. “There has never been a more urgent need for the care that foreign-trained nurses provide than during the current COVID-19 pandemic and its looming aftermath,” AHA President and CEO Richard J. Pollack wrote. “These professionals play critical roles in ensuring the health of the communities we serve.”

Source: US News

CANADA

Ontario will deploy internationally educated nurses to hospitals dealing with staffing shortages

 

Ontario will deploy internationally educated nurses to hospitals and long-term care homes facing staffing shortages due to COVID-19.

Health Minister Christine Elliott made the announcement while speaking about health-care capacity, saying international nurses who have applied to practice in Ontario "will have the opportunity to meet their applications requirements by working in health-care settings under the supervision of a regulated health-care provider."

Elliott said more than 1,200 applicants have already expressed interest and will be matched with hospitals and long-term care homes later this week.

According to the government, the median stay in intensive care for a COVID-19 patient is currently seven days, compared to 20 days during the peak of the Delta wave.

The highly infectious Omicron strain has been driving up staff shortages across essential sectors including hospitals even as admissions have steadily risen.

Source: CTV News

INDIA

Job postings for ‘registered nurses’ increased by 12% over a year 

 

Approximately 61,00,000 healthcare workers are on Covid duty in India, however, it is likely to question if the workforce is enough to tackle the health emergency. Needless to say, healthcare workers are in high demand. But it is not easy to fill those roles. To identify the hardest-to-fill healthcare roles, Indeed, a renowned employment portal compiled a list based on the percentage of jobs unfilled after two months. Of all the roles, the nursing profile appears thrice on the list — nurse to doctor ratio in India is estimated to be 1.7:1 on the basis of recent NSSO data. Hospitals are also looking for coding specialists and medical writers. While nurses’ jobs are hard to fill, they are also the most-posted. Job postings for ‘registered nurses’ saw an increase of 13 per cent in August 2021 as compared to August 2020 on Indeed. Along with nurses, job postings for physicians (7 per cent), laboratory technicians (6 per cent), pharmacists (5 per cent) and nurses (4 per cent) also showed a steady increase.

Source: The Indian Express

  

39,813

nurse vacancies across
England, in the second quarter
of 2021-22.

(Source: Nursing Times)

border  

In 1927,

first Diploma in Nursing
examination took place at London
University.  

(Source: nursing Times)

  border

86%

of international nurses providing care in the
United States have treated COVID-19
patients.

(Source: US News)

HOME OF INSCOL

In the Spotlight: Bhumika Bassi making her dreams come true in Canada!

Eyes full of dreams, bags full of ambition, and a mind scared to step into the unknown. Setting her foot in Canada as an international student, this was Bhumika’s true state of being. One never knows what the future has in store but being persistent to make the best out of their circumstances, surely helps.

Bhumika Bassi, is an INSCOL alumna who started her journey as an international nursing student in 2017 in Canada. While we were in conversation with her, we managed to take note of the few important moments from her vivid experiences in Canada.

Coming from a humble Indian family, Bhumika never saw nursing as a profession that could route her to international career opportunities. She chose to study nursing because she wanted to fulfil her dream of landing opportunities in countries like Canada and Australia.

On being asked about her initial days in Canada, Bhumika mentioned, “It was a leap of faith for me. I received mental support from my friends and family back in India but I did not have the actual physical support system. Like, a family to go to when I felt lonely. I totally came alone and from being all by myself to knowing almost everyone now, it has been a great journey for me”.

Talking about the importance of co-curricular activities, Bhumika added that she started participating in fashion shows alongside her graduate program in India. Her first fashion show was inter-college participation where she ended up winning the title. With beauty pageants and nursing going hand in hand, she had already begun exploring two diverse fields. After her first, she participated in and won many beauty pageants in India as well as in Canada.

Achievements in a nutshell

On being asked about her experience of preparing for the licensure examination in Canada, Bhumika mentioned, “I saw that people were going to different agents to apply for their work permit. But with INSCOL, we were the special ones. INSCOL would offer us services related to the NNAS application, work permit extension, etc. without any added costs. INSCOL team changed my vision and they encouraged me to think that I can sit for the RN exam. I studied on my own for the examination and booked the last available date for the exam as I wasn’t so sure about my preparation. I studied very diligently, asked my friends for their suggestions, and watched plenty of YouTube videos on ways to clear the examination. After my exam, I cried thinking I won’t pass since the criteria was really tough to meet. After 12 hours of the exam, at 4 am I received an email alert stating I had cleared the examination”.

By reaching out to our alumni, we intend to discover success stories that can inspire future global nurses. Concluding our conversation with Bhumika, we asked her to share a word of advice that can help any of our international nurses planning to pace forward in their pursuit. So, here is what she had to say.

“When I start my day, I only aim for a broader vision. Always look for the things you feel you cannot reach for. Because those are the things keeping you away from your destination. Do not aspire for money. Aspire for a position and a good designation. You might not be making enough as pay but you never know what it is going to strike in your brain and just like me…from a volunteer, you might become what you’ve always wanted to become”.

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