Nursing Profession: A passport for prosperity in the West
Dr Girish Bhaskar
United States Of America is in the midst of a severe nursing crisis. Enough qualified hands are not available to meet the burgeoning demand for nursing services. With the baby boomers reaching sixty-five in a few years, the problem is likely to get worse. Keeping this reality, the US Congress is passing legislation to provide scholarships for student nurses and ease student loan repayment plans. In return the nurse must agree to work in badly needed areas. It is estimated that the US hospitals have more than 126,000 positions open for nurses. The US labor department expects the demand to grow by 21 % over the next six years.

To tide over the immediate nursing crisis, US hospitals are depending heavily on the nursing schools in the Philippines. The nurses in Philippines go through nursing degree courses, which follow the American curriculum. They also get an edge because they speak English fluently. Last year alone, 13536 nurses or about one quarter of the nurses employed at all the country's hospitals, left the Philippines on working visa. India has an opportunity to capitalize on the situation. It too has a raft of English-speaking student population. Traditionally Christian nurses from Kerala have worked in the US for more than three decades. Many of them will begin to retire soon. There was a time only Christians in Kerala choose to pursue a career in nursing. They worked in hospitals all over India. Later they moved to Middle Eastern countries, UK, Canada, Germany and USA.

Economic reasons and respectability of nursing profession began to attract Hindus and Muslims to nursing schools in Kerala. Three decades ago, in the US young females generally went to nursing and men became doctors. That situation has dramatically changed. Today women choose to go for careers in medicine, business, law and computer science. In other words today's American woman has more carrier choices to make.

A 1988 US immigration law made it easier for foreign nurses to work in America. Last year of the 75% of the 17000 foreign nurses who took the US certification examination, came from the Philippines. The annual supply of nursing graduates in the US has dropped by a quarter since 1995. At the same time demand for medical services is peaking as baby boomers head into retirement. This is bound to create a demand for foreign nurses like the demand for foreign doctors in America 3 decades ago.

In the US nurses' start at $ 35000 per year and with years of experience can reach above $ 60000. If they are willing to work overtime, the salary can reach above $80000. Nurses today have broad choices in the profession. Regular hospital nurses are in demand. Nurses are also needed in various specialties. Critical care nurses; cardiac nurses, operating room nurses and nurse parishioners command respectable salary. A nurse can also work in Home based care, marketing, public health, occupational health, research and teaching. Virtually every doctor's office has a nurse.

Kerala Government should take immediate steps to increase the supply of nurses with a bachelor's degree. Partner with the private sector towards this goal. While a bachelor's degree is not necessary, nurses with less than a BSc degree in nursing should be able to pass the certifying examination administered by the American Nursing Board. Government and private entities should provide special coaching classes for aspiring nursing students. Only those with compassion and empathy for people should pursue a career in Nursing. Patient care is hard work but can be rewarding professionally and economically. Nursing schools should impart training with emphasis on American curriculum. An added advantage is to master Spanish language. In States like California, Texas and Florida, knowledge of Spanish is an asset. Conduct American nursing examination for licensure in Kerala. Coordinate the Nursing export scheme through the NRI cell of the Government and let the American hospital association know that the State is interested in providing steady supply of qualified nurses for years to come. Set an aggressive recruitment goal of five thousand nurses per year. Provide them with basic computer skills and spoken English. Already established nurses from Kerala will be of immense help to the new arrivals. In a State with acute unemployment, The Government should seize the golden opportunity and develop a comprehensive and cohesive nursing export scheme.