Nursing links

[Doc Alan]

Many members and their relatives are nurses or are involved through romance and marriage. The forum is therefore well informed and able to offer help and advice .
As there are more nurses trained than needed in the Philippines, it is on the UK Department of Health list allowing " ethical recruitment ". But we all know tighter immigration requirements for overseas workers, cutbacks, and recruitment from EU countries have dashed the dreams of many nurses from the Philippines.
For those committed to the UK, there's the second best option of healthcare assistants. But we need more nurses - watch " Call the Midwife ", as recommended by Rosie, which highlights our present crisis in maternity care. From next year nurse training in the UK is graduate-only. In my opinion that will put off girls and boys from a nursing career, worsening the shortage. But it may also increase - once again - the need for nurses from the Philippines.
These links may be useful to understand the present situation.

1. http://www.nmc-uk.org/Registration/J...de-the-EU--EEA ( Essential document from Nursing & Midwifery Council )
2. www.pnauk.org.uk ( Philippine Nurses Association of UK )
3 .www.nhscareers.nhs.uk
4 .www.ielts.org ( International English Language Test )
5.www.rcn.org.uk/nursing ( Royal College of Nursing website )
6. www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16252846 ( Regulation of Healthcare assistants )
7. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...ipinos-uk-jobs ( nurse training in Philippines and lack of vacancies in UK )
8. www.emigrate.co.uk/news/2213342.html ( UK nurse immigration slows ).
9. http://www.nursing-agencies-list.com...nformation.asp ( information for overseas nurses in UK )

[raynaputi]

Thanks Doc Al for this.. it might be useful for my brother (he's currently a company nurse in Makati) if ever he would be interested to work here.

[Sim11UK]

Good information. My Brother went to recruit nurses from the Philippines, for the NHS in the good old days.

[Terpe]

This is very interesting and great information for me.
Our daughter is a nurse and currently still working for free as a volunteer.

[Blesslady]

Thank you Doc Alan for sharing with us this useful link and great Info.wish I can register at NMC and join NHS..

[Rosie1958]

As always, a very useful and informative thread Doc Alan

Other than raising the academic level of our future nurses for the sake of it, or to reduce competition, I don’t understand the reason behind the requirement for a degree ,unless of course the Health Authorities want to increase the salary being paid, which I very much doubt. Is the role changing Doc Alan?

Many of our nurses have already moved into the private sector and I was very pleased to meet the new nurse who started at my brother’s nursing home this week. A petite and very pretty young Filipina who has the most enormous smile, bless her who was delighted to hear that my brother can speak Tagalog

For anyone interested, the current BBC1 programme on TV on Sunday nights at 8pm named Call the Midwife is actually based on midwifery in the 1950s. Through it’s characters, the programme demonstrates the social and medical problems experienced some 60 years ago which have helped to develop the service into what it is today.

[Doc Alan]

Thanks Rosie . The NMC carried out a review of pre-registration nursing education about two years ago. Their consultation included an online survey and " live " events round the UK. The Review was " part of the UK Government's Modernising Nursing Careers Initiative, focusing on the need for nursing programmes across the UK to change, so nurses of the future can meet the needs of patients and clients ( ) safely and effectively. " Consultation was closed at the end of 2010. They went ahead with their controversial plans, and training to be a nurse in the UK is going to require a degree (http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/details...t.aspx?id=1941 ).
It would be interesting to know the views of nurses or their partners on the forum.
As for " Call the Midwife " , why not join the other 9 million viewers and watch tonight ?

[Dedworth]

Some useful and relevant links Doc

[Doc Alan]

Some useful and relevant links Doc

Thanks Ded . I've had much contact with nurses - professionally of course - over the years. Their roles are surely complementary - not antagonistic - to doctors and other healthcare workers. I lectured to student nurses on clinical medicine - of mutual benefit - until new education rules required non medical nurse tutors to take over that role .
In no way do I wish to appear patronising, and this is just my opinion, but I don't think degree programmes comprising 50% theory and 50% practice will produce the nurses we need, or encourage the right sort of person into a nursing career in the first place. But the NMC has made their decision. That's why there may be a future shortage. Being optimistic, that could spell a renewed need for filipino nurses in this country. They're also graduates, but must do a compulsory year working in Philippines hospital(s) before they're eligible. Of course, they will also be competing for posts with nurses from the EU ( there's a lack of jobs right now in Spain and Portugal ). Fingers crossed for the future .

[Dedworth]

Thanks Ded . I've had much contact with nurses - professionally of course - over the years. Their roles are surely complementary - not antagonistic - to doctors and other healthcare workers. I lectured to student nurses on clinical medicine - of mutual benefit - until new education rules required non medical nurse tutors to take over that role .
In no way do I wish to appear patronising, and this is just my opinion, but I don't think degree programmes comprising 50% theory and 50% practice will produce the nurses we need, or encourage the right sort of person into a nursing career in the first place. But the NMC has made their decision. That's why there may be a future shortage. Being optimistic, that could spell a renewed need for filipino nurses in this country. They're also graduates, but must do a compulsory year working in Philippines hospital(s) before they're eligible. Of course, they will also be competing for posts with nurses from the EU ( there's a lack of jobs right now in Spain and Portugal ). Fingers crossed for the future .

Cheers Doc - you're the undoubted expert on here. I think there are a few Filipino Nurses filtering into the system but I'm not sure if they're recent arrivals - I get a bit confused when my Mrs talks about adaptation and PIN Numbers (until recently I always thought that was needed to get cash from the hole in the wall)

[joebloggs]

Thanks Doc Al for this.. it might be useful for my brother (he's currently a company nurse in Makati) if ever he would be interested to work here.

not forgetting the USA..

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 50 percent of the foreign nurses come from the Philippines, 20 percent from Canada and 8 percent from the United Kingdom and 22 percent come from all other sources. In addition, over half of the foreign educated nurses were estimated to have baccalaureate or higher degrees. Many FENs are highly motivated to be a nurse in the US and usually have dedicated from 2 to 4 years of their lives to reach this goal.

[MissAna]

I'm a registered nurse in the Philippines.. as i read the requirements on how to become a nurse here in the UK i find it hard to meet the standards

i guess nursing will not be my job option here.