US-based healthcare firm recruits workers

A US-based health care services company came to Cebu City last August 21 to look for qualified nurses, occupational therapists and physical therapists for employment in hospitals, and health care facilities in different states in the US.

The company, RCM Health Services (RCM stands for recruiting, consulting and management), was on its second visit to Cebu this year and on its fifth to the Philippines to conduct job fairs and recruit health care professionals from Cebu and Manila.

Marc Chafetz, vice president of RCM, said the company has chosen to hire therapists and nurses in the country because its clients abroad have loved and known the Filipinos’ “spectacular work ethics and excellent service.”

RCM has contracts with major institutions in the US such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, managed care organizations, home care agencies, dialysis centers, health clinics, and schools.

Aside from job fairs, RCM has also been touring the country for lectures and seminars, on nursing and rehabilation, at universities in Cebu and Manila, which are two large pools of candidates for the designated works in the US, said Chafetz during a presscon held at Park Lane Hotel.

For a smooth adjustment of the selected professional, RCM said it provides a “family environment” involving the assignment of a mentor to help the job candidate adjust to the transition and adapt with ease to life abroad.

“From the moment you sign our contract, we will take care of you, and we pay for all the expenses, for everything. We never do salary deductions, we never charge,” Chafetz said.

Qualified PTs, OTs and nurses are hired on the spot and are accommodated immediately by RCM, which clarified that it requires no placement and immigration fees, and provides instead free airfare; housing for two months; medical, dental and vision insurances; pension plan; excellent salaries with raise, paid time off and prime work locations; free legal advice including family petition process; and reimbursement of fees for all exams.

Chafetz said RCM did not slow down from recruiting despite visa retrogression, which involves the control in the allocation of visa numbers to be issued to prospective immigrants of a country to the US. The company instead increased its efforts on referrals, considering its “huge financial resources,” he said.

After its latest Cebu event, RCM announced that it will hold another recruitment seminar at the New World Hotel in Manila on August 23 and 24.

It added that it will return in January next year for another round of recruitment from other places in the country, such as the cities of Baguio, Iloilo, and Bacolod, and the province of Pampanga. — Cressida Paula G. Delmo/RAE