Pinoy doctors train to become nurses to earn more abroad

You know times are hard when the country’s doctors are aspiring to become nurses just to make ends meet.

A Malacañang adviser revealed yesterday that many Filipino physicians have been enrolling in nursing schools so they can land jobs in the US and the United Kingdom, two places with a growing demand for nurses and care-givers.

Presidential adviser on job creation Luis Lorenzo pointed out that during a recent trip to the provinces, physicians there lamented that the profession isn’t as lucrative as it once was.

"In the last two months, I learned that many medical practitioners don’t feel they are gainfully employed," he said.

Lorenzo said most of them are forced to shift to other health-related professions overseas, where the pay is significantly higher.

"They are now joining the scramble for employment as nurses in US and UK hospitals," he said.

Earlier, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) disclosed that many Filipino nurses are even willing to work for free in local hospitals and clinics just to gain the experience required by health institutions abroad.

However, Lorenzo expressed concern that the Philippines could face an oversupply of nurses once the demand overseas has been met.

"If the overseas quota is met, are we still in a position to provide nursing graduates with gainful employment?" the presidential adviser asked.

He pointed out that there is an even bigger question: "Are the country’s educational institutions producing nursing graduates who are equipped with the right skills to land jobs abroad?"

To answer these questions, the government, in coordination with the private sector, will be undertaking a "job outlook study" in order to identify job opportunities and eventually resolve the unemployment problem.

Thames International Business School president Vivienne Tan said the top 5,000 companies in the country will be participating in the study aimed at determining the manpower needs of various industries.

"The study is the first step in clearing the haze regarding the opportunities or the lack of opportunities for graduates entering the real world," Tan said.

During the launch of the study yesterday, House Assistant Minority Leader Gilbert Remulla urged DOLE to take the necessary action in curbing the rise of unemployed information technology graduates.

Remulla said the government should look into the complaints of some graduates on the alleged "gross misrepresentation and deception" of some computer schools and other institutions in their promise of immediate employment.