More Filipino nurses seek US jobs – lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines — More Filipino nurses are seeking employment in the United States, Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III of party-list group Acts-OFW said yesterday.

Bertiz based his statement on the growing number of Filipino nurses who are taking the US licensure examination for nursing graduates.

From January to June this year, he said a total of 4,533 graduates took the US test, up by 27 percent from 3,572 in the same six-month period in 2017. 

Some 500 Indians, 444 Puerto Ricans, 392 South Koreans and 242 Nigerians also took the examination, Bertiz added.

Citing newly released US data, Bertiz pointed out that Jamaicans, Canadians and Cubans also compete with Filipinos in the US nursing labor market.

Compared to other countries, he said many Filipino nurses would rather work in the US mainly due to higher hourly pay.

“Of course owing to our exposure to the Western culture, Filipino nurses find it easier to work and live in America,” Bertiz said.

He said a total of 181,344 Filipino nurses have taken the US test for the first time, without counting repeaters since 1995.

In 2017 alone, a total of 7,791 locally schooled nurses took the exam, he said.

The median pay of registered nurses in US was $70,000 per annum or $33.65 per hour in 2017, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Nurses in the US work in hospitals, physician’s offices, home healthcare services and nursing care facilities. Others work in outpatient clinics and schools or serve in the military, the BLS said.

Overall, the BLS said job opportunities for nurses in the US are expected to be good because of employment growth and the need to replace practitioners who retire over the coming decade. 

“However, the supply of new nurses entering the labor market has increased in recent years. This surge has resulted in competition for jobs in some areas of the country. Employers also prefer applicants who have some related work experience or certification in a specialty area,” the BLS said.