Filipino nurses, caregivers may train, work in Japan starting this year, DOLE says

Tacloban City -- Starting this year, Filipino nurses and caregivers will have the chance to be recruited for training and for employment in Japan under the Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and the Philippines, the Department of Labor and Employment informed on Monday, January 12.

This, after the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) represented by POEA Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili and JICWELS managing director Takashi Tsunoda, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding providing for the recruitment of Filipino nurses as candidate-kangoshi and caregivers as candidate-kaigofukushishi to Japan under the Framework for the Movement of Natural Persons of JPEPA which came into force on December 11, 2008.

The MOU provides for the roles and responsibilities of the both parties and the working conditions of the Filipino nurses and caregivers, that would ensure their welfare and safety while training and working in Japan.

The hiring program will start with the initial recruitment of 200 Filipino nurses and 300 caregivers who will be endorsed to JICWELS by POEA. JICWELS, for its part, will match the nurses and caregivers to hospitals and institutions in Japan that it had pre-qualified to receive the Filipino candidates.

Prior to their actual work with their respective employers in Japan, the selected candidates will undergo a six-month language and culture training, during which time, the candidates shall receive allowance of not less than 40,000 yen of more than P21,000 per month.

The language training will help the candidates prepare for the Japanese licensure examination which can be taken not more than three times within three years in the case of the candidate nurses and once on the 4th year of stay in the case of candidate-caregivers.

Before obtaining their qualification as full-fledged nurse in Japan, the candidate nurses will work under the supervision of a Japanese kangoshi to fully familiarize them with the Japanese system.

After passing the licensure or certification examinations, the fully qualified nurse and certified caregiver will have the option to stay for an unlimited period in Japan to practice their profession based on new and upgraded employment contract with their employer.

Registered nurses with at least three years experience are qualified to apply for training and employment in Japan. Candidate caregivers, on the other hand, should be a graduate of a four-year course and should be certified by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Graduates of a nursing course may also apply as caregiver.

Applicants shall be required to undergo an aptitude test and interview by JICWELS to facilitate their matching with employers. After selection, they must pass the required medical examination to conclude the employment contract and to successfully qualify to enter Japan. Nominal expenses of application shall be borne by applicants for document submission/authentication, medical examination (P1,500 basic) and visa fee (P1,150). Airfare and on-site training costs are shouldered by the employers or the Government of Japan.

Qualified nurses and caregivers may apply with POEA and to register online at www.eregister.poea.gov.ph. (PIA)

Nursing Council of New Zealand Now Requires Tougher English Scores

The Nursing Council of New Zealand recently made changes in their English language requirements.

All foreign nurses seeking employment in New Zealand even those from English-speaking countries like Britain and the United States are now required to pass a tougher English language assessment with the exception of applicants from Australia.

Under the new rule which took effect January 1, 2009, all foreign-educated nurse applicants, including Filipinos, must achieve a score of at least 7.0 in each band of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to qualify.

Filipino nurses can get jobs in UK by entering as students first

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino nurses still have the chance to fill the nursing gap in the United Kingdom by going there and enrolling in schools first, a recruitment consultant has said.

Emmanuel Geslani said Filipino nurses who want to qualify as clinical instructors and improve their chances as permanent residents in commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia, and the UK must upgrade their academic qualifications.

As such, he recommended that Filipino nurses study and work under a placement scheme pioneered by the consultancy firm International Student Advisors Inc. (ISA).

Under the work paid placement program, nurses will be employed in care homes and hospitals and at the same time be enrolled in accredited British universities offering BSc (hons) Social, Health Care and International Nursing degrees.

ISA Marketing Director Brian Mulhall said in the same statement that the paid work placement is needed by the students so that they can understand what actually happens in the place of work and undertake projects in preparation for their essays and exams.

Under the vocational work placement of at least 30 hours a week, students can cover their living costs and tuition fees.

Ernesto Herrera, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines secretary-general, has recently said that Filipino nurses who acquire post-graduate training to qualify themselves in teaching posts are even more attractive to the foreign market, specifically to the United States.

He also said that teachers, nurses, pharmacists, medical technologists, physical therapists and trained caregivers are some of the few professions that are still welcome in countries hit hardest by the economic meltdown.

"If we examine closely the recent employment trends in North America and Europe, only their health care and education sectors are actually creating new jobs," said Herrera, who chaired the Senate labor committee when he was a senator.

On the same note, Geslani said that since UK’s health care industry is funded by taxpayer’s money, it is one sector which will endure the financial crunch.

Moreover, he said that the National Health Service, the largest employer in the UK, is failing in providing sufficient primary care and hospital services due the lack of personnel who attend to the sick such as nurses and senior caregivers.

He added that with the aging population of the UK icalculated to reach 30 percent by 2010, some 10 million senior citizens will need better services from care homes.

All this, he said, is fueling the nursing shortage being experienced by the UK, thereby creating more job opportunities for aspiring health care professionals.

ISA said it is inviting all interested nurses who want to enroll in the work placement plan to drop by its offices at 7844 Mavenue Bldg. at Makati Ave. cor Guerrero St. Makati City near the A Venue Mall., with telephone numbers 899-0557 and e-mail address info@internationalstudentadvisors.com.

Applicants may also inquire from ISA’s branches in the cities of Cebu, Davao, Zamboanga, Baguio, Iloilo, San Fernando in La Union, and Bantay, Ilocos Sur. - GMANews.TV