Filipino Nursing Herald

Here's another news story that just supports our earlier post about the strengthened recruitment drive in Alberta, Canada: Alberta fishing for foreign nurses More foreign nurses are expected to flock to Central Alberta after the province pumps $5 million into recruitment efforts. “It’s absolutely excellent. It’s obvious the province has made this a priority and is moving fast on it,” said Karmen Fittes, director of shared services with the David Thompson Health Region. She hopes about 50 of the foreign nurses who respond to the government initiative will end up calling the Red Deer area their home. More than 100 registered nurses are needed across the health region for the workforce of about 2,000 RNs. (Red Deer Advocate)

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Have a merry Christmas everyone! May the spirit of joy and giving fill our lives every day of the year.

The Canadian federal government has given Alberta the go-ahead and C$530,000 in funding to fly overseas and recruit foreign nurses. Officials from Alberta will be able to recruit and assess nurses without requiring these nurses to fly to Calgary's Mount Royal College first to take assessment exams, CBC reports . The move is intended to help Ottawa fill thousands of nursing vacancies. The pilot program is expected to save time and money as assessors can now go directly to places that have traditionally supplied nursing manpower and evaluate them in their own countries. During the assessment program, assessors look at the nurses' experience, education, and English skills. If an education upgrade is required of a nurse, classes can be taken that lasts from a few weeks to a year. **Personal Note** This is good news for Philippine nurses who want to try their luck in Canada. We don't know yet when the first assessors from Alberta will come over, but please be alert for potential...

A growing number of Filipino caregivers are being forced out of the United Kingdom because of a new law that mandates higher salaries for care providers, BBC news reports . A new rule issued by the UK's Home Office says that employers must pay their staff a minimum of £7.02 an hour for the staff to qualify for work permit renewal. Many home care services in the UK were commissioned by local authorities which have limited budget and cannot pay the required minimum. **Supplement on visiting UK** Despite the high cost of living, many Filipinos have flocked to the UK, working not just in the medical field such as nurses or caregivers but also in the hospitality sector. Many Filipinos also go to the UK either to study or to relax. Filipino tourists regularly visit the UK's charms to sample the culture and the nightlife. There are plenty of good London hotels to choose from. Tourists can also opt to stay in any of the Edinburgh hotels or Glasgow hotels to truly experience British ...

Filipino-American Belen Gabato has been appointed to the Nevada Board of Nursing, the first person of Asian descent to get the post, reports the Asian Journal . Gabato, who hails from Cebu City, first arrived in the US in 1964 and has been an active nurse-leader in the country. Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons will officially induct Gabato to office on December 14.

Here's good news to everyone looking to get license verification from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC). The PRC will accept license verification requests even if you still don't have the actual license card, as long as your name already appears on their database. In the past, the PRC rejected all verification requests from applicants who don't have their license cards yet. One of this blog's readers, Marco, shared to us this information. Goodluck to everyone.

Pulse Health, an Australian firm, is set to open a recruitment and training center in the Philippines with hopes of recruiting over 400 nurses and carers for facilities intended to care for elderly, disabled or recuperating patients in Australia. Read the Business Day report here .