amar
September 5th, 2003, 01:37 AM
Article appeared in BBC online.
This is 100 percent true . For the first time the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing schools (CGFNS) test are being held in Bangalore India .Earlier it was only possible to take the exam in Manila or Colombo. The next wave of immigration to America from India will be in nursing and teaching. So suggest the career to your friends, wives, sisters, brothers and all relatives. Great career good life. South India is already awake and moving . I hope some one responsible can open the university doors to Nursing .
Best of Luck
Indian nurses' American dream
By Habib Beary
BBC correspondent in Bangalore
Nursing students come from across India to train
Melody D'sa is ecstatic. Her dream has come true - a new life in America.
Melody is among hundreds of Indian nurses heading to the States, cashing in on a growing demand for trained nurses in the US.
The US, UK and Australia have all looked to India to provide nurses because of shortages of staff.
The dream of working abroad has spawned a slew of training centres in India.
Melody was taught at one of the popular training schools, Nurses Anytime in Bangalore, which recruits for hospitals in the US.
I am looking forward to a new life out there
Melody D'sa
She believes she is ready for the challenges of moving to the US with her family.
"I have always wanted to go abroad. I am looking forward to a new life out there."
Her confidence springs out of having worked for nearly 15 years in major Indian hospitals including St Martha's in Bangalore.
Like Melody, convent-educated Gloria Mohinani is also on her way to the US.
"The money is good. We will have a better life," said Gloria, whose husband and child are going too.
Financial incentive
"We will be paid $30 an hour in the US. Here the average salary for nurses is about 6,000 rupees ($120) a month," said Melody.
Indian nurses working in the US are paid on par with their American counterparts, meaning they take home around $3,000 plus a month.
That is reflected in the tide of applications at these training schools which have sprung up across southern India including in Bangalore, Bombay, Cochin, Coimbotore and Hyderabad.
Revathi Sunkara, director of Indian operations of Nurses Anytime, said: "They are fed up with the poor pay here. The opportunity of a good life is tempting."
Indian nurses are better equipped in terms of medical knowledge
Revathi Sunkara, Nurses Anytime
Nurses who pass the course get a Green Card, their airfare, temporary housing and healthcare benefits.
The lure of money is driving hordes of nurses from the coastal state of Kerala, where most Indian nurses hail from, to these training schools.
Over 10,000 nurses are said to be counting on jobs in the West, Middle-East, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
These institutes make them "ready to go".
The training centres charge the trainees between $250 and $300.
Indian nurses are following in the footsteps of computer professionals, thousands of whom left India to make their homes in the US.
Marriage prospects
Jainy John and Leny Matthew, both in their early 20s, are doing a two-month course along with 70 other aspirants at Nurses Anytime.
"There is a rush, everybody wants to go the US," said Jainy.
Indian nurses are coming from as far away as the Gulf to receive training so they can move abroad.
Training for a new life
Candidates complete English language courses and the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing schools (CGFNS) test before they enter the US.
The training programme includes cross-culture etiquette, accent orientation, intonation, and smart grooming.
The trainees are also made computer literate.
"The tests are tough but we are working hard. If I pass, it means a new life for us," said Jainy.
It also means a great demand for them in the marriage market.
Why India?
The US began to look at India as a source for nurses when the flow from Canada, Ireland and the Philippines dried up.
It is estimated that the US faces a shortage of 500,000 nurses.
Revathi Sunkara said the US approached India because of the qualities of the nurses there.
"Drive and dedication. Our nurses are hardworking."
The demand for nurses in the US is growing owing to the increasing number of senior citizens.
Ms Sunkara said: "There is a huge elderly population who need medical care. Indian nurses are better equipped in terms of medical knowledge.
"Our curriculum is on par with that of the US.''
The UK is also recruiting Indian nurses. More than 1,800 nurses joined the NHS in Britain last year.
Narayana Hrudayalaya, a specialist heart care hospital in Bangalore, is in talks with the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Canada to train nurses for recruitment in the overseas market.
Patients from neighbouring countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - flock to this hospital because of the quality of treatment it offers.
This is 100 percent true . For the first time the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing schools (CGFNS) test are being held in Bangalore India .Earlier it was only possible to take the exam in Manila or Colombo. The next wave of immigration to America from India will be in nursing and teaching. So suggest the career to your friends, wives, sisters, brothers and all relatives. Great career good life. South India is already awake and moving . I hope some one responsible can open the university doors to Nursing .
Best of Luck
Indian nurses' American dream
By Habib Beary
BBC correspondent in Bangalore
Nursing students come from across India to train
Melody D'sa is ecstatic. Her dream has come true - a new life in America.
Melody is among hundreds of Indian nurses heading to the States, cashing in on a growing demand for trained nurses in the US.
The US, UK and Australia have all looked to India to provide nurses because of shortages of staff.
The dream of working abroad has spawned a slew of training centres in India.
Melody was taught at one of the popular training schools, Nurses Anytime in Bangalore, which recruits for hospitals in the US.
I am looking forward to a new life out there
Melody D'sa
She believes she is ready for the challenges of moving to the US with her family.
"I have always wanted to go abroad. I am looking forward to a new life out there."
Her confidence springs out of having worked for nearly 15 years in major Indian hospitals including St Martha's in Bangalore.
Like Melody, convent-educated Gloria Mohinani is also on her way to the US.
"The money is good. We will have a better life," said Gloria, whose husband and child are going too.
Financial incentive
"We will be paid $30 an hour in the US. Here the average salary for nurses is about 6,000 rupees ($120) a month," said Melody.
Indian nurses working in the US are paid on par with their American counterparts, meaning they take home around $3,000 plus a month.
That is reflected in the tide of applications at these training schools which have sprung up across southern India including in Bangalore, Bombay, Cochin, Coimbotore and Hyderabad.
Revathi Sunkara, director of Indian operations of Nurses Anytime, said: "They are fed up with the poor pay here. The opportunity of a good life is tempting."
Indian nurses are better equipped in terms of medical knowledge
Revathi Sunkara, Nurses Anytime
Nurses who pass the course get a Green Card, their airfare, temporary housing and healthcare benefits.
The lure of money is driving hordes of nurses from the coastal state of Kerala, where most Indian nurses hail from, to these training schools.
Over 10,000 nurses are said to be counting on jobs in the West, Middle-East, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
These institutes make them "ready to go".
The training centres charge the trainees between $250 and $300.
Indian nurses are following in the footsteps of computer professionals, thousands of whom left India to make their homes in the US.
Marriage prospects
Jainy John and Leny Matthew, both in their early 20s, are doing a two-month course along with 70 other aspirants at Nurses Anytime.
"There is a rush, everybody wants to go the US," said Jainy.
Indian nurses are coming from as far away as the Gulf to receive training so they can move abroad.
Training for a new life
Candidates complete English language courses and the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing schools (CGFNS) test before they enter the US.
The training programme includes cross-culture etiquette, accent orientation, intonation, and smart grooming.
The trainees are also made computer literate.
"The tests are tough but we are working hard. If I pass, it means a new life for us," said Jainy.
It also means a great demand for them in the marriage market.
Why India?
The US began to look at India as a source for nurses when the flow from Canada, Ireland and the Philippines dried up.
It is estimated that the US faces a shortage of 500,000 nurses.
Revathi Sunkara said the US approached India because of the qualities of the nurses there.
"Drive and dedication. Our nurses are hardworking."
The demand for nurses in the US is growing owing to the increasing number of senior citizens.
Ms Sunkara said: "There is a huge elderly population who need medical care. Indian nurses are better equipped in terms of medical knowledge.
"Our curriculum is on par with that of the US.''
The UK is also recruiting Indian nurses. More than 1,800 nurses joined the NHS in Britain last year.
Narayana Hrudayalaya, a specialist heart care hospital in Bangalore, is in talks with the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Canada to train nurses for recruitment in the overseas market.
Patients from neighbouring countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - flock to this hospital because of the quality of treatment it offers.