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America like most of the Western countries is faced with acute shortage of nurses and in recent years it has allowed medical personnel from India, China and Philippines to immigrate to work in hospitals.
"The notion that we would have to import nurses makes absolutely no sense," Obama told a gathering of health experts and lawmakers at a White House meeting on health care reforms.
Instead, Obama argued that the best possible approach to meet this shortfall is to train people inside the country.
"For people who get fired up about the immigration debate and yet don't notice that we could be training nurses right here in the United States," he said responding to an observation made by Congresswoman Lois Capps from California.
"We have a huge shortage of nurses today. Estimates are that the US will be lacking over 500,000 nurses in the next seven years," said Democratic lawmaker Capps.
Last week, a legislation was introduced in the US Congress to create a special category of nursing visas, which would facilitate much faster and easier brining of trained nurses from Asian countries like India.
Called the "Nursing Relief Act of 2009" the legislation proposes to make provisions for the new category of visas for registered nurses with an annual limit of 50,000.
The legislation notes that there are more vacant nursing positions in the US than there are qualified registered nurses and nursing school candidates to fill those positions. And according to the Department of Labour, the current national nursing shortage exceeds 126,000.
Obama said there are a lot of people in the US who would love to be in the nursing profession, and yet the government is not able to providing them the resources to get them trained.
"That's something that we've got to fix. That should be a no-brainer. That should be a bipartisan no-brainer, to make sure that we've got the best possible nursing staffs in the country," Obama said amidst applause.
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I do not have anything against foreign nurses but I want to comment on this subject because I, after 8 years experience as a nurse with a BSN find myself unable to find a full time position for critical care in Dade County. It is sad, I am a single parent and hardly making it. I work for an agency and I get cancelled 90% of the time. Numerous Indian nurses have been broughthere to work in my area. I am not alone two other American nurses (close friends) find themselves in the same predicament hardly surviving financially. Indian nurses are working up to 5 daysa a week (12 hour shifts). And this has decreased the demand for nurses in my area. I have heard they pay them less as well so it is more profitable for hospitals to hire foreign nurses. Again, my only concern is paying my bills and putting food on the table and honestly, I am struggling.
why you people are still contacting ENCLEX or RN exam, 1st clear out the eligible candidates from india
So many families have raised their living standards because of nurses abroad, especially those who work in US. but if things revert back , it will have a direct impact on our economy particularly Kerala. Lets not give up and we will strive as we had done in past. If Obama has a vision we also have a better one
Dear Readers, Now Obama starts to reconstruct the US economy?this action is a great lesson for us....our Indian Politicians never woried about our welfare...Indian PROFESSINALS SHOULD BE UTILIZED by our own...for that our Governement must posses the proper plans and implement it as well...awaiting for our LokhSaba elections....please vote those who are really intersted in people"s welfare....we nneed a powerfull primeminister like Obama not a powerless
what can u do if americans don't want to take up nursing? for them its a dirty job and most of them work instead of taking up college courses right after they graduated in high school.
I am totally with Obama on this one! tell me what is wrong in developing your own resources! Indian nurses do have an attitude and they show that nasty attitude only towards fellow Indian patients.Its like having a good backyard where you can harvest your own crops but not doing so because of lack of interest and focus!what say y'all
People in developing countries are missing the point and seeing only the negative side of these policies.There are two sides to a coin if not more.The Obama policies should be seen as opportunity by developing world to build the local infrastructure ,education
Good move my US president for US citizens.Do we have such leaders in India? NO NO NO NO NO.We should also avoid US stuffs as long as domestic goods / services helps us. It seems we are at mercy of US...if they wish they would give us job and if they wish they will not.Are not we like beggers who have no choice????
US much worst with Obama in rule... Very very Bad for the economy.
hahahaha. What a ephuria created in this country when Barack Obama was won in that US presidential election. Everyone jumed as they foresee the changing of India and world over. It is because of he has a middle muslim name even Indian politicians praised him to get votes in India. But previous President G.W. Bush didnt get much support from the media and politicians, eventhough he had done good things for India. God pls save this India from vote seeking politicians and their media men.
The change he wants to bring to the world is not this type of change that the world wants. It seems, Obama will be more complicated than the former president George W. Bush
Obama's ideas are laudable. However the locals, I mean the Americans do not want to do certain jobs especially if they are tough like nursing.
raj thakare in US !!! jai ho !
It is about time someone is taking care of their own. It never too late to take back the jobs and stimulate the economy.
I agree with obama to train people in this usa to work as a nurse foreign nurses have attitudes especially from kerala, kottayam
The might and wealth of lone superpower has been exposed. It seems that US has become completely bankrupt. Its leaders are now turning to protectionists who earlier were objecting to countries like China and India for similar kinds of policies. US is at the verge of collapsing and soon this imperialist regime will go away and socialim will take rebirth in US and other imperialist world. Time has come now that the world should analyse the capitalists policies and take a lesson from current fiasco and should refrain from waging another war like the ones the imperialists have imposed on Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon. Imperialistic attitudes of the west invited more radicals and turned people to become jehadists and to apprehend these radicals and jehadists more and more funds were diverted and the world is witnessing what the harm the so called international community (predominantly US, Europe, Israel) did to the world economy. Added more poors, brought unrest and destruction.
Nursing is HARD WORK - not like IT.Americans dont do hard work - they have become soft consuming walmart bought chinese made plastic junk with money borrowed from the arabs and asians.There's no way they can take care of their older parents without foriegn nurses.Already farmers, restaurant workers, builders and store clerks are mexicans.IT doctors and professors are Indians and some chinese and others.The european americans are just moving away to other places and taking middle management jobs. But at some point companies are realizing that they can fire these middle managers without much problem. So....
he is no different from our politicians like thackaray. soon he may make america like his country of origin " africa"
You are dreaming, wake up. People who bet against US, always lost. If you do not like US, stay in your beautiful country.
Obama will take country to its knees and it'll happen. These protectionist policies will have a backlash sooner or later for sure....His rhetoric and media magic and hollywood and blacks support of larger than life figure is only making it more rampant.
This man is gone crazy I think so... He is the mentor for every job cutting. He doesn't think what will be the terminated people do after this?He is making more and more worse.
It is about time that he is taking care of his own country. There is nothing wrong with his approach. Outsourcing companies and H1-B visa holders have been abusing the system and creating unemployment in US. Also qualified US citizens have been discriminated in their own country by refusing to hire american and offering jobs to non-american slaves. L1 and B1 visas were used to skip H1-B and layoff americans in US. If tables were reversed, worse would have happened in the non-US companies. US is a great country and accepted candidates from outside. It is not too late to revoke H1-B visas and hire american first in USA. American must be hired first to stimulate the economy.
Mr. Obama is fixing the problems of his country face to face. I hope The Indian version of Obama on the way; Mr Gandhi will do also something postive in this regard rather than reciting the usual speeches full of Pandit ji, Indira ji and Bharat Mata ki Jai!.
I cannot but laugh on reading the comment that Mr. Rahul Gandhi will be fixing the problems of the country face to face! On reading this comment, I could only remember the story of a proverbial Branmachari who in order to protect his loin cloth from being bitten by rats, got a cat, to feed milk to the cat bought a cow, to take care of the cow got a maid and when the maid came he married her and lost his Brahmachariya! Rahul's face to face solution would be akin to the proverbial Brahmachari.It is doubtful whether Rahul understood the problems clearly, leave alone trying to provide the solution!
As a nursing student looking for work upon graduation I feel good knowing that there may possibly be a job waiting for me as a new rn grad. I am sick of hearing how foreign nurses are soo needed when I know for a fact that there are many nursing student and new grads who shiver at the prospect of having to look for post grad employment. This is b/c health care orgs are not hiring new grads who are more than willing to step up to the plate to fill these positions. As far as Indian nurses are concerned I don't see your country rolling out any red carpets for American trained nurses, but i know that American nurses wouldn't work for the pennies you are getting paid to do professional jobs in your country or here in America..... Hooray to Obama!!!!!