Why It's a Bad Time to be a Nurse In the Philippines

      Not that there ever was a good time to be a nurse here. Lack of proper government policies has led the country's most popular profession to its dark ages.

Too many nurses
      As of July 2010, according to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), there were 187,000 unemployed nurses in the Philippines. The number will only increase after the coming December 2010 Nursing Licensure Examination. The increasing number of unemployed nurses means that each nurse will have tougher competition in applying for nursing-related jobs. Many of my friend nurses work in call centers while there are still no hospital hiring for nurses. A wise economic choice, but the work experience will not help them as professional nurses. Besides, we did not study for four years to work at a job that can be done by high school graduates.

Exploitative Hospitals
      The large number of unemployed nurses triggered a defensive reaction from hospitals all over the country. Most hospitals have employed very creative systems in taking in volunteers and avoid keeping them long enough to make them regular staff nurses. We do understand that hospitals try to maintain a positive cash flow while trying to cater to as many volunteers as possible. It is a business after all. But for hospitals to charge nurses when applying as volunteers is just not right. There are hospitals all over the country that charge nurses from 300 to 5000 pesos(depending on how greedy they are) to be volunteers for 3 months. Isn't being a volunteer enough sacrifice already? Some nursing graduates work as volunteers for more than 3 years with out SSS or Phil. Health before finding a paying job.

Unprofessional Coworkers
       As we all know, great numbers doesn't always come with great quality. In fact quality and quantity are inversely proportional. So if a fresh nursing graduate with great professionalism, dedication and a strong set of idealism and integrity is mixed with a nurse who is on a verge of a burnout, conflicts often arise and this happens more often than most think. Ask any nurse who have worked in a hospital and you'll hear of stories of the evil head nurse or the incompetent charge nurse. It's sad to see one burned out nurse spreading the burn out virus to idealistic young minds.

Low Pay
      Even if a nurse becomes a staff nurse, things doesn't become any easier. Sure they get paid , but their salaries will not be enough to cover their own needs let alone their family's. Many hospitals around the country pay below minimum wage and most nurses with homes far from the hospitals may need to take a bed space or a room in boarding houses surrounding the hospitals.

To all my fellow nurses, things may look dark now but there is no harm in believing that the night is darkest before the dawn. Things will get better if we strive for it, so let us wake up tomorrow with a smile in our faces remembering that we and our profession were created to do good.