With the shortage of nurses taking serious proportions in the United States' hospitals, American Nurses LLC, a Florida-based medical recruitment company, has decided to outsource nurses from India on permanent basis for rendering paramedical services in that country.
American Nurses, which earlier recruited nurses from Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Philipines, has recently joined hands with the Kolkata-based Career Scope for training and recruitment of nurses from India for permanent placements in hospitals and medical facility centres (MFC) in the US.
"We have joined hands with Amercian Nurses for recruiting nurses from India to fulfill requirements of paramedical staff in US hospitals," Partha De, partner, Career Scope, told PTI.
Quoting the US Department of Health and Human Services, he said there was additional requirement of 120,000 trained registered nurses in the US. The figure, according to the US labour department, might go upto 800,000 in the next 5-8 years.
"Currently the total number of registered nurses in the US is 2.558 million, out of which 30 per cent are over the age of 50 years. The problem apparently has occurred from the fact that the young generation in that country is not showing interest in nursing jobs," De said.
According to American Nurses president Harish Mehta, Indian nurses were academically compatible and worked under pressure conditions that suited the US hospitals and MFCs.
The company has planned to recruit at least one per cent of the requirement, i.e. 8,000 nurses by next few years from India, De said.
De said the opportunity for Indian nurses that cropped up due to a crisis in the US appeared to be quite lucrative given the minimum salary structure and green card option (permanent residency visa) offered for the nursing profession.
"A good nursing job in the US earns a minimum salary of $3,200 per month at an average rate of $20 per hour. Besides, other benefits like health insurance, pension plan, etc are available," he said.
"But the problem is lack of awareness and sceptcism among the nursing community here about overseas opportunities. We are trying to spread awareness through seminars," he said.
The career consultancy firm has contacted 15 premier hospitals and nursing homes in the metropolis and received modest response, he said, adding: "We are also trying to tap sources in northeast, west and southern regions."
About the eligibility criteria, he said a nursing degree from accredited nursing schools plus one-two year experience in a clinical setting was required to appear for the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools examination -- the qualifying exam for nurses from outside US.
The company would extend guidance and training to pass the CGFNS as also TOEFL and other English language tests.
It would also extend procedural help for obtaining VisaScreen certification, arranging immigration, visa formalities, nursing job placements in hospitals and MFCs.
While the company would bear the airfare to Florida, costs incurred by candidates during the process of clearing exams and other formalities before arriving in the US would be reimbursed. The companies would earn their revenue from placement fees offered by hospitals and MFCs.
