Acute nursing shortage hits hospitals
Acute nursing shortage hits hospitals
Sunday November 12, 2006
By Jane Phare
More than half of New Zealand's newly registered nurses this year are from foreign countries, highlighting the country's worsening nursing shortage.
It comes amid warnings that Zealand's busiest hospitals are close to breaking point because of a critical shortage of junior doctors, which could have a devastating impact on patient care.
The largest numbers of overseas nurses come from Britain, South Africa and the Philippines, but Filipino nurses claim they are discriminated against because of their accent, and many will no longer be able to fill nursing jobs in New Zealand.
Earlier this year, the Nursing Council increased the levels of English needed for staff to become registered nurses in New Zealand from an average of 6.5, based on the international IELTS test, to 7 in each of the four areas - listening, writing, reading and speaking.
A level of between 6 and 6.5is needed to enrol in an academic degree course in New Zealand, but a level of 7.5 is needed for medical school.
An Auckland Holiday Shoppe travel consultant said he had 80 qualified Filipino nurses waiting to come over, but they had failed the tough new spoken English test. Zenie Low, owner of the New Zealand-based Filipino Herald newspaper, said between 1000 and 2000 Filipino nurses used to come into New Zealand each year, but that number had dropped because of the new level of English test.
Continue reading on : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10410336
Sunday November 12, 2006
By Jane Phare
More than half of New Zealand's newly registered nurses this year are from foreign countries, highlighting the country's worsening nursing shortage.
It comes amid warnings that Zealand's busiest hospitals are close to breaking point because of a critical shortage of junior doctors, which could have a devastating impact on patient care.
The largest numbers of overseas nurses come from Britain, South Africa and the Philippines, but Filipino nurses claim they are discriminated against because of their accent, and many will no longer be able to fill nursing jobs in New Zealand.
Earlier this year, the Nursing Council increased the levels of English needed for staff to become registered nurses in New Zealand from an average of 6.5, based on the international IELTS test, to 7 in each of the four areas - listening, writing, reading and speaking.
A level of between 6 and 6.5is needed to enrol in an academic degree course in New Zealand, but a level of 7.5 is needed for medical school.
An Auckland Holiday Shoppe travel consultant said he had 80 qualified Filipino nurses waiting to come over, but they had failed the tough new spoken English test. Zenie Low, owner of the New Zealand-based Filipino Herald newspaper, said between 1000 and 2000 Filipino nurses used to come into New Zealand each year, but that number had dropped because of the new level of English test.
Continue reading on : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10410336
so wat? myself spoke bery good Inglish wel! :) hahaha
Well, this only implies that Filipino nurses need to practice thier english more.
Good luck to everyone!
Posted by
Anonymous |
11:53 PM
so wat? myself spoke bery good Inglish wel! :) hahaha
Well, this only implies that Filipino nurses need to practice thier english more.
Good luck to everyone!
Posted by
Anonymous |
11:54 PM