Statistical Information on Foreign Recruitment

Demand
The demand for nurses in the United States is high, especially with a growing aging population. Unfortunately, the supply is low and it looks like the shortage will continue. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the shortage of registered nurses in the United States could reach as high as 500,000 by 2025. A report by Dr. Peter Buerhaus and colleagues released in March 2008 found that the demand for RNs is expected to grow by 2 to 3 percent each year.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2016, according to their 2007 Monthly Labor Review. Government analysts predict nursing will be the nation’s top profession with more than 587,000 new nursing positions created by 2016.

With fewer new nurses entering the profession, the average age of nurses is climbing. The Federal Division of Nursing released a recent report that surveyed registered nurses and found the average age of nurses in March 2004 was 46.8 years, up from 45.2 in 2000. Registered nurses under the age of 30 dropped from 9 percent in 2000 to 8 percent in 2004.

The nursing shortage also affects patient care. A report released in May 2001 by the Nursing Institute at the University of Illinois College of Nursing shows the ratio of potential caregivers to the people most likely to need care, the elderly population, will decrease by 40 percent between 2010 and 2030.

An article by Dr. Peter Buerhaus and associates published in 2005 finds that the majority of RNs believe the nursing shortage is affecting the overall quality of patient care in hospitals and other settings, including long-term care facilities, ambulatory care settings, and student health centers.
Source of data: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm

The demand for physical therapists is equally high. A critical shortage of physical therapists arose between 2003-2004, primarily from the decreased number of applicants to schools of physical therapy during the years 2001-2003. Although the number of applicants is now increasing, the shortage will continue since it takes years for physical therapy students to complete their program and work in the field.

According to a survey of 50 hospitals in Maryland, vacancy rates for physical therapists jumped up from 10.2 percent in 2003 to 16.2 percent last year.
Source of data: http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2005/07/04/story5.html

Advantages
Foreign recruitment can address the shortage issue and offer stability through contractual agreements for nurses and physical therapists. A contract typically requires a two-year minimum employment commitment. In addition, the cost of domestic recruitment and retention is a major expense for most hospitals, making foreign recruitment vital to minimizing long-term recruitment costs. In 2002 and 2003, foreign-trained nurses accounted for over 10 percent of the nurses entering the workforce.

Education
The quality of training for nurses and physical therapists in foreign schools is extremely good. For example, in the Philippines, the nursing curriculum, method of instruction, training materials, textbooks, and testing standards are the same as in the United States. In fact, the educational system in the Philippines was established by the United States over 100 years ago and classes are taught in English.

Candidates
We recruit English-speaking registered nurses with BSN degrees from countries that offer training similar to the training provided to U.S. nurses and consistent with CGFNS certification. All of the nurses we recruit have taken and passed the mandatory U.S. nurse licensing exam—the NCLEX-RN. The physical therapists we recruit have passed the National Physical Therapy Examination and are ready to be licensed in the state of intended employment.

We focus primarily on recruiting nurses and physical therapists from the Philippines, since we have first-hand experience in that country. Because nursing and physical therapy are top career choices in the Philippines, there is an oversupply of qualified professionals with a proven track record of commitment to the profession, excellent achievement as caregivers, and demonstrated strong moral and ethical values. We have found that nurses and physical therapists from the Philippines adapt well to the culture of the United States and are already fluent in English.

Professional Healthcare Resources International’s founder and president, Eileen DeCesare, RN, was herself recruited from the Philippines in 1964 and since then has enjoyed a successful career in healthcare spanning 45 years. She serves as a role model an inspiration for our foreign recruitment candidates.
We Are Different from other Foreign Recruitment Firms
We offer personalized "hands on" service and we are selective about our recruits because we value our client relationships. We would never compromise our personal involvement or customer service for pure volume. Here is our approach:
  • We enter into a contract with you.
  • We recruit the nurses or physical therapists, prescreen and verify their credentials, and set up face-to-face interviews between you and the candidates. If you prefer, we also can conduct the interviews on your behalf.
  • We file all necessary USCIS immigration and legal paperwork and perform all the follow-up.
  • We make all travel arrangements for the nurses and physical therapists to come to the United States.
  • We deliver the licensed nurses and skilled physical therapists to your door, ready to begin orientation.
We Work with U.S. Immigration
The E-3/EB3 is an employment-based, permanent U.S. residency immigration visa for skilled workers, professionals, and other workers with a Baccalaureate degree, and other workers. The I-140 form must be filed by the prospective employer, which we prepare for you. Applicants also require a Labor Certification, 9089 Form filed in duplicate (which we also prepare), Schedule A, Group 1 designation, or evidence that they qualify for one of the shortage occupations in the Labor Market Information Pilot Program. Schedule A, Group 1 includes nurses and physical therapists. When these workers receive the permanent immigration visa through sponsorship of the healthcare employer, they will be given a Permanent Residency Visa (green card).

We have found that this visa is the most successful type for our clients. Initially, it takes longer to process the permanent visa, but there is no re-filing required later on. It typically takes between 10-20 months to get this visa from the time the contract is signed. The time varies depending on the applicant response time and immigration yearly visa caps or quotas.