Why We Need Specialist Nurse Midwives in the Philippines

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or years and years the Philippines had a pool of nurses that were in excess to those needed to fill jobs available. Registered Nurses were in abundance and it seemed like there would never be enough jobs to go around. Then over the past couple decades something began to change and now the Philippines is experiencing a shortage of nurses, especially specialist nurses such as a certified nurse midwife who helps with prenatal, delivery and a bit of postnatal care for pregnant women around the country.

Blame It on the Yanks

While it may seem a bit funny to be blaming a Philippines shortage of nurses on the United States, that’s exactly what happened! As the shortage for nurses began to develop in the U.S., hospitals, clinics and physicians began advertising in cities like Manila for nurses to work in America. While nurses would need to leave their homes to begin working in the States, it meant work of which there was little at the time. Also, pay grades were higher which meant that nurses working in the United States could send money home to impoverished family members. It was a win-win situation for at least a couple of decades. Then something began to change in the Philippines.

We Exported All Our Nurses!

At the time when the U.S. and even many European countries began to experience a major shortage in qualified nurses, they began to advertise in local papers and Philippines trained nurses began to emigrate. Soon there was a shortage beginning at home and since the country was still suffering a financial crisis, it made sense for Filipino nurses to emigrate simply because there were steady jobs and a suitable salary. Slowly but surely word got around and soon more nurses began working abroad than were actually being placed here at home. While it isn’t exactly true that the Philippines exported all their registered nurses, it isn’t far from the truth. It was no one’s fault but it happened. A day came when there were more positions to be filled than there were nurses to fill them!

Why Not Fill a Void at Home as a Certified Midwife?

Today many young nurses are studying online from the Philippines to take their exams as a registered nurse. Upon completion of that degree, many are staying put to work at home while pursuing a specialisation in nurse midwifery. In fact, since the advent of distance education, more nurses are being trained up at home in the Philippines and these nurses are choosing to stay at home to work their specialties. A nurse midwife salary has caught up to the times and now it is possible to actually make a decent living at home while serving the community he or she grew up in.

Being a nurse midwife is a noble profession and while the salary may not seem as high as it is elsewhere, it should also be taken into consideration that it doesn’t cost as much to live in the Philippines as it does abroad. In any case, if you are seeking advice on how to become a certified nurse midwife, there is ample information online to assist you if you are looking to advance your career.