Nursing an Ambition

But why move to America? 8220;Here the maximum starting salary one gets is only Rs 15,000 but in the US, you get paid anywhere between 24 and 32 per hour. You even get double payment for extra shifts,8221; says Thomas. She is not alone in looking for greener pastures. Sandeepa Sekhar, who works at the Max Hospital in Pitampura, is also determined to go abroad. 8220;The work culture is good at Max and I have no problems with it, but the salary remains an issue. You get paid only around Rs 9,000 after a two-year work experience. The increment is also negligible,8221; she says.

If blue-chip Indian techies have become the hardware Silicon Valley cannot do without, brisk, efficient nurses have hopped on to the globalisation bandwagon to become India8217;s next big export to Uncle Sam.

Industry sources say there are 6,30,000 active nurses in India in 2007, of which 6,300 plan to go to the United States. Official figures indicate that there were 4,395 NCLEX nurses last year and their number is expected to reach 5,274 this year. Last year, around 25,000 nurses left the country to work in hospitals in Ireland, UK and Canada.

No wonder, recruitment agencies like Fortis Healthstaff, Max Health Staff and India International Technical Recruiters IITR are rushing in to cash in on this brain drain. But how easy is it to land a job in the US? Sumanjit Chaudhry, CEO, Fortis Healthstaff, which opened last year in Delhi, says there is a huge demand-supply gap in America for nurses. 8220;It is estimated that the US will need approximately a million nurses by 2020. This is the reason we are planning to invest nearly Rs 100 crore in this business within the next two years,8221; he informs.nbsp;

Hefty salaries and better opportunities are not the only reason why these nurses are enrolling themselves with recruitment agencies like Fortis Healthstaff, Max Health Staff and India International Technical Rrecruiters IITR. 8220;A nurse goes with a Green Card to the US. This means that she can take her husband and kids along with her. The pay structure is also very good and a nurse can earn over 40 an hour after working two years there,8221; says Colonel Gurinder Singh, principal consultant, IITR.

Twenty-five-year-old Renu Bisht, for example, is waiting to clear the NCLEX test and fly to the US with her husband, an IT professional. America also offers a chance to finish her education. 8220;I want to earn and also pursue my BSc there. In India, it is very difficult to do both,8221; says Bisht.

What makes health set-ups of the First World look for Indian nurses? Their proficiency with the English language, for one. 8220;The training they get in India meets requirements there. Plus, unlike nurses from other countries, they tend to stick to a job and settle down in the US,8221; says Singh.

Not all countries are opening up. UK has recently made it mandatory for nurses to complete Overseas Nurses Programme before they are registered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, a move that deters many from applying. Ireland is a different story. 8220;In 2004, we signed a contract with Healthcare Service Executive of Ireland. We have already placed 800 nurses for sending 1000 nurses by 2007,8221; says Singh.

A major grouse for health professionals in India is the treatment they get in hospitals. Priyanka Rajput is a nurse at AIIMS but there is little pleasure she finds in work. 8220;You study so much to be a nurse and at the end of the day, authorities make you do the work of a servant. We have to give bedpans and bed baths to the patients. This is definitely not our job,8221; she says. Rajput is also studying to crack the NCLEX.

The staffing companies are a big help for the aspiring nurses. Once they enrol for a five-month-long course, they get to brush up their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Cultural orientation classes prepare them for the changes they should expect. The process8212;clearing the exam and immigration formalities8212;usually takes nearly two years. Once a woman reaches the US, the companies who have a tie-up with Indian firms help them in adjusting to the life there.

But doesn8217;t the thought of going to a strange country intimidate these young women a little? 8220;No,8221; says Thomas. After all, her journey began long ago. 8220;When I came to Delhi five years ago from Kerala, I couldn8217;t even understand Hindi properly, but I managed. I8217;m sure I8217;ll adjust there too.8221; Once on the carousel of change, no place or desire is too far away.