Affairs and shortage of nurses

Micheal Buble makes me want to start an affair. The song Me and Mrs. Jones? I've been listening to it and I personally think it's so saucy! How they have this thing going on and they meet in secrecy at the same time, same place.. Mmmm-mm!! Deliciously writen lyrics with an equally sexy score!

Anyway, everyone probably knows that I've just completed my assignments. I did a particularly interesting topic on professional issues: shortage of nurses. I found it quite scary that at least one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2016, according to AACN. It's the same thing in Malaysia. We need at least 130 000 nurses (new nurses, that is) by year 2020. And we're nowhere near the target. Not even close. Nursing colleges in Malaysia can only churn out 3 000 new nurses each year. And did you know that there are only 19 nursing colleges under the Ministry of Health, 16 colleges in the private sector and 5 universities who offer the nursing course?

Anyway, the problem in M'sia is most likely due to the fact that majority of our nurses head to the Middle East, partiularly Saudi Arabia. The pay there is from RM 10 000 to RM 13 000, depending on your qualifications and years of experience. Most people who come back from Saudi commented that it was difficult to adapt back to the low income in M'sia. Imagine getting 10K per month for 2 years and coming back here to survive on a fifth of that salary! (If I work for 3 years in Saudi, I can buy the Mini-Cooper that I've been dreaming of!!).

Back to the point, another reason that there is a lack of nurses is also beacuse due to the lack of faculty (ironic?? no nurses, no nursing tutors even!). There are only 16 teaching staffs in my college... They can't accept that many students in, even if they want to! Who's gonna teach them??! So what solutions can we come up with?

Well, there's nothing we can do much about the salary we're getting. It's impossible that we can compete with what they're paying in Saudi, so we're going to have to face the fact that we are still going to lose our nurses to the Middle East. I can only think of changing the mindsets of people. Remind them that the country's healthcare services need them more than other countries. Remind them that they first came in to nursing not for the money (for it is well known that nurses are paid nuts) but to help and to serve.

Perhaps when many have changed their focus, it's time to buck up the management. Those who have been working their asses off should be recognized and promoted. We didn't work so hard to stay where we were 30 years ago. We worked hard so that we could progress.

So any non nurses out there wanting to comment on this? I always welcome opinions from the non nursing people. It is nice to know and understand what you guys think about us nurses and our profession for once. So read up! Drop a line or so and miss you all my friends!

Cheers! XOXOXO!!