U.S. offers tremendous scope for Indian nurses: recruiter By Sanu George, Indo-Asian News Service
Thiruvananthapuram, May 18 (IANS) U.S. hospitals require some 650,000 qualified nurses and the southern Indian state of Kerala can play a major role in bridging this gap, an NRI businessman has said. "I have a contract with 20 leading hospitals in the U.S. who need 2,000 qualified nurses and I have come here to recruit them," Sam Kuzhikala said. Salaries for nurses in the U.S. range from $50,000 to $60,000 a year, he said. Nurses from Kerala have already made a name for themselves in hospitals in the Middle East, where an estimated 100,000 are employed. A majority of hospitals in India also employ Keralite nurses, though no reliable statistics are available. The only stumbling block for Keralite nurses aspiring to work in the U.S. is that they have to first clear the Cgfns examination. Cgfns is the acronym for Commission Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, which is part of the licensing requirements to work as a registered nurse in the U.S. In India, the Cgfns test is currently conducted only in Bangalore. "As of today, there is only one professional centre in Kerala which prepares candidates for this course. Apart from this, aspirants also have to clear examinations in written and spoken English. "One way out would be for the government to include the syllabus for these tests in the curriculum of nursing colleges in Kerala," said Kuzhikala. The Kerala government has said it is making efforts to open a Cgfns examination centre in the state. Said M.M. Hassan, minister for non-resident Keralites: "We have made contacts with the people concerned in Delhi and are hopeful that this would come through. If that happens, then nurses from Kerala could see their job prospects increase hugely." Kuzhikala also cautioned Keralite nurses who intend to go to the U.S. against being duped by unscrupulous agents and said the state government could play a role in this regard. A career in nursing is much sought after in Kerala with some 800 seats available annually in medical colleges and another 2,500 seats in private nursing schools in the state. --Indo-Asian News Service =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
