‘Filipino nurses down under’: Filipino nurses in Australia

Abstract

The developed world continues to face a critical shortage of nurses that is yet to become more acute with an ageing population, and as a consequence the chain effect of the brain drain or brain circulation will continue. Brain drain is a thoroughly researched and documented phenomenon where source countries such as the Philippines supply nurses to the world, thereby losing their best qualified nurses to developed countries. This creates losses to the source country that trained them, given many leave soon after gaining qualifications and preliminary experience for more lucrative salaries and better lifestyles in the developed world. The situation is particularly complicated in relation to the Philippines, which has positioned itself as a global supplier of nurses, making human resource export a national government strategy. This paper explores fundamental issues surrounding health professional migration in order to assess ways of creating a win-win situation for both source and receiving countries and individual workers, taking the Philippines as a case study. The purpose of this paper is to provide background information on Filipino nurses in Australia within the context of the Philippines as a global supplier of nurses. This paper formed the foundation of an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant with Partner Organisations; Queensland Health and the University of Sydney, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology and The University of Melbourne. Key collaborators also include York University and Queen Margaret University. Abbreviations: AHPRA - Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority; ANMAC - Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council; ASEAN - Association of South East Asian Nations; COAG - Council of Australian Governments; IELTS - International English Language Testing System; NMBA - National Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia; OET - Occupational English Test; WHO - World Health Organization. Key words: Migration of health workers; brain drain; Filipino nurses; ethical recruitment; international agreements; international workforce.