Nursing Shortage in Hawaii Brings Employment Opportunities

2007POEA MARKET UPDATE NO. 09-07NURSING SHORTAGE IN HAWAII BRINGS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESThe Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA has reported on the present nursing shortage in Hawaii. Hawaii's State Center for Nursing opined that a significant number of nurses and nurse faculty positions will be lost in the next ten years. A study by the Center for Nursing estimated that the state was short of the equivalent of 960 registered-nurse positions in 2006. The nursing gap is expected to widen in the next several years, with a shortage projection of 2,669 nurses in 2010.Some of the factors cited on the shortage of nurses in Hawaii were:1. Hawaii's nursing schools are not turning out enough to meet demand;2. Shortage of teachers for nursing schools; and3. More nurses are projected to leave the workforce as they retire.There are already many Filipino nurses in Hawaii, but they are working as nursing assistants/aides. This is because they have not yet passed the required state examination for registered nurses. At present, there are two Filipino nurses associations in Honolulu that...