Huge demand for Indian nurses in the US

Indian nurses are in great demand in the United States where the present requirement of nurses is 1.26 lakh (126,000) which is expected to touch two lakh (200,000) next year and cross the one million mark by 2015, an organisation involved in hiring nurses for that country claimed today.

"Every year an average 1,000 Indian nurses make to the US to fill in this critical demand," Radhika Manne, managing director, Smart Nurse Private Ltd, whose company has been sending nurses to the US since 2001, told reporters.

Attributing the shortage of nurses to few students taking up nursing as a profession due to long and strenuous work hours as well as the growing number of retiring nurses, she said the situation had resulted in overcrowding in emergency departments and increased waiting times for surgeries.

Indian nurses were in great demand in the US, because of their skills and expertise, she said.

"They could easily fit into any situation, adapt to any work culture, are ready to work for long hours and strongly driven by the service motto which made them largely preferred in the US," she said.

The only hindrance faced by the Indian nurses was that though they possessed expertise, many were unable to get through the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS), which is mandatory for anyone wishing to work in the US.

However, organisations like Smart Nurse were working towards training the nursing aspirants to clear the examination by offering them intensive training in English as well the other qualifying professional exams organised by CGFN (Commission on Graduates for foreign nursing schools, testing system) and the National Council Licensure examination for Registered nurses (NCLEX), she said.