May 24, 2006
TOM TANCREDO WON'T CHANGE YOUR BEDPAN:
U.S. Plan to Lure Nurses May Hurt Poor Nations (CELIA W. DUGGER, 5/24/06, NY Times)
As the United States runs short of nurses, senators are looking abroad. A little-noticed provision in their immigration bill would throw open the gate to nurses and, some fear, drain them from the world's developing countries.Posted by Orrin Judd at May 24, 2006 9:50 AMThe legislation is expected to pass this week, and the Senate provision, which removes the limit on the number of nurses who can immigrate, has been largely overlooked in the emotional debate over illegal immigration.
Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, who sponsored the proposal, said it was needed to help the United States cope with a growing nursing shortage.
He said he doubted the measure would greatly increase the small number of African nurses coming to the United States, but acknowledged that it could have an impact on the Philippines and India, which are already sending thousands of nurses to the United States a year.
The exodus of nurses from poor to rich countries has strained health systems in the developing world, which are already facing severe shortages of their own.
Let's see if we get this point: open borders, except for people with needed skills--them we keep out.
Posted by: Lou Gots at May 24, 2006 1:58 PMHow about expanding the American nursing schools, and make themm attractive for our new Hispanic immigrants? Make it easier to become a citizen if you take on the burden of training for a skill we particularly need (though not as easy as if you join the military). I'll bet we could come up with a few ten thousand nurses, LPNs and CNAs double-quick.
Posted by: Steve White at May 25, 2006 2:28 AM