VHR ASSURES U.S.-BOUND WORKERS THAT WAITING
WILL END; OFFERS OPTIONS

Tom Nichols, President of Vintage Health Resources of Memphis, recently talked to more than 60 nurses in Abba office in Manila, and assured them that efforts are being exerted to shorten the presently long processing of those who have applied for the EB 3 or immigrant visas.

VHR, a contracting company based in Memphis, Tennessee, is a long-time client of Abba, and has recruited more than 800 Filipino nurses for their client-hospitals in the U.S. since 1993. Starting 1998, it offered the green card or EB 3 visas to nurses.  But the continuous flow of nurses suddenly slowed, starting late 2006, with the onset of visa retrogression.
 
Mr. Nichols assured VHR’s applicants that his company, along with many recruitment companies in the U.S., have made representation with government officials in the U.S. to solve the current retrogression problem. He has also offered H1B visas to those who meet the work visa requirements.

For the excerpts to the Question and Answer session conducted with the nurses, please click here.

CAMBRIDGE TALKS TO APPLICANTS ON LONG DISTANCE VIDEO

On June 15 and 16, Cambridge Healthcare System (CHC) conducted a series of interviews and sessions with more than 30 prequalified applicants for the U.S. Aside from interviewing the nurses , Teresa Taylorson and Kim Losiewski of CHC conducted a briefing session among the applicants, and talked to the group about how long the processing of their U.S. visas will take.

So, what's new with this?

Teresa and Kim were actually in Baltimore, while the Filipinos nurses were more than 9,000 kilometers away, in the Abba offices in Manila.

Welcome to the world of video conferencing.

Abba has done video conferencing before, but on a limited basis, or in a faraway place in Makati or Ortigas. This time, the video conferencing was done right smack in the Abba office.

(MORE)

IN 2008, FILIPINO NURSES STILL BIGGEST GROUP OF NCLEX - RN TAKERS

Among internationally educated nurses, or nurses who finished their course outside the U.S. the Filipino nurses still are the biggest number of NCLEX exam-takers.

Figures from the NCSBN (National Council of State Board of Nursing), show that for the year 2008, there were 20,748 Filipino nurses who took the exams, or 40.4% of the total internationally-educated nurses. The Philippines was followed by India, South Korea, Cuba and Canada.

In 2007 the Filipino nurses took the top spot, comprising 39.7% of the total

Below are the 2008 statistics:

NURSES FOR ABBA CLIENT CAN LEAVE FOR U.S.A. ON H1B VISA

Cambridge Healthcare, one of Abba’s U.S. based clients, continues to interview nurse-applicants for a non-cap hospital in the U.S. This means that successful applicants will be processed on an H1B, or work visa.

As a non- cap facility, the hospital does not need to wait for April 01 in filing the H1B petition. That  considerably shortens the processing period to within 5 months or less, from the approval of the nurse’s application with Abba.

With an H1B visa, the nurse can land in the U.S. earlier,  get employment with the H1B for 3 years, and extend the visa for another 3 years. Within this period, the nurse is expected to be able to convert her work  visa to permanent residency status.

To qualify for the work visa, the applicants must have passed the NCLEX and IELTS. Interviews are ongoing in Abba, and client's selection are finalized with an overseas  phone interview by the client. 

WHY HIRING PT's FOR THE U.S IS 20x MORE DIFFICULT THAN RECRUITING NURSES

Yes, nowadays, hiring PT's or OT's (when we say PTs in this article, we also mean Occupational Therapists) for the U.S., and for that matter, other countries, is 20 times more difficult than hiring Filipino nurses. There are 3 major reasons why this is so:

1. There are fewer PT graduates than nurse graduates, and this can be seen from the decreasing number of takers in the PTLE (Physical Therapy Licensure Exam). In the last 9 years (from 2001 to June 2009), there were 538, 844 takers of the NLE (Nurse Licensure Exams); there were only 42, 320 takers for the same period for the PT exams. For 2001 and 2002, there was almost an equal number of takers, about 17, 000 for the nurses and the PT's. But in 2003, as the number of nurse-takers took off with the huge increases, the number of PT-takers dwindled. From a high of 10, 581 PT takers in 2001, there were only 1, 742 takers in 2008. In comparison, from a low of 8, 269 takers in 2001, there were 153,108 takers of the NLE.

Please see Table I below for the passing rates of PT's and Nurses in the last 9 years.

2. Aside from the decreasing number of PTLE takers, there are fewer people, percentage wise, that pass the PTLE than NLE. The passing rate for the NLE is a robust 46% in the last 9 years; it is a low 29% for the PTLE. It seems to be a tradition to give very tough exams for the PT's. From 2001 to 2007, the passing rates were 25% to 37% never higher. For the same period, the NLE was hovering in the 50% passing rate.

Among exams for medical professionals (Nurses, Dentists, Med Techs, Doctors, Midwives, Nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, Rad and X-Ray Techs), the PTLE has always had the lowest passing rate from 1995 to 2007, or a 12-year period. The only exceptions have been in 1995, when the Dentistry exam had the lowest passing rate, in 1996 (Dentists again), 1999 (Dentists), and 2003 (Optometrists). The rest of that period, the PTLE have that badge of distinction: lowest passing rate.

The only time the PTLE were easy were in 2008 and 2009, when the PT-takers were already a dwindling species.

Please see Table II for Comparison of Exams for Medical Professionals.

3. Aside from the dwindling number of graduates and low number of passers, the PT's also face tougher requirements for overseas jobs than their nursing counterparts. U.S.-bound nurses can take the U.S. licensure exams in the Philippines; their PT counterparts have to go to the U.S. to take the NPTE. That means that the PT will have to pass the IELTS (taken here), and apply for a visit visa to U.S., to be able to take the exam anywhere in the U.S. We don't have the passing rate for Filipino PT's who have taken the NPTE and the NBCOT, but we still hazard the guess that there are very few of them.

Those are the 3 reasons why it is more difficult to look for the Filipino PT's.

So if you're a company somewhere in California looking for PT's and OT's from the Philippines, think conservative. It is not your agency lacking in persistence, or your incentive money not adequate enough to motivate. It's just that the supply is not enough to meet the surging demand for PT's.

So, talk more about hiring nurses. It's 20 times easier.

NOTES:

1. All 3 exams are each given twice a year.

2. Data include first-time takers and repeaters.

3. 2009 data is only for one exam; all other years, two exam each

March 09, 2010

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

MORE THAN 95, 000 GRADS TAKE NOVEMBER 2009 NURSING EXAM

A total of 95, 282 nursing graduates took the country’s NLE (Nursing Licensure Exams) on November 29 and 30. The number is the highest that has been registered so far in the history of the NLE. The previous highest number of takers was in December2008 when 88, 649 nursing graduates took the NLE.

Results of the 2-day exam will come out early 2010. The NLE is done in 11 test centers all over the Philippines. It is conducted twice a year, usually in June and late November.

December 08, 2009

BIG HOSPITAL IN SAUDI IS LOOKING FOR DOCTORS AND CONSULTANTS

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center or KFSHRC (www.kfshrc.edu.sa) in Riyadh is looking for Doctors and Consultants in various specialties to work in their prestigious hospital. The Doctors and Consultants will be assigned in the Oncology department.

Selected applicants will enjoy major benefits such as free airfare, competitive tax free salary, annual vacation, free accomodation and the chance to conduct symposiums and seminars as needed by the hospital.

KFSH&RC is 894-bed multi-facility, multi-entity tertiary care hospital and one of the leading healthcare institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its mission is to provide medical services of highly specialized nature and promote medical research and education programs, including postgraduate education training, as well as contribute to the prevention of the disease.

For more information, you may call us at (02) 637-1393 / 633-5175 and ask for Ms. Soc Brillante or you may send your resume at abbapsi@yahoo.com.

November 24, 2009

HOSPITAL IN JEDDAH IS LOOKING FOR PARAMEDS

The International Medical Center, a prestigious tertiary hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is set to visit Abba this November to fill their vacancies in the nursing and clinical support departments.

Representatives of IMC are looking for Radiologic Technologists., Medical Technologists, Anesthesia Techs., Ultrasound Techs., CT Scan Techs., and General Radiographers with at least 2 years work experience in the position they’re applying for.

IMC is a new hospital that has gained immediate recognition in Saudi Arabia for its holistic approach to healthcare. It offers generous compensation package to its nurses. There are no placement fees for IMC.

For details about their vacancies please write or call (02) 633-51-75 ask for or apply at vedder_abba@yahoo.com

November 20, 2009

ABBA TO ATTEND CONFERENCE ON PHILIPPINE NURSING

Abba has been invited to attend the 2nd Philippine Nursing Competitiveness Conference to be held on December 4-5 in Manila.

The annual event is a gathering of the country's nursing leaders, educators, associations, national government agencies and other stakeholders. The first conference was held in November 2008.

The objective of the Conference is to upgrade the competitiveness of Philippine nursing services. The theme for this year's conference is "Global Competitiveness in Nursing For National Development". Some of the topics that will be taken up in the 2-day event are: "Filipino Nurse Migration: Management and Trends, " Perceived Advantages and Limitations of Filipino Nurses Across Asia", Filipino Nurses and the NCLEX".

The event is organized by the CFO (Commissions on Filipino Overseas) and the Institute of Health Policy and Development Studies.

November 26, 2009

BIGGEST PRIVATE HOSPITAL IN ABU DHABI VISITS ABBA IN DECEMBER

Al Noor Hospital, the biggest privately owned hospital in Abu Dhabi is slated to interview applicants in Abba starting December 04 to 05.

Representatives of the Hospital, which has 2 facilities in Abu Dhabi, will fill their vacancies for Radiographers and Medical Technologists.

To qualify, applicants should have at least two years work experience.  Successful applicants will be asked to later take the HAAD (Health Authority in Abu Dhabi) exams in Abu Dhabi. There are no placement fees for Al Noor Hospital.

For details about the vacancies please call (632)687-3668 ask for Blanca or send detailed resumes to abbapsi@yahoo.com.

November 20, 2009

QATAR ‘S BIGGEST PRIVATE HOSPITAL TO INTERVIEW NURSES IN DECEMBER

Representatives of Al Ahli Hospital will visit Abba in December to interview nurses. The new delegates will staff the recently expanded units of the hospital.

Al Ahli Hospital is the biggest private hospital in Qatar. It is a 284 bed facility, and has modern and state-of-the-art equipment. It is located in Doha. It offers competitive compensation, and has no placement fees.

To qualify for the nursing positions, applicants must be, with at least 3 years work experience. And presently working in secondary or tertiary hospitals, with at least 150 bed capacities. Only prequalified applicants will be interviews. Those interested are encouraged to apply Abba at 11 Floor Goldloop Tower A Escriva Drive Ortigas Center, Pasig City or call (02)633-5175 ask for Matt starting November 23 to December 16.

November 20, 2009

ABBA'S NEW CLIENT LOOKING FOR DOCTORS

Gulf Diagnostic Center Hospital (GDCH) a general hospital in Abu Dhabi concluded its talks with Abba with the successful recruitment of 15 nurses, 7 medical technologists, and 3 radiologic technologists.

The workers are expected to leave for UAE within the next few months.

GDCH continues to look for Filipino doctors, specializing in Radiology, OB Gyne and Family Medicine.For details, please click newest vacancies. The doctors must be female, with at least 3 years work experience in a tertiary hospital, and willing to sign a 3-year contract. Salaries start at USD 5 000 a month, tax free. Those interested may please call (02) 633-51-75 / 637-13-93, ask for Jen Arcilla or Marc Dupaya.

150 MALE NURSES, SECRETARIES  NEEDED FOR SAUDI 

Representatives of a top hospital-management company in the Middle East are slated to visit Abba in the second week of November.  AMI International Ltd., a Jeddah- based company that manages large hospitals in the Middle East, are looking for Male Nurses to staff the facilities of CSH (Central Security Hospitals) in various cities of Saudi Arabia, namely Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam,Qassim, and Abha.  

  
Representatives of AMI will interview in Abba on Novemeber 11 and 12. To qualify for the client interview, applicants will have to be prequalified by Abba and should report to Abba’s office starting November 03. Applicants must be 21 to 45 years old and must have at least two and a half years of hospital work experience

Aside from Male Nurses, AMI are also looking for Cast Technicians, and Medical Secretaries. Abba’s advertisement in the Sunday Bulletin appears here. For details about AMI’s vacancies, please call or text JL, at 637-1393 or 09285028030

November 03, 2009

32, 617 PASS JUNE ’09 NURSING BOARD EXAM

There are 32, 617 new nurses in the Philippines.

That’s the number of passers in the last Nursing Licensure Exams (NLE), held in 11 cities around the Philippines, and conducted for 2 consecutive days in June 2009.

There were 77, 901 total examinees. Oathtaking ceremonies will be held on August 18 and 19 in Manila.

The passing rate of 42% is the lowest in the last 6 NLE, (from 2006 to 2009) as shown below:

For results in the last 11 years, click here.

AMERICAN HOSPITAL IN DUBAI   TO INTERVIEW IN ABBA

The leading private hospital in Dubai is coming to Manila, and will interview Nurses to fill the vacancies arising out of their expansion. The American Hospital in Dubai (AHD) , long a client of Abba, will send their representatives to Abba in the middle of November . AHD will select Nurses to staff the specialty areas (ICU, CICU, Ob Gyn, OR, RR, Cardiac OR and M/S) of their nearly-finished annex hospital, situated just beside their present facility in the busy city of Dubai.

AHD is a 143- bed facility that caters to private companies and individuals in Dubai. In the early part of next year, it will open a new building that will house a Dialysis Unit, a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit, a 10 bed Cardiac ICU, expanded Emergency Department staffed with American Board Certified Physicians, a 13-bed child-friendly Pediatric Suite, a 9-bed Endoscopy Suite offering same-day surgery and private rooms and an exclusive Cancer Care unit..

To qualify for the positions, applicants must have at least 2 years work experience in a hospital, and should not be more than 45 years old. Applicants will be prequalified for the interview, and must report to Abba starting November 4, 2009. For details, call, Jazz of Abba, at 6371393 or 09173279899.

November 03, 2009

PREMIER CARDIAC CENTER IN SAUDI NEEDS SPECIALTY NURSES

The Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Riyadh is once again looking for nurses to fill its specialty positions. PSCC is one of the facilities o Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence and Aviation, and specializes in cardiac cases. Representatives of   PSCC will visit Abba in the middle of November to interview applicants for their vacancies in their ICU, Adult Surgical ICU, Pediatric Surgical ICU, Pediatric Cardiology ICU, Adult Cardiology Ward, Adult Cardiac Surgery, Pediatric Post-Op Surgical. Coronary Care Unit Cardiac Cath Lab areas.

To qualify, applicants must have a minimum of 3 years work experience in a tertiary hospital with 1 year in the assigned area preferably handling cardiac cases. Applicants should not be more than 45 years old.

For details about the vacancies, please call or text Diane at 6371393 or 09175112654

November 03, 2009

US CLIENT TO INTERVIEW NURSES IN JULY

Vintage Health Resources, one of the Abba's long-time clients will visit Manila this July to recruit nurses for its hospital in Texas, South Carolina and Mississippi.

The nurses will be on H1B visas, which means processing time of about 6 months. The nurses will have free processing costs, reimbursable costs on NCLEX and IELTS, free airfare, no placement fees, and housing allowance for the first few weeks of stay in the U.S.

VHR , which started operations in Memphis Tennessee in 1993, has recruited more than 500 nurses from Abba since 1998. For those interested, please call (02) 633-5175 / 637-1393 and ask for Marc.

ABBA GOES 11

Abba Personnel Services Inc. celebrated its 11th founding anniversary on June 05, at the World Music Room in Ortigas.

Abba started its operation on June 05, 1998 and ever since, has celebrated the date with a small party among its staff, friends and other guests.

On this year's party, the awardees were as follows:

3rd Year Awardee......... Sherwin.

Singer of the Night ....... Joyce

Dancer of the Night ...... Sarah

Pictures of the party are here.

MED TECHS PASS UAE EXAMS

All five candidates that Abba sent to Abu Dhabi for testing last April passed the government exams of the UAE. The exams consisted of a written exam and oral exams in front of a panel.

The 5 candidates were flown to Abu Dhabi by Al Noor Hospital, free of charge, including their hotel and transport.

The 5 candidates are back in Manila to process their papers. They are expected to start work in Abu Dhabi within the month of June. The 5 candidates are David Dangalan, Jazzie Jane Mallorca, Mark James Arcilla, Edwin Carreon and Nelson Fusingan.

May 21, 2009

80, 000 TAKE JUNE NURSING EXAM

About 80, 000 nursing graduate took the 2-day Nurse Licensure Exams on June 06 and 07. The biggest number of examinees was in Manila, with an expected 42, 238 examinees, or more than half of the total. The rest of the examinees are spread over many testing center in 10 other cities in the Philippines.

Result of the Board Exams will be released after a couple of months.

June 10, 2009

PHILIPPINE HOSPITAL DIRECTORY OUT ALREADY

Abba has started to distribute its “Hospital in the Philippines”, a listing of all hospitals and medical institutions in the country.  The listing features the name of the Hospital, the bed capacity (primary, secondary, etc.), location and addresses and other information about the country’s healthcare industry.  The listing is meant for Abba’s clients and friends who need vital information about hospital in the Philippines. 8888

Representatives  from   foreign   hospitals  may  ask   for   a   copy  at abba98@pldtdsl.net

HIGH PAYING HOSPITAL IN ABU DHABI SLATES JUNE VISIT

One of the highest-paying hospitals in the Middle East has scheduled a recruitment trip to the Abba office this coming June. The big government hospital, a 365-bed facility managed by Global Medical Solutions in Abu Dhabi, will interview nurse-applicants for their nearly 200 vacancies.

The recruitment team, composed of about 8 people, will interview applicants for the following departments: Intensive Care Unit, Recovery Room, Emergency Room, Female and Male Medical Ward, Male Ortho Ward, Out Patient Department, Cardiology, Oncology, Endoscopy, Long Term, Stepdown, Hemodialysis, Pediatric, Anesthesia and VIP.

GMS's last visit to Manila was in December 2007, when they selected 178 Filipino nurses. Most of the nurses were deployed within 2 months after their selection. The compensation package of this government facility is one of the best in the region. The monthly salary starts approximately USD 1300 a month, for those with 3 years work experience, and goes higher for every year in excess of 3 years work. Highly experienced nurses in specialty areas sometimes earns $2476 and that's without OT work yet. In addition, GMS also provides free airfare, yearly housing allowance equivalent to 3 months salary, free education up to 3 children, and a family visa. That means that a nurse can bring in her entire family in the UAE.

Approved applicants are expected to be processed swiflty. The medical exams, which will be free of charge, will be undertaken immediately after the selection of the nurses. Abba is the only accredited agency of GMS in the country. No placement fees will be asked from the approved candidates.

For those interested, please call (02) 637-13-24 / 633-51-75, or send your application thru fax (632) 633-85-89 / 687-36-69 , or email us at abbapsi@yahoo.com. click here

May 13 , 2009

ABBA TO ATTEND 3 JOB FAIRS

Representatives from Abba are set to attend 3 job fairs starting May 22, up to the middle of June. The first job fair site will be the Mall of Asia, on May 22-23. The second is going to be in San Fernando, Pampanga, on May 29. The Pampanga site will be at the Bren Guiao Complex. The last one will be in Kawit, Cavite on June 12. It will be held at the Aguinaldo Shrine.

In the last few weeks, Abba attended job fairs in Dagupan, Batangas, and Kalibo in Aklan.

The attendance is part of Abba's program to bring to the provinces the employment offers of its clients. For a partial listing of Abba's vacancies, click here.

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