U.S. Plan to Lure Nurses May Hurt Poor Nations - New York Times

The Phillipino nurses I worked with in Saudi Arabia were without any question some of the best nurses I have ever worked with in my career. I will be eternally grateful for their compassion and skill in patient care, whether in the OR, the ER, or the floor.

U.S. Plan to Lure Nurses May Hurt Poor Nations - New York 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.

The 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."