Interviews:
Health care professionals tempted by expatriation
The large number of Canadians who are willing to immigrate has led to the creation of firms specializing in placing professionals abroad. Working conditions are sometimes much more appealing outside Canada. In addition, many countries are doing everything they can to attract these professionals. Interview with two health care expatriation specialists.
Canadian nurses: The grass is greener over the border
Interview with Jon S. Whitby, founder and director of Crossbordernurses.com
Toronto-based Crossbordernurses has 5,000 potential candidates in all of Canada in its CV database. In 2007, it successfully placed 150 professionals, mostly nurses, mainly in U.S. hospitals.
Why are candidates willing to move to the U.S.?
There is a major difference between the Canadian and U.S. hospital systems. In the U.S., hospitals are private and have the money to hire staff, while in Canada, hospitals are public and operate under much tighter budgets. Accordingly, medical personnel find better working conditions in the U.S.: full-time jobs and higher salaries in particular. In addition, it is not unusual for U.S. employers to cover moving expenses and even help pay back student loans. There is an increasing number of part-time contracts in Canada and little full-time work, so the nurses who do decide to stay adapt and take jobs in the pharmaceutical industry or in research.
You mentioned high salaries. Do you have any examples?
The highest salaries are obviously in fields where supply is the tightest! Three specialties are currently very much in demand: surgical, emergency and intensive care nursing. The latter, CVICU (Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit), nurses, are paid the most, earning US$70,000 a year.[1] Temporary nurses, who have 13-week contracts in a hospital, also have salaries of up to US$80,000 a year. Compensation also varies by region, in both the U.S. and Canada. Nurses earn more in Toronto or California, where demand is higher, than elsewhere.
What are your hiring criteria?
For U.S. placements, we prefer candidates who have family or friends nearby. This makes the experience easier for them, and the success rate is accordingly higher. The average length of a contract is two years, and it isn't easy to leave for that long if you have no one close. Applicants must also have NCLEX certification in order to practise in the U.S. In the four or five months prior to leaving, candidates must apply for a state licence, a temporary non-immigrant (TN) three-year visa, along with various other documents. How motivated they are throughout this administrative process is also a selection criterion for us.
A taste for adventure
Interview with Helen Ziegler, director of Helen Ziegler & Associates
The most adventurous should know that certain placement firms specialize in jobs on other continents. Helen Ziegler & Associates has chosen the Middle East: since 1981, she has placed 6,000 health care professionals in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar.
What is the typical profile of candidates you send abroad?
We work essentially with nurses—it's the most sought-after profession in the Middle East. Candidates are typically between 23 and 58 years of age and are required to have at least two years' experience. They are often outgoing people who like to travel, meet people, be active and enjoy discovering other cultures. The ideal profile for an expatriate, in one word, is "adventurous."
What are the benefits for nurses who decide to go?
They do not have to pay income tax, and the hospital pays for airfare and a furnished apartment. This means that a nurse's entire US$60,000 salary can go towards food and discretionary spending. In addition, they enjoy seven weeks of vacation a year, like all health care professionals who choose to work in the Middle East.
Who are your clients?
Our clients are the biggest local hospitals, whose pockets are equally deep. The cases treated are often very interesting and instructive. Most of the time expatriates renew their initial two-year contracts.
[1] The average salary for a nurse in Canada is about $40,000 a year.