Nursing In Thailand

[petemcc]

Hi.

I'm a 43 year old male, and after a few career changes, I should graduate as a Registered Nurse at the end of this year.

I wouldn't mind using my profession in Thailand, but from the research I have done it appears as though nurses get a pittance, something like 10K baht/month, which is a joke.

Bearing in mind teachers seem to get 2-5 times that, and I assume that is because they are falang, does anyone know the situation with foreign nurses? Does Thailand need them, or is it like the Phillipines, who also have shocking pay, and whose nurses work everywhere else in the world to earn a decent wage?

Would a falang (male) nurse be welcomed at any hospital where falang patients go?

If anyone can help me I'd be obliged, but it does seem as though I'd be better off teaching.

Thanks

Pete

[petedk]

I've done some teaching at a couple of hospitals and I have never seen foreign nurses or doctors employed there.

Maybe nursing is one of the professions closed to foreigners.

By the way the official government salary for foreign teachers in Thailand is about 17.500 Baht + 8000 baht housing allowance. (can't remember the exact figure). Not exactly a fortune either.

[petemcc]

I've done some teaching at a couple of hospitals and I have never seen foreign nurses or doctors employed there.

Maybe nursing is one of the professions closed to foreigners.

By the way the official government salary for foreign teachers in Thailand is about 17.500 Baht + 8000 baht housing allowance. (can't remember the exact figure). Not exactly a fortune either.

Thanks, so all the teaching sites that quote 25-50 K are somewhat economic with the truth?

[Sakeopete]

I think as with most private hospitals in Thailand the most important criteria is to be female, under 30 y/o and beautiful to qualify as a nurse. Whether you can tell the difference between a hemostat or chop sticks is irrelevant.

[petemcc]

I think as with most private hospitals in Thailand the most important criteria is to be female, under 30 y/o and beautiful to qualify as a nurse. Whether you can tell the difference between a hemostat or chop sticks is irrelevant.

That's probably, very sadly, true. Ah well, Í'll stick to Au$ 55k a year and take more holidays!

[a2396]

What country are your from and why would you want to work in Thailand?? Go to USA. They hire many foreign nurses, because the schools there don't produce enough. Pay is high & male nurse no problem. There are many of them.

[GuestHouse]

I used to be a volunteer hospital visitor in Thailand, so I've visted a lot of Thai hospitals. I've only ever seen one foreign nurse, she worked in the reception area at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital helping dealing with foreign customers - in addition to being a nurse she also spoke several European languages, so I think more of a customer liason than nurse.

[Briggsy]

I'm pretty sure nursing is a prohibited profession for foreigners so you couldn't do it anyway.

In addition, you are correct in stating that salaries are low in developing nations.

[mrtoad]

I'm pretty sure nursing is a prohibited profession for foreigners so you couldn't do it anyway.

In addition, you are correct in stating that salaries are low in developing nations.

My understanding is that it is Prohibited, although there are some liason posts available from time to time. I'm an RN, but I don't practice here in Thailand as there aren't the openings in my particular field, and I wouldn't do it for peanuts anyway. I still do some part time consultancy work for a company based in S'pore though, and If I do decide to go back to the profession full time, I'll either head off to the Middle East or New Zealand, but for the OP you will need to get some post registtration experience first.

[jonniebkk]

I would agree with Guesthouse and the Toad...if you are multi-lingual, you might find a position as a patient counselor/translator/foreign patient laison at one of the big international hospitals in Thailand.

As to teacher salaries, the B17,000 is at government schools. The salaries of B 30-50,000 are at the private language and tutoring academies.

Edited February 28, 2008 by jonniebkk

[a2396]

As long as we are on this subject, does anyone know what the job market is like for Thai nationals in the nursing profession in Thailand? I have a friend who will be graduating with a 4 yr B.S. in nursing and will be looking for a job in Issan. We have also discussed re: her going to USA, which I think would be relatively easy for her, after she gets some experience. Any comments?

[garro]

Hi.

I'm a 43 year old male, and after a few career changes, I should graduate as a Registered Nurse at the end of this year.

I wouldn't mind using my profession in Thailand, but from the research I have done it appears as though nurses get a pittance, something like 10K baht/month, which is a joke.

Bearing in mind teachers seem to get 2-5 times that, and I assume that is because they are falang, does anyone know the situation with foreign nurses? Does Thailand need them, or is it like the Phillipines, who also have shocking pay, and whose nurses work everywhere else in the world to earn a decent wage?

Would a falang (male) nurse be welcomed at any hospital where falang patients go?

If anyone can help me I'd be obliged, but it does seem as though I'd be better off teaching.

Thanks

Pete

I too am an RN who now lives in Thailand, but I have worked as a nurse in a few different countries. I doubt that you would find any work in Thailand as as farang nurse. In fact unless you have at least two years experience working in the country you qualify, it will be doubtful that you would get any work abroad. If you are qualifiying with a degree in Nursing the best you might be able to hope for is teaching English to nurses but you will probably need more qualifications. If you are qualifying with a diploma then you will be lucky to get any legal work even as a teacher.

Sorry that I can't be more positive.

[TheDon]

Come to Australia, we are so in need of nurses it isnt funny. Our health system has been labelled one of the worst in the world (as what Koshy on channel 7 says) one huge problem for us is there is no nurses here

[wallacern]

Hi.

I'm a 43 year old male, and after a few career changes, I should graduate as a Registered Nurse at the end of this year.

I wouldn't mind using my profession in Thailand, but from the research I have done it appears as though nurses get a pittance, something like 10K baht/month, which is a joke.

Bearing in mind teachers seem to get 2-5 times that, and I assume that is because they are falang, does anyone know the situation with foreign nurses? Does Thailand need them, or is it like the Phillipines, who also have shocking pay, and whose nurses work everywhere else in the world to earn a decent wage?

Would a falang (male) nurse be welcomed at any hospital where falang patients go?

If anyone can help me I'd be obliged, but it does seem as though I'd be better off teaching.

Thanks

Pete

I'm a retired RN from the US living in Thailand.

You need a couple years experience to get ahead in nursing.

Look at delphiforums.com and look up travel nurses. Click on the first one that comes up.

With a couple of years ICU experience you can make good money traveling in the US.

Good luck,

Mike

Edited February 28, 2008 by wallacern

[wallacern]

As long as we are on this subject, does anyone know what the job market is like for Thai nationals in the nursing profession in Thailand? I have a friend who will be graduating with a 4 yr B.S. in nursing and will be looking for a job in Issan. We have also discussed re: her going to USA, which I think would be relatively easy for her, after she gets some experience. Any comments?

Forget about going to the USA. She would have to take the US nursing exam (NCLEX). Difficult for a native English speaker. I would say impossible for a Thai nurse.

Good luck to her.

Mike RN

[gunnyd]

As long as we are on this subject, does anyone know what the job market is like for Thai nationals in the nursing profession in Thailand? I have a friend who will be graduating with a 4 yr B.S. in nursing and will be looking for a job in Issan. We have also discussed re: her going to USA, which I think would be relatively easy for her, after she gets some experience. Any comments?

Forget about going to the USA. She would have to take the US nursing exam (NCLEX). Difficult for a native English speaker. I would say impossible for a Thai nurse.

Good luck to her.

Mike RN

Agreed The US has clamped down on taking in foriegn nurses,

The Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act of 1999 allows qualifying hospitals to employ temporary foreign workers as Registered Nurses for up to three years under H-1C visas. Only 500 H-1C visas can be issued each year during the four year period of the H-1C program (2000-2004) and H-1C nurses may be admitted for a period of three years.

The sponsoring employer must meet strict criteria to employ foreign RNs under the H-1C program : be a "subpart D" hospital under the Social Security Act; be located in a Health Professional Shortage Area, have at least 190 care beds and have a Medicare population of 35% and have a Medicaid population of 28%.

The qualifying RN must, on the other end, have obtained a full and unrestricted license to practice in the country where the nursing education was obtained, or have received a nursing education in the U.S, have passed the examination given by the Commission on Graduates for Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) or have a full and unrestricted license to practice as an RN in the state where the RN will work and be fully qualified and eligible under the laws governing the place where the RN will work to practice as an RN immediately upon admission to the U.S and be authorized under such laws to be employed by the hospital.

To file an attestation for a H-1C visa, the sponsoring hospital must complete a Form ETA 9081 with the DOL Employment and Training Administration containing the required attestation elements. The sponsoring employer must pay a filing fee of $250 for each application filed with the DOL.

-USCIS

The H-1C is the only route left to get into the US.

GunnyD

edit: Back to the subject at hand: Why in the world would you want to work for $100-$150 a month? And as others have said, I also have never seen a farang nurse working in a Thai hospital, and if it's a private hospital you gotta be a looker under 30.

Edited February 29, 2008 by gunnyd

[mr_hippo]

She would have to take the US nursing exam (NCLEX). Difficult for a native English speaker. I would say impossible for a Thai nurse.

Why is it difficult for a native speaker? I looked at some sample questions from an NCLEX test a few months ago and did not find them too difficult. However I have just found this question on NCLEX sample questions

Question #5

Which of the following signs would indicate that a patient with esophageal varices is deteriorating?

l1. Pt complains of frequent swallowing

l2. Pt’s skin is cool and clammy

l3. An increase in body temperature

l4. The pt has abdominal distension

Answer & Rationale

4. Pt has abdominal distension. Esophageal varices develop in esophagus, primarily in rectum and abdomen.

When varices are present in the abdomen or rectum, they cannot be considered as oesophageal ones! Did the compiler mean 'gastrointestinal varices'?

[gunnyd]

It's pretty hard for S.E. Asians to pass the NCLEX-RN. The vast majority of Asian nursing assistants that I worked with were BSNs in their home countries. Many of them take the test 5 times or more. And there are others that just give up. The test is 90% narrative questions and to top it off there may be more than one correct answer, you have to pick the "most" correct. I can see why so many ESL (English as a Second Language) nurses have such problems passing the test.

And I am suspicious of the question listed above. It came from a message board not from an "official" source.