Indonesian Nurses Given Provisional Green Light

[Mulboyne]

Kyodo via Japan Today: Japan to accept 1,000 nurses, care workers from Indonesia
Japan will accept 1,000 nurses and health care workers from Indonesia from as early as next year under a free trade pact to help ease the country's shortage of such staff, a report said Saturday. The move will mark the first time Japan has brought in foreign nurses and care workers on a full-time basis, the Nikkei business daily said. For two years from April, Japan will annually accept 200 licensed nurses and 300 certified care workers, the newspaper said. If the program is well received, the figures may be increased for the third year, the Nikkei said. Nurses will be limited to staying for three years and care workers for four years on their Indonesian certificates and licences. But they can extend their stay by passing Japanese nursing exams or receiving Japanese caregivers certificates. The workers will work as assistants at hospitals and nursing care facilities after receiving language training...more...

[omae mona]

Huh? Didn't they have a nearly identical program to bring in nurses from the Philippines about 2-3 years ago? IIRC, there was a Japanese language prerequisite, though. I don't think they had a lot of luck filling slots with nurses from the Philippines who managed to become fluent in Japanese back home.

[Mulboyne]

That deal with the Philippines was signed last year but held up in the Senate because it seemed to some local politicians that it was tied to the country accepting toxic waste exports from Japan.

Notwithstanding that, it is one thing to accept caregivers in principle, its another issue as to how to make it an attractive option.

[Midwinter]

Only when we're needed, eh.

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: 46% of hospitals want foreign nurses, but 62% unwilling to train them
Nearly half of large hospitals in Japan want to hire licensed non-Japanese nurses but about 60 percent are unwilling to train foreign workers to become qualified for such work, a recent survey found. The survey was conducted by a study group at the Kyushu University Asia Center following the government's agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines to accept trainees so they can obtain Japanese licenses as nurses and nursing-care workers...According to the survey results, 46.2 percent of the hospitals want to hire licensed non-Japanese nurses. Specifically, 21.5 percent said they would hold foreign nurses up to the same recruitment standards as Japanese nurses, while 24.7 percent said they would set aside certain numbers of openings for foreign nurses... Of the hospitals in favor of accepting non-Japanese nurses, 65 percent, the largest portion, said they want to fill shortages in the nursing staff. Other reasons cited included expectations that foreign nurses would contribute to promoting international exchanges, building new human relationships at the hospitals or improving the quality of nursing services. However, 20 percent of the respondents said they do not want to accept non-Japanese nurses, while 33 percent said they did not know. Those reluctant to accept the foreign nurses cited concerns about providing support, language problems and possible refusal by patients and their families to be treated by non-Japanese...more...

[Iraira]

I ain't got no problem being treated by a foreign nurse, provided that she doesn't look like Nurse Rachett.

"Treat me....treat me again...I've been so sick and full of disease, treat me, treat me like the little bad bacterial infestation I am. Inject me with more antibiotics and slide that IV in slowly...more slowly....oh, yeah...deeper."

Where the fuck did that come from?

[Taro Toporific]

Asahi
....Kyushu University Asia Center following the government's agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines to accept trainees so they can obtain Japanese licenses as nurses and nursing-care workers..

Filipina nurses, yum!

[Behan]

I'm coming down with a fever.

[Takechanpoo]

Philippino women is shorter than even Japanese ones. And look more young than J-ones. That is, you dudes are hardcore lolita complex dudes.

[Bucky]

I have seen reports that over the next 20 years, the U.S. is going to be short 400,000 nurses. And that

Japan will need 69,000 more nurses in April 2008, but the supply will likely fall well short of that mark if current trends continue, according to the Japan Medical Association.
The association said a total of 881,000 nurses will be needed around the nation at that time, compared with 812,000 at the end of October 2006.

http://www.asrn.org/newsletter_article.php?journal=&issue_id=26&article_id=146

So, don't get sick.

[bolt_krank]

I bet there's a heap of in-chos out there with comments like "If they're not Japanese, they won't know how to treat Japanese people. Japanese people require different treatment to foreigners."

Or something similar. There seems to be this ideal that the human body requires different treatment in Japan (unless your a foreigner).

[Greji]

Philippino women is shorter than even Japanese ones. And look more young than J-ones. That is, you dudes are hardcore lolita complex dudes.

That's why you've been having trouble with them Take! Filipino (Philippino) is a man. Filipina is the women. Where I suppose those B-boys would be all right in a famine, I prefer the filipina's.

Besides, I thought you only preferred white meat.

[Iraira]

That's why you've been having trouble with them Take! Filipino (Philippino) is a man. Filipina is the women. Where I suppose those B-boys would be all right in a famine, I prefer the filipina's.

Besides, I thought you only preferred white meat.

Pinay is way to reference another Philippino/a, not sure if it's rude from a non-Philippino/a, though. Found a hostess bar called "Pinay" in Tennoucho (near Yokohama) last Sunday. Didn't go...and only ask why I was in Tennnoucho if you really want to know.

[dimwit]

The irony of the situation is that Japanese nursing schools are largely emptying out. It is much better to essentially be an unskilled tea server than to have any marketable abilities.

[Behan]

My wife, who has a jun-kangoshi license(about 2 years of study), has told me that there are plans to phase out jun-kangoshi licenses. Some time in the future they will supposedly only offer sei-kan licenses(about 4 years of study).Of course nurses with the lower licenses will still be able to work.

But If they are expecting a shortage of nurses maybe they shouldn't get rid of jun-kangoshi as fewer people would start nursing studies. Perhaps they should made it easier to upgrade to sei-kan so that people who don't want to or can't afford to study for four years can get the higher license later.
I think that some nurses work while they study to upgrade but maybe if the government helped out financially it would be easier.
Obviously a lot of nurses are women and if they have families, taking care of their families, working, and studying are three full time jobs for them.
Plus, if nurses upgrade they will have more motivation to continue working as nurses as their pay will be higher and they will be in a higher position in their clinics or hospitals.

[Samurai_Jerk]

[kamome]

...and only ask why I was in Tennnoucho if you really want to know.

OK, I guess I really want to know.

[nottu]

[Iraira]

OK, I guess I really want to know.

Went to a live house....it was about the size of a 1DK apartment, cost 1000 yen, and the beer was served in those monster bottles for 500 yen, which, I as don't drink, seemed very reasonable, compared to those tiny, non-biodegradable plastic cups which hold 200 ml of beer for the same price. Did notice a lot of Phillipino stores, people, hostess clubs, but other than that, not much there to put it on a must go map.
Now, you know why I went to Tennnoucho, and you are somewhat to extremely sorry that you asked?

[Greji]

[Behan]

Say 'aaaaahhhhhhh.....'

[Greji]

Say 'aaaaahhhhhhh.....'

I can't! Me tongues got too hard..

[kamome]

Now, you know why I went to Tennnoucho, and you are somewhat to extremely sorry that you asked?

Yeah, now can I have those 15 seconds of my life back please?

[Iraira]

Yeah, now can I have those 15 seconds of my life back please?

If you had those 15 seconds, what would you do with them? And what's in it for me?

[Iraira]

Say 'aaaaahhhhhhh.....'

I'd like to take her temperature. Do you think she'd gag a lot if I performed an endoscopy on her?

[Mulboyne]

The Mainichi has a short feature (Japanese) on "Olivia", a qualified caregiver from the Philippines who decided to relocate to Japan to see if she could earn better wages for similar work. She studied Japanese at a school in Shinjuku and would travel for an hour and a half to a suburban nursing home called "Nanohana". However, her duties there were limited to changing sheets in the bedrooms, setting tables and general cleaning up. She had no direct contact with any of the patients at the home. Her supervisor says that it is difficult to put a foreign nurse in charge of a patient when they don't have adequate language skills because there's no basis to build a relationship of trust and understanding. The Mainichi notes that the average age of patients at the home is 83 and many are senile.

Olivia is one of fifteen nurses with full accreditation in the Philippines who were accepted by institutions in Japan to undertake nursing home work a little over two years ago. She was on a two year visa and returned home when it expired. She admits that learning Japanese was difficult and her life was quite lonely while she was there. If the chance to work came up, however, she would go back in a flash.

The Mainichi notes that the there is a new agreement with Indonesia to accept 1,000 caregivers from that country which is due to come into force from the middle of this month. Based on Olivia's experience, the Mainichi questions the structure of the new programme. Firstly all caregivers and nurses will work at institutions but will not be able to take on full duties until they have passed the appropriate state examination in Japanese. They will need to do this within three of four years of arriving, depending on which qualification they need. If they fail, they will have to go home. The Mainichi notes that the pass rate for Japanese stands at 51.3% and wonders how easy it will be for aspiring foreign nurses to hold down their responsibilities while studying sufficiently to pass the exams. The paper also says, however, that, since many Japanese who pass the exams do not stay on because they find the work to be tiring and low paid, Japan is going to need people like Olivia.

[Mulboyne]

An editorial in the Ryukyu Shimpo (Japanese) notes that only 103 applications have been received for the initial 300 places Japan has made available to caregivers from Indonesia. New graduates have apparently said that the jobs are less attractive compared with other countries because the conditions are far more stringent. Given that Japanese nurses are giving up the work in increasing numbers because of pay and conditions, the paper suggests working out ways to make the offer more attractive for overseas nurses.

[Mulboyne]

They also came up short on the quota for nurses:

208 Indonesian care workers, nurses to come to Japan under accord

A total of 208 Indonesian care workers and nurses are scheduled to come to Japan on Aug. 7 as candidates to work in various parts of the country under a bilateral economic partnership agreement, Japanese government sources said Wednesday. According to a compilation by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the 104 care workers and 104 nurses have concluded employment contracts with entities in 34 of Japan's 47 prefectures, the sources said. Under the EPA which took effect July 1, the Japanese and Indonesian governments agreed that 300 care workers and 200 nurses will come to Japan for the first year. But as the total this time is less than half the targeted number, those involved with the implementation process are expected to consider ways to improve recruitment of participants for the second year on.

The candidates from Indonesia are set to go through language and other training at Japanese government ministries and facilities of affiliated organizations for half a year, and begin work at their respective destinations from late January next year, the sources said. The care workers will return to Indonesia if they cannot acquire national qualifications in four years from their arrival in Japan, while nurses will have to do the same in three years' time, they said. Japan has concluded a similar EPA with the Philippines but procedures in the country for coming up with candidates to send to Japan have been delayed. An EPA goes beyond a free trade agreement, which is aimed mainly at removing tariffs on goods and trade barriers for services, by also covering intellectual property rights and investment protection rules.

[Greji]

They also came up short on the quota for nurses:

208 Indonesian care workers, nurses to come to Japan under accord"......The candidates from Indonesia are set to go through language and other training at Japanese government ministries and facilities of affiliated organizations for half a year, and begin work at their respective destinations from late January next year, the sources said....."

You know all of the old MITI business training programs provided one year of intense language training before starting the actual training program. It has always been amazing to me how the government on all other training programs expected the trainees to learn the language on their own and then would complain about the lack of communication with the trainees because they couldn't speak Japanese.

[Mulboyne]

Given the insinuation by the Shukan Post that many applicants for the foreign caregivers posts will be mizu shobai workers it is more than a little ironic that the shortfall in applicants for this year's Indonesian intake is because hospitals have rejected men who applied.

Yomiuri: Male Indonesian nurses rejected / 66 men not matched with Japanese care facilities despite EPA

More than 60 Indonesian male nurses selected by the Indonesian government to be sent to Japan under a bilateral economic partnership agreement (EPA) signed by Japan and Indonesia were not offered work in Japan because Japanese health care facilities tend to prefer female nurses, it has been learned...In the first year, Japan was supposed to accept 500 Indonesian nurses. However, only about 40 percent of the scheduled number will arrive on Aug. 7. One reason the number fell short of 500 was that the number of applicants itself was lower than expected because the Indonesian government had little time to publicize the opportunity to work in Japan. This has been compounded by the fact that many Japanese medical and welfare facilities refused to accept male nurses, who accounted for more than half of the candidates...

...Atang, 26, was one of the male nurses refused work in Japan. "I can't understand why I wasn't selected. I already quit the hospital I was working at because I thought I'd be able to work in Japan," he said. Atang has worked at a hospital in a Jakarta suburb for two years and eight months, and he applied to work in Japan in May. He was selected as a candidate by the Indonesian government to be sent to Japan after passing a written examination and oral test. However, in mid-July, Atang was told he could not work in Japan because he had not been matched with a facility. He had already prepared for his move to Japan and translated into English documents he would need to submit. "I've been told that many facilities want to have female nurses, but I'm not convinced by this," Atang said. "It's not clear whether the hospital I used to work at will hire me again. The only thing I'm left with is my disappointment"...