10 Facts about Nurses Around the World

By Jordie Papa

Image courtesy of wikimedia

Last week, my blog revolved around fun facts about US nurses.  In it, I showed you little known tidbits about nurses from yesteryear, as well as a few facts and figures that related to modern day nurses.  Since the world has gotten to be a much smaller place since the advent of the jumbo jet and the Internet, I thought I’d take the time to share some little-known facts faced by nurses from other parts of the globe.

      1.      RN's in Japan are licensed for life

Once they complete their educational requirements to become a registered nurse, Japanese RNs never need to renew their licenses.  They’re in effect nurses for life.  Once qualified, the only way for their license to be lifted is if they are convicted of a crime or in some other way “compromise the dignity of the profession.”  To qualify as a nurse in Japan, candidates must possess a high school diploma and then enroll in a nursing university for an additional four years to earn a Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing. Then they must pass a national licensing examination to obtain a Japanese nursing license.  As of 2010, all graduate nurses are also required to complete additional postgraduate clinical training.

2. Chinese nursing schools churn out 200,000 graduates.  Yet they are still shorthanded.

The country currently has 2.5 million licensed nurses.  While that sounds like a lot, due to the burgeoning Chinese population, that means there are only 1.85 nurses for every 1,000 Chinese.    In the US, the ratio is closer to 10 nurses for every 1,000 Americans.  One of the reasons there is a shortage of nurses in China is not one of training, it has more to do with culture.  According to a blog by the South china Morning Post:

There is a deep-rooted social prejudice against the profession, especially felt by male nurses. Patients and their families frustrated by medical treatment have increasingly lashed out at medical staff, causing serious injuries, even killing some caregivers. Heavy workloads have prompted many nurses to quit. 

Additionally, degreed nurses are highly sought after outside of China and many graduates seek offshore employment rather than remain on their native soil.

3.  Vietnamese nursing students have no contact with patients until after they graduate.

What’s even worse is during training, they aren’t allowed to speak to their professors.    Their training consists of reading textbooks and listening to lectures.    As in China, becoming a nurse in Vietnam is considered a low status occupation.  The only post-secondary education available to train nurses is a 2 ½ year program sponsored by the Ministry of health.

Image courtesy of wikipedia

4. Who are the real nurses in Iraq?

Due to Muslim law, female nurses in Iraq aren’t permitted to touch men who aren’t either their husbands or sons.  Additionally, they are required to be home before 2 pm.  As a result, this forces physicians to do the work that would otherwise be performed by nurses in Iraq.

5. In the Philippines many doctors are training to become nurses.

That’s because once trained, they can make more money as a nurse in the US, than as a doctor in the Philippines.  I’m not making this up.  According to a report by CBS News:

Dr. Santiago Rodriguez has been practicing medicine for ten years. But now, he's training to be a nurse.  That’s the easiest way, he says, to get a visa and work in the U.S.. Dr. Stephen Mercado has a general practice in an Eastern Philippine province. He's also studying to be a nurse and wants to go to the States to practice medicine. "I can work as a nurse there," he says. "The pay is good, even better than a doctor here."

6. It’s good to be the king.

Saudi Arabian nurses aren’t allowed to tell their royal patients when to take their medication or even when to schedule routine medical tests.  On the other hand, Saudi nurses are only required to work 8-hours of their 12-hour shift.  As a result, patients are pretty much on their own during the last 4-hours of any given shift.

7. A century ago, 31 nurses were brought to Brazil to modernize the country’s healthcare system? 

Image courtesy of wikimedia

Prior to that, Brazilians who became ill traditionally sought folk healers and homeopathic remedies.  Even today, there is an acute lack of nurses and doctors in Brazil, particularly in rural areas of the country.  Even with universal healthcare, it is estimated that only sixty percent of the population has access to critical care facilities. https://sites.google.com/a/nygh.edu.sg/brazil---people-and-society-poverty-environmental-sustainability/main-issues/health/poor-provision-of-healthcare

8. Nepal has the lowest ratio of nurses per population.

As bad as many developing countries have it when it comes to healthcare, Nepal is currently ranked as having the lowest number of skilled nurses with only 5 per 100,000 residents.    Even in the busiest Nepalese hospitals, the ratio of patients to nurses is 20:5.   What’s even more telling is that prior to 1950 there were literally no trained nurses in the highest country on Earth. (read more here)

9. You won’t be Russian to get these nursing jobs.

Nurses in Russia are trained in technical schools as opposed to universities or teaching hospitals.  There is no RN, LPN or NA designations in Russia.  The average monthly salary for a nurse in Moscow is 22,500 Rubles, which converts to $337.00 US.  In comparison, the average salary of a Russian doctor is only 80,000 Rubles ($1,200.00 US). 

10. Indonesian nurses don’t get paid much more than those in Russia.

While the average hourly wage for Russian nurses is only $1.97, Indonesian nurses don’t make all that much more, since their hourly pay is only $1.99, which equates to an average annual salary of $4,139.

Jordie Papa is owner of Uniform Destination with four locations in North Florida.