Nursing job woes cut deep

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Private nursing students are in a pickle with many struggling to find jobs after passing their exams.
According to a Government study, more than 54% of the private nursing diploma graduates could not find a job three to four months after graduating in 2010, compared to only 21.7% in 2008.
A total of 37,702 students were enrolled in nursing diploma courses in 61 private institutions of higher learning (IPTS) in 2010.
As of Dec 2010, the total number of trained working nurses in the country stood at 61,110, with 21,118 working in the private sector.
Parti Sosialis Malaysia central committee member Dr Michael Jeyakumar said the party had received many complaints from parents and graduates who could not find a job even after a few years.
He called for a freeze on the intake of new nursing students in private institutions until existing graduates secure jobs.
Jeyakumar said there were graduates who ended up working as receptionists or store clerks.
“With 37,500 students enrolled, we are looking at an average of 12,000 students graduating a year. The need for new nurses in the private sector is only about 1,500 a year, as only 5% to 10% of those working in the private sector will leave their existing jobs.
“It is also not easy for private graduates to get a job in the Government as only 438 IPTS nursing diploma graduates served with the Health Ministry in 2010,” he said at a press conference yesterday.
On average, a three-year nursing diploma programme at an IPTS would cost about RM50,000. Most IPTS offer full PTPTN loans to their nursing students.
Dr Jeyakumar called on the Government to absorb the loans for those who could not find jobs within a year of passing their Nursing Board exams.
He added that private institutions, whose students had low pass rates in the Nursing Board exams, should not be allowed to offer medical courses.
Government statistics showed that the number of graduates who took the Nursing Board examinations had increased from 4,025 in 2008 to 7,665 in 2010.
However, the pass percentage had fallen from 86.5% to 70.1% during the same period. Those studying in public institutions of higher learning had a pass rate of between 94% and 99%.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin had announced a moratorium on new nursing schools in 2010.