Hospital condemned for discriminating vs Pinoy nurses
SAN FRANCISCO – Filipino nurses, advocates and community groups flocked to the headquarters of the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) Wednesday to condemn the hospital chain for discriminating against Filipinos.
“We are here because we are concerned for the Filipino nurses. We have been advocates for the Filipino nurses for many years,” said Lilian Galedo, Executive Director of Filipino Advocates for Justice.
Last August, the California Nurses Association (CNA) filed a class action grievance against CPMC after some former nurse managers complained that they were told not to hire Filipino nurses because “they’re hard to understand."
CNA cited that in 2008, Filipinos comprised 48% of new hires among nurses at St. Luke’s, one of CPMC’s hospitals. The union said that number decreased to 10% today.
Filipino nurse Ron Villanueva was up for promotion when he said he heard the Vice President for Nursing say that she should stop hiring foreign graduates.
Villanueva said, “I didn’t prod or anything. The mere fact that she said, I was already discouraged. What was the point of me applying?”
Two months after the Filipino nurses and CNA filed a class action grievance, CPMC management agreed to meet with Filipino community leaders, except for complainants like Villanueva.
“That just means they’re really guilty of discrimination. Why can’t they face me and others who personally witnessed what they said against us Filipinos?" he asked.
Terry Valen, Executive Director of the Filipino Community Center, said CPMC’s management denied that discrimination ever took place.
"They told us that they have conducted an internal investigation on this. And we have yet to see the results of that investigation," Valen said.
Filipino nurse Marilen Logan was also present at the meeting. She said there is no truth to claims of some of her kababayans that CPMC discriminates against Filipinos.
“When I heard about this, I thought it was a joke that came from the rumor mill. People at CPMC hire a lot of Filipino nurses. I just don’t see what they’re saying.”
But protesters stood by their word that CPMC targets Filipino nurses. Community leaders said that unless CPMC corrects this, they will support the Filipino nurses in filing a class action lawsuit against the hospital chain.
Jane Sandoval, a nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital for 25 years and a union leader said, “This is not just a fight for Filipino nurses. This is a fight against discrimination. Whoever feels abused, we will make sure to back them up.” Balitang America
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Filam: we refuse to be discriminated
“ Nurse factories were set up in the Philippines; nurses' agencies were set up focusing more on placement than competency; more on passing board exams rather than crisis management and the business of saving lives. “--- Could you actually PROVE this statement of yours? This is a hasty generalization and clearly you undermine the nursing education that we had in the Philippines.
Perhaps you don’t even know that nurses should have a mastery of crisis management in order to pass the board exams. In the Philippines, we relied more on nursing skills, and then you imply that we don’t focus on competence. How can you even justify your generalization on all of us who came from the Philippines?!
You shouldn’t make any claims like those because I don’t even know if you’re a nurse yourself. It also appears that you are saying that we should JUST ACCEPT THAT WE ARE HARD TO UNDERSTAND. That’s unreasonable. You haven’t even justified your earlier claims that we are INGRATES and now you present us with that statement?! Be reasonable.
Before you say anything, be sure to back them up with facts and not mere logical explanations or opinions.
Yes, we know how hard it is to be accepted at a hospital in the US let alone obtaining a visa.
The silent discrimination that you assert is a lesser evil as compared to NOT HIRING Filipino nurses AT ALL.
Don’t deny that there was injustice because the fact remains that they (CPMC) generalized all of us. Our aim is NOT against CPMC but against WHAT THEY ARE SAYING and what they plan to implement.
Before you even start judging our acts as being over-emotional, I hope that you do realize that when faced with discrimination, one should not just passively accept it. You should understand why we do this even if it’s unpopular.
We don’t want to be passive and we want to have a fair chance at a job, not automatically discriminated. If they are not stopped, they’ll repeat that cycle and CONDEMN even the most brilliant Filipino nurse who applies in the future.
We say NO to discrimination; we have rights and we nurses FIGHT for it and refuse to be passive like you suggest.
@ Ichtus: Scratch the surface
I agree with you when you said that most of the "in demand" filipino nurses in the US came from Philippine hospitals. They form the 'pioneering' wave of nurses who had the right experience and got their positions fair and square. they paved the way for most of all the other nurses and are one of the main reasons filipino nurses became "in demand" in the US. This had a snowball effect largely in the efforts to capitalize on the boom. Overnight, nurse "factories" were set up in the Philippines, nurses' agencies were set up focusing more on placement than competency; more on passing board exams rather than crisis management and the business of saving lives.
The pioneering wave of nurses, because of their dedication and experience, created the perception that filipino nurses are preferable because of their professional worth.
Now that perception has changed: "Filipino nurses are hard to understand."
The sad thing is that even if you win your anti-discrimination case, it would take another generation of nurses to erase that negative perception. There is nothing to celebrate even if you win because the "silent" discrimination will follow after that. Then there'll be no one to take to court.
So wake up and smell the coffee, you should address the situation not by alienating the EMPLOYER thru' anti-discrimination suits because there is no victory there, but by focusing on the quality of nurses that are being sent to the US from the Philippines - a focus on the more practical side of nursing and local internship would be a good start. Rather than being over-emotional, you should study the situation carefully.
Lastly, everytime a filipino or a group of filipinos file a discrimination/anti-racism case in the US or any other foreign soil, there is a collateral and residual effect on all filipinos living there.
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US hospitals have been good employers
@ Ichtus:
You should do your homework if you come to the US to work. The standard is pretty high, it's not like the Philippines where some people die in hospitals without explanation or accountability.
Even if you succeed in your anti-discrimination crusade, the fact still remains that there will be a lot of filipino nurses lacking in communication skills who would try to get employed in US hospitals. Most of them will be unsuccessful because of, for want of better reason, "being hard to understand." And because of crusaders like you, this minority of under-skilled nurses would have found a voice - enough to give the whole system a shake down, to the detriment of the greater good.
I guess I discriminate myself from you and your cause because I'm thankful to the US for everything it has given me, Im grateful to the fairness which is non-existent in the Philippines. And I am also sensitive to the tough economic times that most americans are going through.
Some people neither have the gratitude nor the sense to take care of their environment, all they know is to take.
If some filipino nurses fail to make the grade because they need to work more on their communication skills, be it french in France or german in Germany, then so be it. It's better for them not to get hired than risk having the consequence of them ruining it for everybody in the medical field where communications skills could mean life or death.
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Who said that US employers are bad? We don’t generalize
Clearly you don’t know how hospitals work in the Philippines with what you say. The mere fact that hospitals in the Philippines require a thorough documentation proves you wrong with your accusation of their lack of accountability. Perhaps you don’t even have an idea that the worst cases of negligence could be found here in the US. You underestimate the Philippines too much. Don’t you realize that the best Filipino nurses came from Philippine hospitals?
The fact may remain that some Filipino nurses may lack communication skills, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t hire ALL Filipino nurses. The issue here is that they generalized on all Filipino nurses. That is what we do not like.
Who are you to say that we are NOT GRATEFUL of being hired here in the US?! Can you justify your claim? This is a cause against the discrimination done by the CPMC to Filipino nurses. I can’t understand why you go against such a cause and think that we are ingrates. What you said is offensive!!
Of course it’s obvious that a lapse in communication skills can be bad for the patients. That is why hospitals conduct something that we call an INTERVIEW to screen and observe the capability of a nurse to communicate. All aspiring applicants are given a FAIR CHANCE. In this case, Filipino nurses are EXCLUDED because it was said that they should NOT be hired AT ALL. No interview for us Filipino nurses while other nationalities are given a chance.
They generalized that we can’t be understood and took away our chances. They intend to hinder Filipino nurses ALONE from being hired. Do you think that is fair?!
Also, we are NOT ignorant. We KNOW that the standards here are higher but we ALSO know that we SHOULD BE given a FAIR CHANCE. That is why we fight against their discrimination.
@Ichtus, re: Discrimination vs racism
Rather than admit that there are filipino nurses who "are hard to understand" and do something about it, you charge the hospital with racism, probably not understanding the magnitude of such a charge. Even the filipino nurses who work with CPMC are saying there is no racism (read the article). Discriminatory yes, but we are not talking about disciminating against the handicapped for example. If CPMC is discriminatory (for the court to rule), then that discrimination is born out of the desire to render the right service and patient care.
Believe me, we are all discriminatory, filipinos going to the US to work is a testament to that.
And for Christsakes, if you see a filipino doctor don't call him "kuya" or "ate", call him/her "Doctor." Ok?
Just help your fellow nurses, this RACISM charge is not going to help anybody, it's just telling the host country that filipinos belong in the Philippines.
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Racism was first mentioned in your comment
I don’t deny that there are Filipino nurses that are hard to understand.
The issue is they GENERALIZE that Filipino nurses can’t be understood which is wrong. That’s what I’m trying to point out all this time. A charge geared towards Filipino nurses is a form of discrimination. I mentioned racism because it was you who first mentioned it – I do agree with you on that. There is no racism in the article.
You’re the one who first said something about racism. Look back in your first comment..
The hospital is guilty of discriminating by merely stating that “They (Filipino Nurses) are hard to understand.” I find that strange because the hospital had nurse managers who are Filipino and then they say that. Nurses can’t be nurse managers if they lack communication skills, don’t you think so?
Besides, your statement: “And for Christsakes, if you see a filipino doctor don't call him "kuya" or "ate", call him/her "Doctor." Ok?” --- is completely out of context. Don’t change the topic.
No question about the importance of communication in health care. The thing is about a BIASED statement of CPMC geared ONLY at Filipino nurses.
Ours is an unpopular cause and many would think we over react. That ideology of CPMC can be copied by other health institutions which may cause the Filipino nurse’s downfall. People here in the US might think that we Filipino nurses are hard to understand, which is wrong. That is what we are trying to fight.
No racism
So we agree then that there was/is no racism.
Because of the desire to put as many filipino nurses as possible working in the US, the quality of nurses being exported to the US has become overlooked. Let's face it, some of these nurses are better staying at home in the Philippines where they can be totally useful and at home sans discrimination. Working overseas is not for everybody.
The only clear winners here in your anti-discrimination drive are those who lack the communication skills. Those who've made the mark, the real "performers" who've been working as nurses in the US for a long time, and there are many, probably cringe at the thought of your anti-discrimination drive.
The other loser here are the employers, who have vacancies to fill but only with the right applicants.
Lastly, we do not need this kind of attention. As you already said, there are a lot of filipino nurses employed in CPMC, CPMC is a good employer.
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Singling out Filipino nurses only.
Singling out a particular nationality and saying something negative about their capabilities is racism. Racism is a type of discrimination. They singled out Filipino nurses and said that we shouldn’t be hired. That is an unjust action geared towards us. Thus, I agree with your 1st comment.
Saying that there should be no hiring of Filipino nurses is the cause of all this commotion. Don’t you think it’s unreasonable for them to generalize that we have no capacity to communicate properly? After all this time, they suddenly reacted like that and condemned future Filipino nurses.
No, I believe that an interview is necessary to screen incapable Filipino nurses, not barring us all.
People from the CNA are those old nurses that you are talking about. They spearheaded this movement against an unjust generalization on Filipino nurses.