Here’s good news for Filipino nurses who want to work in the United States.

Frony Fortich, chief operating officer of Fortich Permanent Immigration Services based in Quezon City, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday he has vacancies for 1,000 nurses to work in the US for 2020.

“There are important developments and bright prospects for Filipino nurses who want to pursue their dream for America,” Fortich said.

He said there is a shortage of 11 million nurses in the US and “US employers are going overseas, including the Philippines to hire qualified nurses.”

Fortich, a veteran in the recruitment of nurses for employment in hospitals in the US for decades, said that “nurses are a critical part of healthcare and make up the largest section of the health profession.”

Citing the World Health Statistics Report, Fortich said “there are approximately 29 million nurses and midwives in the world, with 3.9 million of those individuals in the United States.”

“Estimates of upwards of 1 million additional nurses will be needed by 2020,” he added.

He also said according to the American Nurses Association, there will be more registered nurse jobs available through 2022 than any other profession in the US.

Fortich said the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 11 million additional nurses are needed to avoid a further shortage.

“Employment opportunities for nurses are projected to grow at a faster rate (15 percent) than all other occupations from 2016 through 2026,” he said.

Fortich said one of the issues of concern is that “the nursing profession continues to face shortages due to lack of potential educators, high turnover, and inequitable distribution of the workforce.”

“Certainly, Filipino nurses many of whom are already working in the US help alleviate the shortage,” he said. (Ben Cal, PNA)