Some Filipino nurses recall taking on multiple patients at a time, monitoring two instead of one, and managing their emotions to maintain their focus during their shifts.
MANILA, Philippines – Around 40,000 Filipino nurses are employed by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service , comprising the third-largest nationality in the NHS. But working in the UK healthcare system has been difficult for many nurses, particularly during the crucial period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I wanted to gain enough experience first. By the time I applied for the UK, I had confidence in my experience and that I had a strong foundation. I felt ready and equipped to work abroad,” Celeste said. Mae Cabanit had been working at the Intensive Therapy Unit for two years when COVID-19 patients started being admitted to her London hospital.
In 2020, there were 73,766 deaths due to COVID-19 in England and Wales. Yet, she took extra shifts during this time to preoccupy herself with work instead of worrying about her family in the Philippines. As more of them filled the ward in May 2020, Linda reflected on how, instead of taking care of family, she was taking care of other people in the UK.
Instead of undergoing the customary three-month training and subsequent taking of the Objective Structured Clinical Examinations – the final requirement to be a licensed nurse in the UK – she had to shadow fellow nurses and attend review classes online, as the OSCE was suspended. She was able to take it after eight months.
Mae says, at the peak of the pandemic, when she would ride the London tube, even with a face mask on, some would look at her and say, “Go back to China!”
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