Survey: 46% of hospitals want foreign nurses, but 62% unwilling to train them

03/10/2008
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200803100246.html

Nearly half of large hospitals in Japan want to hire licensed non-Japanese nurses but about 60 percent are unwilling to train foreign workers to become qualified for such work, a recent survey found.
The survey was conducted by a study group at the Kyushu University Asia Center following the government's agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines to accept trainees so they can obtain Japanese licenses as nurses and nursing-care workers.
Indonesia will send trainees to Japan as early as this year.
According to the survey results, 46.2 percent of the hospitals want to hire licensed non-Japanese nurses. Specifically, 21.5 percent said they would hold foreign nurses up to the same recruitment standards as Japanese nurses, while 24.7 percent said they would set aside certain numbers of openings for foreign nurses.
But the survey showed that 62 percent of the hospitals are unwilling or would refuse to accept trainees, compared with 38 percent that would accept them.
The study group sent questionnaires in January to about 1,600 large hospitals that can accommodate 300 or more inpatients. It received valid responses from 522 hospitals by the end of February.
The study group announced the survey results at an international workshop held in Fukuoka on Sunday.
Of the hospitals in favor of accepting non-Japanese nurses, 65 percent, the largest portion, said they want to fill shortages in the nursing staff.
Other reasons cited included expectations that foreign nurses would contribute to promoting international exchanges, building new human relationships at the hospitals or improving the quality of nursing services.
However, 20 percent of the respondents said they do not want to accept non-Japanese nurses, while 33 percent said they did not know.
Those reluctant to accept the foreign nurses cited concerns about providing support, language problems and possible refusal by patients and their families to be treated by non-Japanese.
Under the economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with Indonesia and the Philippines, Japan will accept trainees who will learn the Japanese language for six months and then receive on-the-job training at hospitals.
The trainees are required to pass a national examination within three years to obtain a license. The exam is the same one taken by Japanese applicants.
Those who pass the exam will be allowed to continue staying and working in Japan.
Yoshichika Kawaguchi, a professor at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health who led the survey, said the reluctance of hospitals to accept trainees is partly due to insufficient information about the trainee system.
"The government should decide on details of the system as soon as possible and become more active in disclosing information," Kawaguchi said.
Under the agreement with Indonesia, Japan will accept up to 400 nurse trainees and 600 caregiver trainees over two years.
The procedures to ratify the EPA with the Philippines have been delayed.(IHT/Asahi: March 10,2008)