Although a good number of 8,000 foreign workers who are eligible for permanent residency in the CNMI may decide to leave for the U.S. mainland, only a handful-if any-can actually land the job of their dreams.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment in the nation stands at 4.5 percent, totaling about 6.8 million people, as of May 2007.
U.S. government studies noted, however, that the education and health services industry is projected to grow faster at 30.6 percent and add more jobs than any other sectors.
Called an industry supersector, the education and health services industry will account for 3 out of every 10 new jobs created in the U.S. economy.
Healthcare and social assistance-including private hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and individual and family services-will grow by 30.3 percent and add 4.3 million new jobs by 2014.
Employment growth will be driven by increasing demand for healthcare and social assistance because of an aging population and longer life expectancies, according to the Labor Statistics Bureau.
Also, as more women enter the labor force, demand for childcare services is expected to grow. Private educational services will grow by 32.5 percent and add 898,000 new jobs through 2014. Rising student enrollments at all levels of education will create demand for educational services.
The Common wealth is the first to respond to the growing need for healthcare professionals by being home to the first nursing school of its kind in the region-the Emmanuel College of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Emmanuel College, which offers a fast-tracked vocational nursing program, is gearing up for its planned opening in the Fall Semester, as school officials start evaluating streams of applications submitted by interested students-a big number of whom are Northern Marianas residents.
Emmanuel College will also offer a certified nurse assistant program, which may be completed in 45 days. Certified Nurse Assistants or CNAs are eligible to work in hospitals and long-term care facilities throughout the U.S.
School officials are finalizing the CNA curriculum for submission to the CNMI Board of Nursing and the State Board of Regents.
Emmanuel College president Sedy Demesa said the LVN and CNA programs are designed to help address the shortage in healthcare providers and to provide residents an opportunity to pursue a financially- and emotionally-rewarding career in the healthcare supersector.
“I have always believed in the Commonwealth's advantage in bringing American education to foreign students and I am committed to making the nursing program more accessible to local residents interested in pursuing a career in healthcare, which has now become the most in-demand profession in the U.S. and across the globe,” Demesa said.
The Commonwealth offers a great opportunity for foreigners to obtain American education without a U.S. entry visa; the CNMI benefits in return from the business opportunities that will be created by the presence of international students on the islands.
The Licensed Vocational Nursing Program may be completed in less than 12 months after which a graduate can take the state or national licensure examination. A Licensed Vocational Nurse may also be called a Licensed Practical Nurse. An LVN can work in a hospital, long-term care facility, convalescent home, doctor's office or surgical center, providing many of the same services also performed by Registered Nurses.
LVNs can specialize in a field of medicine that is most interesting to them. LVNs are in very high demand in long-term care facilities or nursing homes, and frequently are paid more for taking these positions. So those who specialize in geriatrics find employment easily, Demesa said.
Graduates of Emmanuel College's LVN Program may either obtain employment immediately after passing the NCLEX or pursue their RN degree at the Northern Marianas College-or both.
For information on the Licensed Vocational Nursing program under Emmanuel College, inquire at 670-287-6150 or visit the college site at Pacific Towers (formerly Saipan Koreana Hotel) at Chalan Kanoa, Saipan, CNMI. (PR)(source)
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