PETALING JAYA - The attitude of fresh
graduate nurses is still one of the biggest hindrances in obtaining a job
locally.
Kelly Services marketing director for
Singapore and Malaysia Jeannie Khoo said fresh graduate nurses, like most of
the other fresh graduates wanting to enter the job market in any industry,
sometimes have an unrealistic expectations of the industry.
"This has to be nipped in the bud through
education," she said, adding that career placement counsellors who are
academicians by training could be giving misguided advice about the industry.
She agreed with Health Minister Datuk Seri
Liow Tiong Lai that most of the nurses who could not get jobs are those with
minimal qualifications and hardly have any working experience.
"We get a lot of candidates who come in
with only a one-year nursing certificate with zero practical training
experience.
"Unfortunately, we find it hard trying to
place them with jobs," she said.
Kelly Services, as the highest profile
staffing company in Malaysia, counts three major medical conglomerates as their
clients.
"With the private universities, the
minimum qualification that they will accept is still someone with one or two
years' experience," said Khoo.
Despite that, there is still a demand for
high-quality nurses in Malaysia due to the booming healthcare business in the
country.
She also said the trend of nurses going
overseas was not as high as several decades ago because of the increasing job
opportunities here as well as the current global economic recession.
"But they still need nurses in places
like Japan because of their ageing population," she said. Checks at the
Australian Immigration Department website also state that nurses are currently
in high demand.
Meanwhile, Health Department director-general
Datuk Seri Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said he was informed by nursing colleges in a
dialogue session last month that their graduates usually obtained jobs within
six months.
"But I'm sure they can obtain work faster
if they are willing to work in government hospitals and are not choosy with
where they want to work," he said.
The Star/Asia News Network
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