The Hindu Business Line : GlobMed plans academy in Chennai to train nurses

Sourcing base
The facility will provide training in International English Language Testing Services and the National Commission Licensing Examination.
Happy Group of Companies has been chosen as the training partner for GlobMed.
Nurses have to pay for undergoing the specialised training

Kolkata , July 26

Having identified India as a sourcing base for trained nurses that are needed by the US healthcare Industry, GlobMed Resources has firmed up plans to set up a specialised academy in Chennai for nurses who are already trained in general nursing and midwifery (GNM).

To be called GlobMed Academy, the facility will provide training in International English Language Testing Services (IELTS) and the National Commission Licensing Examination (NCLEX). It will also operate as a finishing school for nurses who want to pursue a career in the US.

According to Ms Pratimaa Ghosh, Senior Medical Staffing Manager of GlobMed Resources India, trained nurses are required to pass the Commission on Graduate of Foreign Nursing School (CGFNS) and IELTS examinations before they become eligible for securing jobs in the US. Passing the NCLEX is necessary before visa and immigration formalities can be addressed.

Soft Skills

Ms Ghosh said the gap between the demand and availability of trained nurses in the US had been pegged at 1.36 million. While, till recently, most of the expatriate nurses in the US were from the Philippines, trained nurses from India, China and Sri Lanka were lately in great demand.

As such, trained nurses from India had great scope for gainful engagement in the US healthcare sector.

According to her, besides providing post-GNM technical training, GlobMed also imparts soft skills among its students, such as an understanding of the American community and its culture.

Most of the training, however, is now imparted through local partners. In Eastern India, the Happy Group of Companies has been chosen as the training partner for GlobMed.

Training Fee

While nurses have to pay for undergoing the specialised training, they do not have to pay anything for securing jobs in the US. "We have more than 100 hospital clients in the US. Our revenue is generated from the trained nurses that we place with them," Ms Ghosh said, adding that more than 200 nurses trained by GlobMed have been placed in US hospitals.

In 2006, 100 more nurses would be placed even as an additional 500 nurses would be engaged in the US through GlobMed in 2007.

To generate the required numbers with appropriate skill sets, GlobMed was expanding its operations to Bhubaneswar, Guwahati and the North East, Ms Ghosh said.