This as a prominent university in UK has opened its door for Filipino healthcare professionals.

A company called International Student Advisors Ltd. Inc. has launched its Student Work Placement Scheme, in cooperation with the Anglia Ruskin University based in England, which gives nursing graduates an opportunity to qualify in the UK.

Under the said program, aspiring Filipino nurses who want to work in the UK are given the opportunity to study for a degree in Health and Social Care or a combined National Vocation Qualification or First Line Management qualification.

While studying for their two-year course in BS in Health and Social Care, the students, as part of their course will be required to work as carers that will provide them the learning opportunities and support that their course of study will require.

Tony Stringer, head of ISA, said that though the students will have to pay for their initial costs in their placements, their pay as carers will be sufficient to cover the costs of both living expenses and the full cost of the study.

He added the tuition fee for the whole 2-year course is £ 2,500 or roughly P250,000 and the students would work in nursing homes and not in individual homes.

"It's not like you'll be a domestic helper or something like that because here, you will be working in nursing homes," Stringer said.

The course offered requires a total of 360 units which means that the Filipino nurse will have take up additional 120 units in English Healthcare, as 240 units of their Filipino nursing degree will be counted towards the total of 360 units required.

Stringer said the program is expected to fill up the vacancies in the health care sector in the UK.

He added interested applicants are not required to have passed the Nursing Board Exam here but they have to undergo screening and interview to apply for the program.

"If you get a UK degree, it would open a lot more opportunities for you abroad. It will be easier for you to get jobs in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand," he stressed.

The first batch of SWOPS Degree option students will leave for the UK within the month but would only start school in February since the second semester in the UK starts in February.

Initially, they have two Filipino Nursing Degree holders who joined the program but they expect it to increase to 40 to 50 students by the end of the year.

The program is only for those who have nursing degrees at present but they will also offer courses for those in other field eventually after some difficulties have been ironed out.

Story courtesy of the Philippine News Agency