Evangeline Navora has traveled halfway around the world in the hopes of practicing nursing at St.

Saturday, September 22, 2001

Evangeline Navora has traveled halfway around the world in the hopes of practicing nursing at St. John’s Lutheran Home.

Navora, a native of the Philippines and a registered nurse, was recruited by the Albert Lea nursing home about a year and a half ago. St. John’s Lutheran Home Human Resources Director Mike Miller and Director of Nursing Deb Reinhart had been at a conference in Rochester late in 1999, lamenting the shortage of nurses, when a man stood up and told them there were more than enough nurses in the Philippines.

They started making phone calls and worked with a company in Winnipeg to contract for three nurses. St. John’s would be the petitioner for a Visa application for the nurses.

Nurses interested in working in the United States must pass an English exam. &uot;All three spoke wonderful English,&uot; Miller said. But one of the candidates didn’t pass her written English test, and the third nurse decided not to come.

That left Navora, who, after a number of delays in the paperwork and red tape involved, arrived on Aug. 24 of this year.

Navora is now job shadowing other nurses at St. John’s until she passes her state board examination.

Navora earned her bachelor of science degree in nursing from Manila Central University. She also has a master’s degree in administration. She said the U.S. government recognizes the nursing degree and accepts its requirements and standards for nurses.

Before coming to Albert Lea, Navora worked as a staff nurse at the 1,300-bed military hospital in the Philippines.

She said the change from that to a long-term care facility is great. &uot;It’s not what I’m used to with the hospital, with patients coming and going,&uot; she said. &uot;I know I’ll get used to it and be able to adopt.&uot;

Navora said the number of classified advertisements running in the Philippines for nurses to come to the United States is tremendous. &uot;Nurses in the Philippines are eager to come here,&uot; she said.

England also is offering incentives to nurses from the Philippines to work there. &uot;It’s actually easier to get there. They have fewer exams,&uot; Navora said. &uot;But America is known as an independent country, and the environment and it has great laws. It’s just harder to get here.&uot;

Navora said she wanted to come to the U.S. as a challenge to her professional growth.

&uot;I hope I am able to perform my job,&uot; she said. &uot;I really want to be able to have a sense of purpose and be useful here at St. John’s.&uot;

She said St. John’s has made everything available for her. Reinhart found her a furnished apartment and lined up her transportation. And the nursing director said she’s been assigned to a team whose members have bonded together well.

&uot;The reaction from the staff has been very positive,&uot; Reinhart said.

&uot;People here are so nice,&uot; Navora said. &uot;It would be harder for me if they weren’t so nice.&uot;

She said she finds the staff easy to talk to. &uot;People are down to earth,&uot; she said, adding that calling her supervisors by their first names is a big change from the &uot;sir&uot; or &uot;ma’am&uot; she is accustomed to in the Philippines.

Navora is single, and left her parents and an older brother behind. &uot;I miss them a lot,&uot; she added.

St. John’s has asked the nurse for a two-year commitment. &uot;We want to keep her at least that long,&uot; Reinhart said.

Added Navora, &uot;I hope to give something in return to St. John’s, rather than just a two-year contract.&uot;

Miller said the shortage of nurses comes from the fact that there are a lot more opportunities for women than there used to be. &uot;Women used to have three options: to become a nurse, a teacher or a secretary,&uot; he said.

What’s more, competition for nurses in this area is great because of its proximity to Mayo Clinic, Miller said. And with the aging population, care facilities have an especially difficult time keeping up with demands.

The average age for nurses is 47, according to Reinhart. &uot;So we’ll really see a shortage in a few years when those nurses retire. The projected shortfall for RNs is tremendous,&uot; she said. &uot;We’re really encouraging nursing as a profession.&uot;

Miller said St. John’s offers scholarships to staff who would like to further their education in the nursing field.