Newswise — Filipino nurses from across the country are joining class action lawsuits against International hospital staffing agencies, according to news reports. They claim they must sign contracts that would have them repay thousands of dollars if they quit before their contract date due to unsafe working conditions or other reasons.
The George Washington University has experts available to talk about the practice of recruiting nurses from the Philippines and other countries and having them sign training repayment agreements. Under these agreements, workers agree to repay the agency the cost of training them if they quit before a specified period of time.
To schedule an interview with an expert on this topic please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].
Patricia (Polly) Pittman, a professor of health policy and management at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health, says these repayment agreements are often used to provide hospitals with a source of inexpensive labor. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are struggling with a shortage of nurses and often turn to recruiting agencies to provide them with staffing, she says.
Richard Ricciardi is an associate dean for clinical practice and community engagement in the GW School of Nursing and the executive director for the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at GW. He is a nursing policy expert and can weigh in on the concerns of these programs.
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