Looking beyond Hong Kong for nursing talent
The passage of the Nurses Registration (Amendment) Bill 2023 in July expanded the source of nursing manpower supply. Hospital Authority (HA)’s Chief Manager of Nursing Dr Danny Tong and his team have visited Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, and the Greater Bay Area to promote the new initiatives. Their visits were warmly received, and the first batch of non-locally trained nurses are expected to arrive in Hong Kong as early as the end of the year to the first quarter of 2025.
The first stop on the promotional tour was Singapore where HA Global Healthcare Professional Recruitment Centre team outlined career opportunities in Hong Kong under the new pathways and provided counselling services to potential applicants, as well as handling their applications. It is hoped that eligible non-locally trained nurses will come and work in public hospitals.
“Nurses from the baby boomer generation are going to retire in coming years and, with Hong Kong’s demographic changes, recruitment from outside the territory will relieve the work pressure of frontline staff,” Danny explains. “We also plan to visit Thailand and the Philippines, and another target group is the Hong Kong residents living abroad.”
The attrition rate of nurses in Hospital Authority has stablised, falling from peak levels of more than 10% last year to around 8% this year, Danny says. However, manpower is still stretched in specialties such as intensive care units, accident and emergency departments, and operating theatres, so applicants with the right background and work experience will be given priority.
Outlining the application process, Danny says, “after applicants submit the required documents, the HA Global Healthcare Professional Recruitment Centre and Nursing Services Department will arrange online interviews with suitable applicants to gain a better understanding of their clinical experience.” Between 300 and 500 nurses are expected to be recruited in the first year of the programme, he adds.
The HA’s Nursing Services Department learned valuable lessons from the Greater Bay Area Healthcare Talents Visiting Programmes in preparation for the hiring of non-locally trained nurses. As well as providing orientation and assistance to be offered by senior nurses, it will work closely with the HA Academy to offer them Cantonese training while human resources departments in hospital clusters are preparing easy-to-use guides to housing estates and supermarkets around hospitals, helping them integrate into local life as quickly as possible. Danny stresses that HA will continue to prioritise the recruitment of locally trained nurses in filling job vacancies.
New pathways to nursing in Hong Kong
Eligibility:
Registered nurses who have a nursing graduation certificate and a valid practising certificate, together with at least one year full-time post-qualification clinical experience in a clinic or hospital, are eligible to apply for positions within HA. HA will arrange interviews for eligible applicants within two months after receiving all the required documents.
Limited Registration and Special Registration:
Licensing examinations are not required, and applicants with one year or more of clinical experience are eligible for Limited Registration. Applicants with three years or more of clinical experience together with a post-qualification nursing training programme are eligible for Special Registration. Nurses with Special Registration can obtain full registration after serving for five years with a satisfactory performance.
Clinical exchange:
HA’s Global Healthcare Talent Scheme welcomes non-locally trained nurses to join our exchange programme for 12 to 24 months through Limited Registration.