As you may already know, nurses are the life and soul of the healthcare profession, providing kindness, comfort, and care to patients on a daily basis. Nursing is a challenging job and one that requires dedication, hard work and a very thick skin. Being a nurse isn’t a role for the faint-hearted. Nurses are expected to deal with death, life, and everything in between. But it’s not all bad news; this profession is also believed to be one of the most secure, in-demand, satisfying and most popular jobs in healthcare.

The role of a nurse can vary hugely. Changes in economic development and geography, religious differences and changes to the overall healthcare system can have a huge impact on the role of a nurse. From accreditation and education to the environment in which treatment is given, the nursing industry varies hugely around the world. In this article, we’re going to talk about nursing in Latin America. Keep reading below to find out everything you need to know:

Training as a Nurse in Latin America

Nurses are in high demand in Latin America. In fact, over 30,000 new babies are born in this part of the world on a daily basis. This means that nursing or midwifery training and education has never been more important.

There are currently over 1200 nursing schools in Latin America. While this number may seem high, when you consider that the population of Latin America is over 630 million people, it’s actually extremely low. In fact, there’s approximately only one nursing program per half a million people. Not only that, but many of these schools are located in the metropolitan or urban areas, and as a result, vast areas of the region are unable to easily access these courses.

Because of this, many students are choosing the online route instead. This route enables them to become accredited by a foreign university. Credentials offered by schools located in a developed country are usually preferred e.g. a degree from an American university looks better on a job application form than a nursing degree from a small college in South America. This factor alone can motivate students to consider the online route. Certificates necessary to work as a nurse, such as ACLS certification, can also be obtained and renewed online.

Online Nursing Degrees

As we mentioned above, many students in Latin America have no other option but to attend an online nursing or midwifery program to get the training that they need. These courses are brilliant as they give you all the knowledge you need to become a successful nurse.

And you don’t have to stop your education there. Many nurses in Latin America choose to continue their education by completing additional degrees or programs online. This is a brilliant idea for nurses who want more responsibility, more knowledge, more money, or to specialize in a certain area. One of the most popular courses is the neonatal nurse practitioner track. Online neonatal nurse practitioner programs from institutions like Baylor University allow students to gain in-depth knowledge of neonatal nursing theory. This course prepares students for an advanced practice role. It teaches students how to take care of babies and infants throughout their first two years of life.

The Nursing Shortage in Latin America

Nurses are in high demand in countries all around the world. The main reason for this is because not enough people are training to become nurses. This is even more true in Latin America. While there are some areas of Latin America that have more nurses than they need, most countries are struggling with too few. In fact, research has shown that there’s likely to be a shortage of nurses in Latin America for at least the next five to ten years.

Why is There a Nursing Shortage in Latin America?

Here are some of the main reasons why there’s a shortage of nurses in Latin America:

• Shortage of nursing schools and courses – One of the main reasons for the shortage of nurses in Latin America is the lack of accredited nursing schools in the region. In order to overcome this problem, some countries in Latin America have made education available to their citizens for free. But, even in these countries, there are still a few barriers and expenses to training as a nurse.
• Professionals are retiring – another huge reason why there is a shortage of nurses in Latin America is because the baby boomer generation is reaching retirement age. This generation currently makes up the majority of the nursing workforce in Latin America. As these nurses retire, more graduates are needed in order to fill these roles. The difficulty is that too few individuals are choosing to train as nurses. Not only that, but newly qualified nurses also have little to no experience, meaning they’re unable to fill leadership roles.
• Nurses are moving abroad – research has shown that the majority of Latin American nurses want to move abroad to work in more developed countries. Higher salaries are one of the main reasons why nurses choose to migrate to another country. While this is understandable, it’s also bad for Latin America as it has left even more gaps in an already understaffed health care system.
• Gender disparity – like in most other countries around the world, the vast majority of nurses in Latin America are female. Even though this area of the world is well known for being culturally tolerant, the world still hasn’t been able to get rid of the societal stereotype that says women should be nurses and men should be doctors. If the world was able to overcome this stereotypical view, then there’s a good chance we’d see more men choosing a career as a nurse.

Nurses are in high demand in Latin America and this is unlikely to change in the future. The main reasons for this include the baby boomer population retiring, individuals struggling to access the education they need, and the fact that trained nurses in Latin America are choosing to migrate to more developed countries around the world. If you’re interested in working as a nurse in Latin America, then why not consider completing an online course today?