Nurses Embark on Journey to the West
China Daily, September 25, 2013 Adjust font size:
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Nurse Zhang Yongmei (left), who is on a peace mission in Beirut, shows a medical kit of traditional Chinese medicine to her counterparts from Belgium during an exchange activity. [Xinhua] |
Song Xi, a 24-year-old nurse, is planning her trip to Germany, but the preparations have been far from easy.
She has only been abroad once before, to Vietnam, and this time her journey will not be a short sightseeing trip, but a working visit for three to five years.
When it comes to hiring nurses, turning to Chinese recruits is nothing new.
As many countries face the problem of an aging society and difficulties in hiring nurses - due to work stress and low wages - employing Chinese workers has become popular in some Asian countries including Singapore, Japan and South Korea.
However, working in Western countries, including Britain and Canada, is an emerging trend. In Germany, the European Union's richest country, such an opportunity for nurses has been allowed only since July.
Song is among the first group of nurses to benefit from the new policy in Germany. Under an agreement signed by China and Germany at the end of 2012, some 150 Chinese nurses will work in the European country from 2013, with the first 25 leaving in October.
