Nurses react to Munson Healthcare recruiting internationally

NORTHERN MICHIGAN (WPBN/WGTU) — Munson Medical Center is taking a global approach to address staffing shortages: bringing nurses to northern Michigan from the Philippines.

It’s a solution to a problem some say Munson created.

“They created this problem by not giving the nurses what they were asking for in the first place.”

Administrators at Munson Healthcare informed staff it plans to hire up to 200 international nurses from the Philippines.

UpNorthLive spoke to current and former Munson Medical Center nurses for their perspective on this recruitment strategy.

At their request, we’re protecting their identities.

Current and former Munson nurses explain they’ve always wanted two things: safe staffing ratios and better pay to meet the high costs of living in northern Michigan.

“You have local nurses who left the job because of that, and now it’s kind of frustrating that they’re bringing in other nurses,” said a current nurse.

“I really see this as a win win,” said Jennifer Standfest, the Chief Nursing Officer at Munson.

Standfest said the reason and goal for bringing in qualified international nurses is to add to Munson’s other recruitment tools.

“And retention strategies that we already have in place to help build our workforce,” explained Standfest.

However, it’s a workforce that current and former nurses said isn’t a long-term solution because there isn’t anything keeping them here.

We asked Standfest what Munson’s plan is to retain these nurses.

“I think it’s important that this strategy and a lot of our recruitment strategies tie very directly to retention strategies,” said Standfest. “We want to make sure that we have great people who are part of the team here who contribute to excellent culture, great quality care, and then that in turn, inspires people to want to be part of our team and stay here.”

One nurse we spoke to said she left Munson because of the unsafe staffing ratios.

“You’re putting your nursing license on the line when you’re taking on more and more but you were constantly asked to take on more and more.”

More and more patients, she explained, means the nurse is struggling to give above and beyond care when they are spread thin.

A current Munson nurse said it’s the same issues the Filipino nurses will face.

“They’re going to face the same challenges that the current nurses are facing. Staffing ratios, lack of affordable housing. They don’t meet the cost of living for this area. So, like I welcome them into our community and I’m excited to have help, but I fear for them. Just like I fear for everyone else who’s working there.”

“The support I think for these nurses is going to be really important and making sure that we’re working with local and community partners to address some of those things, you know, that are obviously top of mind housing, transportation, those things,” explained Standfest.

Standfest said there’s a flexible timeline for the Filipino nurses to arrive and it would be staggered over two years.

The goal is to start work in January 2025.

UpNorthLive also spoke to the Michigan Nurses Association.

A spokesperson said they support the sentiments shared by the anonymous nurses included in this story.