There’s no problem attracting local students to study nursing at the American Samoa Community College but the challenge is finding instructors.
According to the head of the ASCC Nursing Program Lele Ah Mu its difficult finding instructors for the nursing program because of a shortage of nurses. She said there are not enough nurses for the LNJ Hospital and the Department of Health.
Another factor is salaries.
Potential instructors on the staff of LBJ and Department of Health are paid higher salaries than that offered by the college.
She said they’ve discussed with the ASCC President that the only way to get instructors for the program is to offer salaries that are comparable to those offered by DOH and LBJ.
Ah Mu was testifying at a hearing of the House Health Committee this morning focusing on the ASCC Nursing program and why the LBJ Hospital has had to hire Filipino nurses.
The hearing was prompted by concerns raised last week by Pago Pago faipule Vesiai Poyer Samuelu.
Committee Chairman Vesi Fautanu asked about $200,000 in the FY2019 2019 budget under the Governor’s Special Programs allocated for ASCC.
According to Ah Mu and the ASCC Vice President Tupu Moananu, ASCC has yet to receive this funding. They have made inquiries with the Governor’s Office but have not received a response.
Ah Mu explained that this funding will be used to pay stipends for nursing students in order to keep them here after they graduate She said the students receiving stipends sign contracts that they will work in the territory after graduation.
She said this was the only way to keep the nursing graduates in the territory…but still many migrate off island where they are paid higher salaries.
Vice President Moananu added that the college recognizes the need to raise salaries of higher education staff, nursing instructors included.
Nursing Program Director Ah Mu also informed the committee that the college never received funding that was allocated for the nursing program in 2017.
Responding to questions from Rep Vesiai about a grant from DOC for the nursing program, Ah Mu said in the past this grant was used to pay airfares, accommodation and per diem for students to have on the job training at Queens Medical Center.
However this grant has been reduced to $40,000 which is not enough to send the 12 students in the program now to Hawaii. She said they need $65,000 – $70,000 to cover all costs for the trip to Hawaii.
Vesiai stated during today’s hearing that he was not against hiring Filipino nurses and his comments last week were not intended to discredit them.
In fact he thanks the Filipino nurses because without their service the hospital would not be able to operate.
He told the ASCC officials that they should seek the funding they need to train local students to become nurses.
According to the freshman lawmaker elderly patients prefer to be cared by their sons and daughters who understand their language and treat them with respect.
