CHC now has 158 nurses

The number of nurses at the Commonwealth Health Center is currently at 158, one more than the 157 the CNMI’s lone hospital had in March, according to hospital nursing director Leslie Camacho.

She conceded, though, that recruitment challenges continue due to changes in status and the low salary offered by the hospital.

“We are hiring nurses. Most definitely, we are actively trying to recruit nurses. …[Efforts] to recruit is ongoing from both locally and off-island,” she added.

Camacho revealed that all of the hospital’s 158 nurses are either registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants.

“One of the issues that we’re having right now is retention and it is really hard to keep nurses here,” Camacho said.

The hospital currently has 28 vacant positions, according to its website. Earlier CHCC hospital administrator Jesse Tudela told Saipan Tribune that there are 30 vacant positions.

Staffing needs include five license practical nurses and two staff nurses for the Tinian Health Center; three LPNs and two staff nurses for the Rota Health Center; and six head nurses, two senior nurse supervisors, five junior nurse supervisors, one head nurse for renal care, one staff nurse, and one certified nurse midwife for CHC.

So far the hospital has recruited a total of 17 nurses from the beginning of this year. However, the turnover is also very high, with the hospital losing a total of 27 nurses so far this year.

“The issue in recruiting is it does take awhile. When we’re hiring from the Philippines, there are a lot of issues and a lot of different factors. One example is U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services. It could take from two to six months. So we don’t physically see them here at CHC until six to eight months have passed,” Camacho said.

For U.S hires, the struggle is the salary range, because nursing jobs in the U.S. offer a higher salary compared to the Commonwealth.

In the U.S., a registered nurse’s average salary with a bachelor of science in nursing would be from $58,000 to $82,000 per annum whereas here in the CNMI a registered nurse with a BSN would only be earning between $29,000 and $33,345 per annum.

In the U.S., an associate of science in nursing registered nurse would earn from $55,500 to $68,000 per annum whereas a registered nurse with an ASN here in the CNMI would earn only from $24,889 to $24,889 per annum.

For a license practical nurse, the U.S. salary ranges from $29,400 to $50,700 per annum, while the CNMI’s LPN salary is only from $20,485 to $24,889 per annum. For a certified nurse assistant in the U.S, the average salary per annum is from $18,300 to $31,500; for CNA nurses here in the CNMI it is $17,000 per annum.

Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. CEO Esther Muña said that one of their long-term plans is increasing or restructuring the hospital’s salary.

“The main focus in restructuring the salary of hospital staff will help in keeping the hospital’s nurses and also attract many of the nursing students from the Northern Marianas College,” Muna said.

Camacho noted that they have also been in frequent contact with the CNMI Department of Labor.

“We are planning on working on a preceptorship program. Whenever a new nurse comes in, he or she would be mentored by two or three dedicated nurses here and orient them, because that is one thing we need here in the hospital,” Camacho said.