On average, the salary of nurses in the Philippines cannot compete with the salary they can get working abroad. That’s one of the reasons why many nurses choose to work in countries such as Canada, Germany the United States, UAE and other GCC countries, including Qatar. Indeed, there are many lucrative job opportunities for nurses abroad.
There are several reasons why Qatar is a great place to work as a nurse. For one, it is the richest country in the world, and its economy continues to grow rapidly. Another reason is that it is an open country. In Qatar, you can wear clothes you are comfortable with, but just cover your knees and shoulders. Qatar is so diverse that it has more than 180 nationalities, and a huge majority of its population is composed of expats.
How to Become a Nurse in Qatar
1. Look for Job Opportunities
In this internet age, it is not difficult to find job openings in Qatar. A simple Google search using the right keywords will take you to job websites or the actual sites of the hospital looking to hire new workers. Job Street Philippines is one of the most popular job portals right now. You can also check out Work Abroad Philippines.
2. Recruitment Agency or Direct Hire?
When it comes to finding work in Qatar, the debate has always been about whether going through a recruitment agency is better than direct hiring. Both has its pros and cons, but with a recruitment agency, you have an organization that is tied to foreign counterparts with various job openings. Recruitment agencies also help applicants with their documents and permits that are needed before being able to leave the Philippines. You need to pay placement fees, though, which you can avoid via direct hire.
Moreover, you need to be careful that the recruitment agency you contacted is not a scam. For this, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) website is a useful resource for checking if the agency and position/s it offers is legitimate and approved by the Philippine government.
3. Prepare Your Important Documents
First of all, and it goes without saying, you need to be a nursing graduate and a licensed nurse. The important documents you need to prepare are your PRC and school credentials. You also need to have a resume that is updated. As such, it is important to always update your resume with all your achievements and work experience.
4. Schedule and Take the Qatar PROMETRIC Exam
The Qatar PROMETRIC Exam is for the Qatar-Prometric Licensing for nurses. The PROMETRIC is an exam not just for nurses but for other health care professionals, like pharmacists, dentists, physiotherapists, doctors and more. When you pass this online exam, you will have the edge over other applicants.
5. Data Flow Verification
Use Data Flow’s Verification Service once you have passed the PROMETRIC exam. Visit the Data Flow Verification Service website, click Start Verification and choose Qatar as the country where you are seeking employment. From there, you will be prompted to select the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners entity. Data Flow helps Qatar screen your professional credentials. The website has video tutorials which will make your application process easier.
You can also have the school and PRC documents verified and authenticated at the Department of Foreign Affairs, typically the Asiana branch. School credentials you may need include Diploma, TOR, Summary of Related Learning Experience (RLE), Certification of Completion from the school, and from the school’s registrar, a Certificate of Authentication and Verification. You need these photocopied twice and presented to the registrar for Red Ribbon, which will then be put in an envelope which shouldn’t be opened as you submit them to the DFA.
If you are interested in working as a nurse in Qatar, perhaps one of the best things you can do is contact someone who is already in the health care workforce in the country, and he or she can guide you to more detailed steps to achieving this goal. Also, you can get lots of information online, as long as you can assess which sites provide legitimate content.