UNAIR NEWS The Research Center in Advancing Community Healthcare (REACH) organized an international webinar titled 淔rom Ameriki to America: Preparation, Opportunities, and Challenges for Indonesian Nurses in the United States on October 7, 2025, via Zoom.
The event showcased inspiring stories from Indonesian nursing professionals living abroad and provided a platform for strategic discussions on strengthening the nation檚 healthcare workforce to compete in the global arena.
From Jakarta to Japan and the United States
A highlight of the webinar was the story of Elizabeth Nalur, an Indonesian nurse with more than 15 years of professional experience. Her career began in the intensive care unit at Pantai Indah Kapuk Hospital in Jakarta, continued for over a decade at the Medical Club Academy in Japan, and has now brought her to the Riscon Medical Center Clinic in the United States, where she works in abdominal surgery and palliative care.
During her session, Nalur shared her journey of resilience. Financial limitations once forced her to pause her education, but her determination pushed her to pursue further training in Japan攅ventually opening doors to a career in the U.S.
淚 once traveled to Jakarta on a five-day, five-night economy ship from eastern Indonesia. Today, I work at an American hospital with a humane and professional system, she said.
More than diploma
Nalur emphasized that the true measure of competitiveness among Indonesian healthcare workers lies in their ability to meet international standards and work abroad. Yet, academic qualifications alone are not sufficient.
淚ndonesian healthcare professionals must also be proficient in foreign languages, understand local cultures, and adapt to international standards and medical terminology, she explained.
She also reflected on the vast differences between her experiences working as a nurse in Indonesia and in the United States. Early in her career, she endured three consecutive night shifts for only Rp25,000 (about $1.50) per night, often returning home physically drained and short of breath due to work fatigue.
Today, her working conditions are far better. In the U.S., nurses can earn over one billion rupiah per year, with full overtime pay and a system grounded in transparency and professionalism.
淲hat I appreciate most here is the fairness. Every hour of overtime is compensated. There檚 no bullying, and nurses are regarded as equal partners to doctors, she said.
In closing, Nalur encouraged participants to rethink what it means to be successful. For her, success is not measured by titles or wealth but by the ability to live decently and meet life檚 basic needs.
淭o me, success means not having to worry about basic necessities. It檚 not about high degrees or riches. I can now live comfortably and support my family攁nd that檚 enough, she said sincerely.
Author: Saffana Raisa Rahmania
Editor : Ragil Kukuh Imanto
