Salah Uddin has parlayed his experience in international business into a niche that capitalizes on personnel shortages in the U.S.


Since 2001, Uddin and his small Spokane company, American Industries International Inc., have been in the business of recruiting nurses, pharmacists, and high-tech engineers from foreign countries to work in the U.S. Though the 34-year Spokane resident says he has established business contacts in 35 countries, recruits so far have come solely from The Philippines and India.


Uddin says his business employs five people, four of whom are here, plus up to eight contract agents stationed overseas. He says that American Industries differs from competing companies because he employs both an experienced RN and a certified pharmacist as recruiters, and travels himself to foreign companies to interview and test job candidates.


The amiable former civil engineer and native of northern India feels strongly that his company is meeting a definite need, especially in the recruitment of nurses.


There is a dire shortage of nurses in the U.S., says Uddin. At present, there is a shortage of 250,000 nurses in this country, and by the year 2020, the shortage is expected to jump up to 700,000 nurses. Washington state is currently short 6,000 nurses, and it is a proven fact that the higher the ratio of nurses, the lower the mortality rate.


So far, says Uddin, American Industries has recruited 24 nurses for hospitals in Washington, Texas, and Wyoming, though he declines to disclose the names of the hospitals. All 24 nurses are still in The Philippines awaiting permanent immigrant visas, which normally take one to three years to receive, so they can enter the U.S., says Uddin. The current visa program is bad for hospitals, bad for us, and bad for patients. We ought to give nurses a top priority because they save lives, Uddin says.


The demand for pharmacists in the U.S. also is high, says Uddin. American Industries has recruited 21 pharmacists from The Philippines and India and nine high-technology engineers from India, all of whom are already in the U.S. After passing their test on one trip to the U.S. on a visitors visa, they accept jobs and enter the country with professional visas, which are granted pretty rapidly, says Uddin.


Though the process changes by vocation, Uddin goes to great lengths to make certain recruits are highly trained, knowledgeable in the English language, and personable.


Until the demand for high-tech engineers was dampened by a shaky technology industry, engineers were both the easiest and most lucrative recruit for the young company. American Industries recruited engineers for Spokane-based World Wide Packets, which, because of the higher salaries of engineers, earned the recruiting company higher commissions than the slightly less than $10,000 for each nursing or pharmaceutical recruit it gets. Engineers must have at least a college degree and a working knowledge of the English language, but, unlike nurses and pharmacists, arent required to pass a test before they can practice their profession in the U.S.


Before nurses can practice in the U.S., they must pass the National Council on Licensor Examination (NCLEX), and pharmacists cant practice their profession in this country until they pass the Foreign Pharmaceutical Graduate Equivalency Exam (FPGEE). Neither test, however, is administered outside of the U.S. Because of that, Uddin has spent thousands of dollars to create copyrighted sample tests that candidates can take in their own country to determine if they can pass the difficult required exams once they arrive in the U.S.


Its really my responsibility that they all pass the test, says Uddin.


When American Industries is asked by an employer to recruit for it, the Spokane company employs what Uddin calls a three-tier selection process to ensure that the best candidates are chosen.


In the first step, one of American Industries overseas agents collects resumes, interviews potential candidates while keeping the prospective employers requirements in mind, then sends the resumes, along with recommendations, to Uddin. In the second step, American Industries interviews the recommended candidates, makes a second round of selections, and sends the resumes of the chosen prospects to its employer-client. Working from employer preferences, Uddin then flies to the respective country to conduct face-to-face interviews and administer the sample tests. The final candidates are then offered employment.


Uddins company has supplied 20 pharmacists for Kmart Corp. stores and one for Yokes Washington Foods Inc., in Spokane. The path to bring pharmacists into the U.S. is complicated by the fact that the government wont issue a professional visa for pharmacy until an applicant has passed the FPGEE. Uddin says that pharmacists like Lawrence Timbal, of The Philippines, who has worked at the Yokes outlet on Montgomery Drive for two months, have had to pay their own expenses to the U.S. to pass the test, and only then could qualify for a professional visa. He says this is a hardship for pharmacists from poorer countries where the annual salary may be $5,000.


Uddins company pays expenses to bring nurse candidates to the U.S. to take their tests, and also pays for pharmacist candidates to return here after they pass their tests.


Prospective pharmacists come to the U.S. to take their tests on visitors visas, then, once theyve passed their tests, qualify for a professional visa which authorizes them to work in the U.S for up to six years before having to return to their country of origin, apply for an extension, or apply for a change in status. Permanent visas, which more than 90 percent of nurses who enter the country receive, give a recipient a green card to work in the U.S. and allow him or her to bring in family members from abroad.


One rationalization for bringing nurses in from The Philippines, says Uddin, is that The Philippines has an overabundance of qualified nurses.


To be considered for a nursing job through American Industries, a candidate must have a four-year degree in nursing, a minimum of two years of experience in a hospital, have an RNs license, and pass written and spoken English tests.


The most important link between a doctor and a patient is a nurse, and she needs to communicate, says Uddin.


Uddin, who came to the U.S. at age 20 and later became a U.S. citizen, says the average monthly salary for a nurse in The Philippines is $260. The beginning wage in the U.S., he says, is about $3,500 a month.


To apply for American Industries pharmacy program, a candidate must have a masters degree in pharmacy from a quality institution and pass the same English tests as nursing candidates.


Candidates are very anxious to come to the U.S., says Uddin. The whole world wants to come to the U.S. because it is the most prosperous country and has the highest standard of living.


Uddin expects growth for American Industries, anticipating the company will have as many as 15 local employees in five years. In addition to nursing, pharmacy, and high-tech recruitment, he hopes soon to expand the business to include international marketing and consulting. International marketing is an art, says the veteran of well over 20 years in the trade. It is critical to know the different cultures and business practices of the people you do business with.


Uddin markets the companys services by researching the Internet daily. He now has made contact with about 200 U.S. hospitals, plus a large number of potential clients in the pharmaceutical industry.


Uddin worked previously with such Spokane companies as R.A. Hanson Co., for which he sold equipment in India, Mexico, and elsewhere, and American Sign & Indicator Corp. He also worked with Solid Rock Investments, where he was involved with the recruitment of international high-tech engineers. American Industries is located at 9507 N. Division.