TONG Zhang and Mildred Ala-an have just started work in the medical assessment unit at Wycombe Hospital, after making the trip to the UK along with 18 other nurses from the Philippines and Singapore.

The two fully-trained nurses will work there on a two-year contract, as part of an initiative by hospital bosses to tackle staffing shortages.

They will work with 17 other nurses (14 women and six men) who arrived with them and a further 19 who arrive in September. Together they will fill almost half the trust's vacancies for trained nurses. They were recruited by the hospital after a visit to the Philippines in March.

Still in civilian dress while their uniforms are being made, Tong and Mildred will be permanently on the medical assessment ward, while their colleagues have been assigned to other departments around the hospital.

The two are still slightly nervous in their new surroundings, but fortunately they have another relative newcomer to the hospital, New Zealander and staff nurse Jenny Stewart, to act as their mentor.

She and husband Paul arrived here three months ago and she is loving every minute of her job. Also on the ward is staff nurse Laila King, from Finland so there is quite an international atmosphere.

Mildred has been a registered nurse in Singapore since 1992. She is a keen traveller and piano player and, if there is no instrument in the nurses' accommodation where they all live, she is determined to find one somewhere.

Tong is one of three Chinese nurses just recruited and trained in China and Singapore. She enjoys window-shopping, because it is free, and like Mildred she likes to travel.

First stop is sightseeing in London with her Chinese friends at the weekend. And when she has seen England she is keen to visit France

Six of the new wave of recruits are working on general medical wards where the staffing shortages have been most acute. Five are going to the theatres and recovery wards, three to intensive care and the rest will be working in elderly, surgical, gynaecological and children's wards.

But first there is a three week induction course where they learn, among other things, about British form-filling. On the social side there has already been a lunch and the hospital wants to put the newcomers in touch with other Filipino people working in the area.

Nigel Davies, deputy director of nursing, said he was delighted to welcome the overseas nurses. "They will make a big contribution to patient care," he said.