Court of Appeals asked to stop nurses’ oath taking


By Veronica Uy, Tetch Torres
INQ7.net
Last updated 06:38pm (Mla time) 08/17/2006


(UPDATE) A PETITION for a temporary restraining order has been filed at the Court of Appeals which seeks to stop the oath taking of nursing students who passed the 2006 licensure exam, an official of a group of Philippine nursing colleges told INQ7.net Thursday.

Dean Marco Antonio Sto. Tomas, vice president of the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing, expressed concern over the announcement of August 22 oath taking ceremonies allegedly by regional officers of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Sto. Tomas said in a phone interview that this move by the PRC was incomprehensible, as in its earlier decisions to release the results of the exams and to allow a voluntary re-take despite allegations of a leak in the just concluded nursing exam.

“What are they trying to protect? The biggest question now is who was paid the seven million pesos?” Sto. Tomas asked, referring to the money, which two examiners allegedly received in exchange for the leak.

But at Wednesday's Senate hearing, Eufemia Octaviano, the PRC's Board of Nursing chairman, testified that she and colleague Anesia Dionisio spent for their trip to Switzerland, which was allegedly part of the package.

Sto. Tomas insisted on a re-take for all examinees because “there's no other way to redeem the credibility” of that June 11 and 12 nursing exam.

In its petition, the group said the PRC and the Board of Nursing violated Republic Act 9173 or the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, putting the public health and safety at risk.

Among the tests invalidated because of the leakage was that on Neuro-Psychiatric Nursing. The invalidation led to the re-computation for test 5 based on the average ratings in the test on other nursing disciplines.

This "arbitrarily changed the rules of computing the ratings for passing examinees, in a manner of speaking, after the game has been played," the group said.

"The nurse who may have actually lacked competence in neuro-psychiatric nursing but was admitted to the profession based on engineered computation of her grade could do some irreversible harm. She is a decision-maker when it comes to deciding how she would execute a physician's order concerning a patient...Her decision is inappealable and at times, could be fatal to the patient."

"The interest of public health and safety demands that only nurses who have been properly screened for their competencies are allowed to perform the tasks assigned to them," the group added.

Rene Tadle of the task force on leakage based at the University of Santo Tomas and who leads the petitioners supports Sto. Tomas' position.

He said that despite UST's 83 percent passing rate in that board exam, allowing all the successful examinees to get their licenses to practice with this still unresolved leak scandal “posed a danger to public health and safety as their competencies were not properly measured.”

“This is very, very painful for us, but we're telling our students that this is beyond the individual now, this involves the integrity of the exams themselves,” Tadle said.

Tadle appealed to the PRC to listen to their petitions, particularly to have the oath-taking stopped.

“Please listen to us. [The scandal] is not our fault. It is not the fault of the examinees. But there is nothing but a re-take that can resolve the issue. What will happen if they are later proven wrong? Will they take back the licenses they issued? Kawawa naman ang mga bata (Pity the examinees),” Tadle said.

Sto. Tomas also confirmed that George Cordero, president of the Philippine Nurses Association, has resigned after his name was implicated at Wednesday's hearing, where Dennis Bautista, an examinee, revealed that the leak originated from Cordero himself.

Sto. Tomas said Marilyn Yap, PNA vice president for administration, would succeed Cordero.

Sto. Tomas said however that other PNA officials from the regions were calling for the resignation of all five members of the PNA executive committee.

He said PNA vice president for programs Victoria Ramon should also resign after Bautista told the Senate hearing that Ramon was in the final coaching session at SM Manila, where the leaked questions were given to the students.

Ramon admitted that she was there but only because her daughter was an examinee.

What a shame shame shame to the nursing community. :ohno:

Too bad i hope this don't happen to me.. :(

my cousin is graduating next year, good thng she stop for a year or she wouldve been in that whole mess too

My cousin would be graduating next year. Bakit ba may mandaraya sa mundong ito? :ohno: Damay tuloy lahat

parang tanong ko bakit merong diablo?

naging OT. hehehe

Nawala tuloy ang integridad ng Nursing board pati ng PRC.

Q: Some board passers from Cebu were able to oathtake before the restraining order was released. So ano, safe ba sila or will their oathtaking be nullified?

sa lahat ng mga trying hard nurses na wala naman talagang K na maging nurse, kaya't nandaya na lang, at sa mga ewan dun sa board of nursing na sangkot sa kahihiyang ito: mamatay sana kayong lahat! dapat sa inyo i-deep IM kayo ng MgSO4 sa deltoid gamit ang gauge 19 na needle! sana'y lagyan kayo ng IV sa temporal pulse nyo tapos tuturukan ng ampotherecin IVTT! ma-overdose sana kayo!

thanks to you, nursing in the philippines just got uglier, thanks to you, i might never have the chance to leave this country and earn greenbucks...

oooppppsss huwag munang mamatay, dapat makahingi muna ng kapatawaran sa Dios. Kawawa naman baka pagdating sa impyerno doon naman mandaya.

deleted

dapat talaga mag-re-take sila nun exam... or discredit yung dalawang set ng exam na nagkaroon ng leakage, not just some questions.. i also heard may mga tanong na there is no real answer... sana they stop doing that if the only reason why they are doing that is para mahirapan yung mga doktor na kumukuha ng exam.. pathetic kasi yung idea.
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saddening din yung fact na most filipinos look at nursing as passport to employment abroad. i know its true but the idea undermines the nursing profession.. and degrades the nurses themselves. wala ng ibang naiisip pag ang tao kumukuha ng nursing kundi pera.

Kailangan na ng intervention ng Malacanang, masayado ng malaki at seryoso ang issue. Nakapagtataka until now hindi pa nagrereact si GMA about sa cheating na nangyari sa board exam, samantalang mga appointee nya ung mga Board of Nurses ng PRC.

Pumangit tuloy image ng Philippine nurses sa international community dahil sa nangyari. My application ang Philippines na magkaron ng testing center ang NCLEX sa atin para hindi na pumunta ang mga nurses natin sa ibang bansa para dun magtake ng NCLEX. Pero baka dahil sa nangyari hindi na ma approve application natin. Malinaw naman ng hindi satisfied ang International at Local Nursing community sa remedio na ginawa ng PRC kaso ang tigas talaga ng ulo nila.

Madami ng hospitals d2 sa atin ang nagsabi na hindi sila tatangap ng mga nurses na nabigayan ng license ngaung june 2006, ung iba naman tatangap sila pero "dadaan muna daw sila sa butas ng karayom" bago makapasok. Worst thing is baka mahirapang makapag abroad.

:bash:

Q: Some board passers from Cebu were able to oathtake before the restraining order was released. So ano, safe ba sila or will their oathtaking be nullified?

Opinion ni DOJ Sec.Gonzales valid na daw lahat ng mga sinasabing pumasa since ung oath taking daw is just a formality. Actually pwede ka ngang hindi umatend ng oath taking eh basta magbayad ka lang ng fee for the oath taking, maraming gumagawa ng ganon.

Sabi pa nya kung sha lang daw tatanungin wag ng magretake kasi hindi daw dapat pahirapan mga nakapasa na. Pero mukhang mas mahihirapan pa nga sila dahil madaming hospitals ang d tatangap sa kanila here and abroad.

RP loses bid to host NCLEX due to test leakage

The country has lost its bid to become an accredited venue for the American licensure exams for foreign nurses due to an alleged test leakage in the 2006 local nursing board exams, ABS-CBN reported Monday.

Dante Ang, chairman of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), said he had received information that the country's application to be included in the list of international testing centers of the US National Commission on Licensure Examination (NCLEX) has been put on hold.

"We will not be included in the agenda of the [National Council of State Boards of Nursing] (NCSBN) to be considered as a testing site," Ang told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

"Na-defer tayo. (We were deferred.) We will not be in the agenda in the near future," he added.

Ang said several NCSBN officials visited the Philippines last March to discuss the country's bid to become an accredited international venue for the US nursing licensure exam. He said at least 83 percent of NCLEX examinees in international testing centers, particularly in Hong Kong, Guam and Saipan, are Filipinos.

He told DZMM that the country "had already reached third base" to hold the NCLEX exam here before reports of the local nursing board exam leakage broke out. He added that NCSBN officials are closely monitoring the developments of the investigation on the test leakage.

"We need to be very open about this investigation. We need to uphold our dignity, uphold our honor and prosecute the guilty parties," he said.

He added that the CFO and other government agencies will work to revive the country's bid as a foreign testing center for NCLEX in future NCSBN meetings.

He said the NCSBN has no set timetable on when it approves applications for foreign testing centers.

A Professional Regulation Commission report earlier said a Philippine Nursing Association official paid P7 million to get a leakage from members of the PRC Board of Nursing (BON) who drafted the nursing board exams. The PRC report said the PNA official got questions and answers from Tests 3 and 5 of the board exams.

PNA president George Cordero, the official implicated in the PRC report, resigned last week after the Senate started investigating the scandal.

Nursing board members including two officials who allegedly leaked the test questions and answers have also offered to resign but were denied.

Ang said the government should immediately accept the resignations of the officials.

He also called for a review of the requirements for PNA officials and BON members. He said faculty members of colleges of nursing or owners of review centers should not sit as PNA or BON officials because of conflict of interest.



Arkansas won't take 2006 nursing board passers


Ang said he has received news that the state of Arkansas will not accept 2006 nursing board passers because of questions of competence as a result of the test leakage.

He said government agencies tasked to monitor the country's bid to hold NCLEX exams locally will petition the Court of Appeals to invalidate the oath-taking of nurses last week and impose a mandatory retake of tests 3 and 5 of the board exams.

Members of the task force include CFO, PRC, National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, Department of Foreign Afairs and the Philippine National Police.

Ang said the task force is backing a petition filed by the UST College of Nursing Faculty Association, League of Concerned Nurses and Binuklod na Samahan ng Student Nurses to invalidate the oath-taking and order the mandatory retaking of two exams in the 2006 nursing board.

Ang said the task force will draft a resolution and submit it to the Court of Appeals this week.

"I would like to apologize to those who already took their oaths and those who didn't cheat but we think this is the only way to remove the taint (of the leakage) in their marks," he told DZMM.

He said a PRC resolution invalidating two portions of the exams that were allegedly leaked lowers the standards for new nurses.


Source: ABS-CBN (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=47976)

^asar. ano ba naman yan! nakakaasar naman. Ito na nga ang nagpapakain sa PIlipinas eh. URrgrhrurgh!!&*(^!(!!! I really believe that they should take the exams again.

kahit ano pang pagretake ng exam, the international community will still frown upon hiring Filipino nurses. I'm sure maapektuhan parin yung coming batches ng nurses dahil sa nangyari ngayon. Di lang basta isang year yun.

f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!

nakakainis! mamatay sana lahat ng kasangkot sa kalokohang ito!

f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!vf*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!

dahil sa inyo, dun na sila sa india kukuha ng nurse, at mababalewala na ang mga nurse galing pinas...makikita nyo, pag-graduate ko at naging bawal na ang pinoy nurses ang america, ay hahanapin ko talaga yung nagpasimuno ng lahat ng dayaang ito, at dun mismo sa mga kamay ko mababawian siya ng buhay...imagine, yung tuition na pinambayad ng mga magulang namin at ang pagod namin sa kaka-aral at kaka-duty ay mapupunta lahat sa wala...f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!f*ck!

watch out...sa mga mandaraya, ako ang papatay sa inyo!

Nakakaasar, kung kailan naman tayo nakikipagcompete sa ibang bansa heto pa? aaayayayaya! urgrhrgrh&$^%^%$^%!!! Ayoko na naasar na talaga ako. Ang gulo-gulo pa ng PRC ngayon. One minute mag-ooath daw. Tapos bglang suspend? ano ba talaga ate't kuya?

Indeed, we should punish who are accountable for the leakage. After all, the integrity of those who passed in the recent nursing board exam was somewhat tainted on the on set of the issue. But then, the study has proven that even if PRC excluded the 20 item test proven as leakage in the exam, our board passers would still pass. As such, we should not be wary that our nurses are less competitive over other nurses abroad.

Our recent nurses would just have to prove their worth. I think we should not regard them less as a professional nurse. After all, they were innocent from the incident.

this is one of the most apalling things that ever happened in our history. I think this should be thoroughly investigated, but in our government, when can it happen?

...saddening din yung fact na most filipinos look at nursing as passport to employment abroad. i know its true but the idea undermines the nursing profession.. and degrades the nurses themselves. wala ng ibang naiisip pag ang tao kumukuha ng nursing kundi pera.

Sad but true. There's this prominent (almost) lady lawyer in Iloilo who took up nursing as a second course, just to have the chance to migrate to the US.

The problem was that their Board Exams results were put on hold by the PRC due to the very questionable and dubious manner they have obtained their nursing degree.

Imagine practicing professionals with day jobs obtaining a nursing degree in just two years, with classes only on weekends?

How can they do that?

Filipinos should open their eyes to the fact that taking Nursing course isnt the only way to success.

The worst is, despite Nursing being a very tiring and unglamorous job, many Nursing students I see now even manage to wear flimsy headbands and ultra high heeled stilettos. Sa school nga namin ginagawang glamour course ng mga current batches ang nursing, glamour course ba? of course not! Sa sobrang arte, you would think that they won't even be able to clean a baby's nose.

sa lahat ng mga trying hard nurses na wala naman talagang K na maging nurse, kaya't nandaya na lang, at sa mga ewan dun sa board of nursing na sangkot sa kahihiyang ito: mamatay sana kayong lahat! dapat sa inyo i-deep IM kayo ng MgSO4 sa deltoid gamit ang gauge 19 na needle! sana'y lagyan kayo ng IV sa temporal pulse nyo tapos tuturukan ng ampotherecin IVTT! ma-overdose sana kayo!

thanks to you, nursing in the philippines just got uglier, thanks to you, i might never have the chance to leave this country and earn greenbucks...


I'm not sure if you guys have read what I've posted in another thread. The United States has reached it's maximum quotas on hiring foreign trained nurses, after this year, there would be a big slow down or even a total halt on hiring nurses overseas. I've encouraged last time that those nurses who has atleast one year of experience to not fiddle diddle their applications because this year would be the last year all foreign trained nurses will be expedited. These doesn't apply only to all the filipino nurses but also, the nurses from China, Korea and India. That's right, the filipino nurses are now going to be competing with other foreign trained nurses unlike where it used to be mostly filipina nurses were being considered. Other asian nurses is showing their competitiveness in this field and so the US hospitals are already refocusing their attention to other asian countries and not the Philippines alone. I just thought this would help as an FYI for all filipino nurses so that they won't get too disappointed when they did not reach the quotas. As of this moment, I understand that most Filipino nurses needs to pass NCLEX first before coming over to the US and they have to take in in HongKong which is an established US affiliate testing site....

Are the nurses going to have a re-exam? My niece is really depressed after passing her exam and angry at those who cheated.
And now the more she wanted to received their final packets to immigrate as soon as possible and just continue here for her career.

It's a sign na unti unti nang nawawala na ang title ng Nursing as "course ng bayan"

Well, according to some experts/American employers, there is still a huge shortage in nurses in the U.S. that is why they are still willing to hire our nurses. Also, the licensure exam is not the only factor considered in determining the capability of the nurses, they still have to pass other tests to be able to practice abroad.

@tsinoy

I hope not. The solution here is to go after the culprits and lay down the strong arm of the law in order to show the world that we do not tolerate such acts. There are also moves to place all review centers under the supervision of the CHED to ensure better regulation.

By Veronica Uy
INQ7.net
Last updated 02:56pm (Mla time) 09/27/2006


AS the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) becomes an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), a retake of the June 2006 nursing board exams now becomes a possibility, with the issue to be discussed between the two agencies Thursday, Secretary Arturo Brion said Wednesday.

In an interview with reporters after the Senate budget hearing, Brion said he would meet with PRC officials and discuss the relationship between the two agencies and the issues confronting the PRC, including the question of a retake, which the commission had ruled out.

Asked whether the PRC position could change, Brion said: “Of course, it can change...It is a pending problem and will be part of the agenda [of our meeting] tomorrow [Thursday].”

Even while he recognized PRC's responsibility in administering licensure exams, Brion cited the ongoing investigations by the Senate and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the alleged leak of some test questions before deciding on the matter.

“We still have to see and collate the records. Essentially, the PRC has the responsibility over board exams. We cannot pre-empt the decision before we even meet with the PRC,” he said.

Brion said the DoLE would have “oversight” functions over the commission. “We provide the general direction of PRC.”

Brion said the transfer of PRC to DoLE was contained in Executive Order 596, dated September 2006, but which was presented to him only Tuesday.

The Court of Appeals has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the oath-taking of those who passed the June 2006 nursing board exams amid allegations that portions of Test 3 and Test 5 had been leaked to the examinees.

Only about 17,000 of the 42,000 who took the exam passed after the PRC applied a formula that did not include the leaked questions in the computation of the scores.



http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=23434

INQ7.net
04:09pm (Mla time) 09/27/2006

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered a retake of the nursing licensure exams, although details on the date, how the exams would be conducted, and whether this would be partial or total have not been discussed, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said.

http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=23440

The signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan which include allowing our nurses to work there shows that they are not as stigmatized as our media is portraying them. This is the first time Japan has done something of this kind.

17,322 allowed to take oath

By Tetch Torres
INQ7.net
Last updated 07:15pm (Mla time) 10/13/2006


(UPDATE) A “SELECTIVE retake” of the nursing licensure exam last June has been ordered by the Court of Appeals since “there was no evidence showing that there was widespread leakage.”

At the same time, the appellate court has allowed 17, 322 successful examinees to take their oath.

In a 33-page decision penned by Associate Justice Vicente Veloso, the court said 1, 687 examinees would retake tests 3 and 5, which the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), by virtue of Resolution 31, invalidated due to reports that questions in those tests had been leaked.

The resolution had also paved the way for a recomputation of the scores, which resulted in the passing of an additional 1, 687 board takers but the removal of 1, 186 names from the original list of successful examinees.

But in its ruling released Friday, the court nullified Resolution 31, which meant that the 1, 687 who passed after the recomputation would have to retake the exam while the 1, 186 who had been removed would be reinstated.

The Court of Appeals said Resolution 31 violated Republic Act 9173 or the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, which prescribes the means by which one may pass the Nursing examination and consequently be admitted into the nursing practice.

“In this case, respondents' acts of invalidating 20 questions in Test 3 and recomputing the scores in Test 5 indubitably constitute, therefore, grave abuse of discretion,” the court said.

“If despite the leakage, the test results could still form a reliable basis for determining competency, reason dictates that the results as they were, should have been respected by respondents. We thus find respondents' employed scheme...illogical, arbitrary and patently erroneous,” the court said.

“Worse is, in adopting Resolution 31, the respondents increased the passing rate of the June 11 and 12, 2006 examinations from 41.24 percent to 42.42 percent,” the court said.

“Such increase of 1.18 percent, which benefited 1,687 examinees who actually failed [as their names did not appear in the 'unaltered' results] but who resultantly passed when the formula was introduced, constitutes a clear case of grave abuse of discretion. It is whimsical and capricious as said 1,687 examinees were allowed to pass without their satisfying the standards set by the Nursing Act of 2002 on how examinees may be rated in a licensure examination,” the court said.

"The act of failing 1,186 examinees who actually passed in the June 11 and 12, 2006 examination is a serious, if not gravest abuse of discretion one can imagine," the court said.

But the Court of Appeals said that there was no evidence showing widespread leakage.

"Having found, based on unrefuted evidence, that there was no widespread leakage, and absent any preponderant evidence on who specifically benefited therefrom, a ‘retake’ will be too drastic a pill for the examinees to absorb," the court said.

The court also noted that “only the examinees that may be identified by the National Bureau of Investigation to have attended the final coaching at Gapuz, Inress and Pentagon, were to be penalized with a retaking of tests 3 and 5.

The three review centers have been identified by the NBI as having been allegedly involved in the leakage.

Rene Luis Tadle from the University of Santo Tomas’ College of Nursing, the League of Concerned Nurses, and other groups had sought the invalidation of Resolution 31 while Dante Ang, the presidential adviser on migrant workers had petitioned for a retake for tests 3 and 5.

On Thursday, the NBI filed a criminal complaint before the Department of Justice against 17 executives of the R.A. Gapuz Review Center, Inress Review Center, and the Pentagon Review Center.
The NBI however spared the examinees, saying it was “practically impossible” to determine whether any one of them had benefited from the purported leak.

The DoJ will form a five-man panel to conduct a preliminary investigation, Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño had said.

http://globalnation.inq7.net/news/news/view_article.php?article_id=26540

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQ7.net
06:16pm (Mla time) 10/13/2006


A SENIOR Palace official on Friday told the chair of the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) to stop issuing statements that run counter to the administration’s position on the June 2006 nursing licensure examination scandal.

"I think the more prudent action is to really keep quiet and just wait for the decision (of the National Bureau of Investigation or NBI, and Department of Labor and Employment or DoLE)," Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor said when asked what President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo intended to do about PRC chair Leonor Tripon-Rosero.

Defensor’s statement came just as the Court of Appeals ruled that more than 1,000 examinees should be given a retake of tests 3 and 5 of the nursing board.

Rosero has been adamant in her stand against a retake of the licensure exam, which was tainted by leaked questions to tests 3 and 5.

Most recently, she vowed to administer the oath to board passers once a temporary restraining order handed down by the appellate court lapses on October 18.

Arroyo had earlier ordered the DoLE to recommend a decision on whether or not a retake of the nursing board is needed.

Asked if Arroyo planned to suspend or gag Rosero, who is also her dentist, Defensor said, "You don't really need actions that can be more destructive to the administration,” although he added that any such decision “is the prerogative of the President.”

Nevertheless, he said :“As a member of Cabinet and (one) of those who witnessed the discussions that we…had, I feel chairman Rosero has been unfair.”

Asked if Rosero still enjoyed the President’s confidence, Defensor said Arroyo values “loyalty, effectiveness and efficiency” and that whatever her decision on the PRC head would be “nothing personal.”

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita earlier said that since Arroyo issued an executive order placing the PRC under the control and supervision of the DoLE, Rosero’s fate now lies with the department.

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQ7.net
06:34pm (Mla time) 10/13/2006


PRESIDENTIAL Chief of Staff Michael Defensor described the Court of Appeals ruling for a selective retake of the leak-tainted June nursing licensure examinations for more than a thousand nursing graduates as "fair" to all.

"I think that’s fair. For example, in Cebu, there was no evidence (of cheating) according to the report of the National Bureau of Investigation,” Defensor told GMA Network’s station dzBB.

He said the decision came just as the Department of Labor is firming up its decision on whether or not to order a retake of the nursing board exam.

In a 33-page decision penned by Associate Justice Vicente Veloso, the appellate court said 1,687 examinees should retake tests 3 and 5 of the nursing board exam, which the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) invalidated because questions to these portions had been leaked to examinees.

The decision also allowed 17,322 board passers to take their oath as nurses.

The NBI submitted its report to Malacañang on Wednesday.

Its findings showed that the leak of questions to tests 3 and 5 of the nursing board exam took place only in Metro Manila and Baguio City.

The NBI also recommended the filing of charges against 17 officials of three review centers.


http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=26549

Palace bows to CA ruling

Brion says court now has last say in nursing case
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., Armand Nocum, Cynthia Balana
Inquirer
Last updated 02:21am (Mla time) 10/15/2006

Published on page A1 of the October 15, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

MALACAÑANG is leaving the cheating scandal involving the nursing licensure examination entirely in the hands of the courts, specifically the decision on who among the examinees who had registered with the three implicated review centers should be subjected to a retake.

“Now that the courts have spoken, it is up to the courts to decide the whole matter,” Labor Secretary Arturo Brion told the Inquirer yesterday.

On Friday, the appellate court ruled that those who passed the exam conducted outside Metro Manila and Baguio and those who did not attend the “final coaching” sessions at the three review centers blamed for the leak may immediately take their oath as professional nurses.

But it ordered a retake of Tests III and V for 1,687 examinees whose names were added to the list of some 17,000 passers following the PRC’s recomputation of the test scores.

The court also ordered that the 1,186 examinees whose names were removed from the list of passers following the recomputation be returned to the list.

It also said that even if they had taken their oath and been issued licenses to practice, those found guilty of benefiting from the leak would have their licenses revoked.

Brion said he was to have submitted his plan of action to President Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday morning following the release of the National Bureau of Investigation’s findings on Wednesday, but that he shelved the move after the Court of Appeals issued its decision on Friday ordering a partial retake for those who had benefited from the leak.

He said Ms Arroyo would no longer be compelled to decide who among the examinees should take the exam again.

“The President had ordered me to make a decision on the matter but with the CA ruling, the matter is now entirely for the courts to decide and the PRC (Professional Regulation Commission) to implement,” said Brion, a former appellate justice.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said he had ordered the NBI to start identifying the examinees who had benefited from the leak.

In places where it would be hard to prove how many examinees benefited, such as Baguio City, each one may be subjected to a retake of Tests III and V, he said.

Gonzalez also said Ms Arroyo was not likely to order a national retake in deference to the court decision.

“She has always been observing court decisions even if it is a bitter pill for her to take,” he said in a phone interview.

Final word

Brion said there was no need for Malacañang to reconcile the NBI findings with the court ruling.

The NBI findings also limited the cheating to Manila and Baguio and showed that the cheating covered only Tests III and V.

“The NBI is just a police investigating body; what the courts will decide will still be the final word,” he said.

But he said the question of whether the issue would be resolved swiftly or be allowed to drag on further would depend entirely on how the parties involved would react to the court’s decision: “If all the parties involved just agree to the CA decision and do not file an appeal, we can set this issue aside and move on.”

Earlier in the day over Vice President Noli de Castro’s radio program, “Para sa Iyo, Bayan,” Brion said he had been informed that those unhappy with the decision would file a motion for reconsideration before the appellate court and, eventually, a petition for review by certiorari before the Supreme Court.

Brion said that while the court decision allowed the oath-taking of most of the board passers, such a move might still be stalled in the event of a motion for reconsideration.

“It is beyond the executive department because there is already an order from the court. Only the parties involved—in this case, those aggrieved by the decision—can move,” he said.

No closure

Brion said that if the case reached the Supreme Court, the latter may either issue a temporary restraining order to stop the oath-taking or allow it to proceed while deliberating on the petition.

But those who took the oath may still be stripped of their licenses if the high court reversed the lower court’s ruling, he pointed out.

According to Brion, the issue was still quite contentious and nowhere near closure: “May kaguluhan. Magulo. Magulo pa rin, kaya nga sabi ko, wala pang closure ito. Wherever we are right now, we have to move on.”

He said the first step to addressing the problem would be the immediate reconstitution of the Board of Nursing (BON), considering the seven vacancies there, and another licensure examination scheduled on Dec. 2 and 3.

He also said there was a need to monitor the prosecution of those to be charged before the Ombudsman, particularly the officers of R.A. Gapuz Review Center, Inress Review Center and Pentagon Review Specialist Inc., as well as the BON members.

Brion said he had submitted a list of possible replacements to the BON.

Malacañang’s search committee will draw up a short list from which the President will make her choices.

Brion reiterated that the cheating scandal had tainted the image of Filipino nurses here and abroad.

He said the president of the Philippine Nurses Association in the United Kingdom had informed him that other countries that also send nurses there—like India—were capitalizing on the Philippine scandal.

the truth is u.s hospitals will keep hiring nurses overseas like in the philippines, india, etc. not because there is going to be a shortage of nurses in the u.s. but american hospitals want to keep hiring nurses overseas to saturate this country with nurses so that wages will stagnate . my wife is a nurse and last yr she got 75 cents raise and her medical insurance went up to $230 per month. is that the kind of incentive you give if there is a shortage of nurses here in the u.s? american hospitals dont like nurses making $65,000 a yr, thats after working for 11 yrs as a nurse. its cuts on their profits. so to lower wages is to soaked the market with nurses. most hospitals here in the u.s want 2 yrs nurse experience. thats another sign there is no nursing shortage. making $65,000 a yr gross income in the u.s is not much. if you got house payments, car payments, then food expenses, 2 kids, you'll be lucky if you can save $500 a month, i know most can't even save $200 a month.

THE United States government is willing to lend its expertise in strengthening the country’s professional licensure examination system and protect the integrity of the nursing profession.

Chairman Dante A. Ang of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas said in a radio interview Thursday that the offer was relayed to him by officials of the US Embassy in Manila at a recent meeting.

“The United States has offered its help to improve the country’s licensure examination system so that it would really be conducted professionally and there would be no more test leakage,” Ang said.

The US, according to Ang, is willing to reconsider its plan on two conditions—improve peace and order and settle the nursing test leakage.

This is a country who truly believes in the capabilities of Filipino nurses, because if they are not, then I don't think offers like this would come out in the open. This is not the only country who wants to help us in imroving the licensure exams, most especially in nursing.

Oppotunities like this should never be ignored.

By Alcuin Papa
Inquirer
09:17pm (Mla time) 10/27/2006


MANILA -- China is interested in hiring around 500 Filipino nurses to teach there, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) said on Friday.

CHEd Chair Carlito Puno said that two big nursing schools in China have expressed interest in hiring Filipino nurses. “I can’t disclose yet the names of these schools pending the signing of an agreement between our government through CHEd and the China government through its education ministry,” Puno said.

He said that China has “high regard” for the country's nurses as compared with its own nurses. “China admitted that the quality of their nursing education is not good compared with those of other countries such as Philippines. China’s nursing graduates could barely pass the National Licensure Examination,” he said.

Puno announced the news as a result of his recent visit to China where he met with 41 education ministers from all over the world to discuss trends and improvements in cross-border education programs.

He also said the country will be sending to China next year the first batch of 1,000 nursing students who will share their knowledge with their counterparts on nursing care and hospital work.

“This (student exchange) is part of a cross-border education program between our country and the education ministry of the China government that would be formalized soon between the two governments,” Puno said.

Puno said that those who will be sent to China for a one-year tour-of-duty in the student exchange program are 4th year nursing students from two prestigious schools in the country.

“These nursing students will spend their last year of practicum in different hospitals in China. "That’s the initial agreement that has still to be signed by both governments. CHEd is already considering two top schools where the 4th year nursing students would be tapped to be sent to China ,” Puno explained.

Puno also expressed confidence that the nursing profession in the country will continue to produce more competent and qualified nurses in the future.

“Despite the leakage controversy wreaking havoc in our nursing profession, some countries are still interested to share and impart knowledge with us. This is a very positive development for our Filipino nurses who should also try to go to other countries other than the United States and Europe,” he said.

Puno believes that the controversy over the licensure exams leakage that hit the Philippine nursing education in 2006 will “die down naturally.” “I’m hoping the issue will be resolved soon and let our new nurses move on with their life and future,” he said.

On Friday, the Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) started to administer the oath to those who passed the last nursing board exams last June.

Out of around 43,000 examinees, 41.24 percent or 17,323 passed

http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=29156

By Alcuin Papa
Inquirer
10/27/2006


MANILA -- If there was a leakage in a nursing licensure exam in the United States, officials from the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) would have ordered a retake of the whole exam.

This was the assessment made by Faith Fields, newly elected president of the NCSBN, and other officials during a visit to the country, Dante Ang told the Inquirer Friday.
“If this thing happened in the US we would have called for a retake of the exam,” Ang quoted Fields as saying.

In fact, Ang said Fields told him that a nursing board exam in one US state was also wracked by a leakage scandal and that the NCSBN ordered a retake of the whole exam to solve the problem.

Ang also said Fields called the method used by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) in the recomputation of the exam takers “unprecedented.”

“We couldn't believe it,” Ang quoted Fields as saying.

But Ang quickly qualified that the NCSBN officials said they would not dictate on Philippine authorities how to resolve the controversy.

The NCSBN developed and administers the NCLEX. It is a nonprofit organization made up of the boards of nursing in all 50 US states and five US territories -- American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Around 80 percent of NCLEX examines come from the Philippines. Passing the NCLEX qualifies a Filipino nurse for jobs in US hospitals and health centers. Ang has been busy trying to make the country a testing center for the NCLEX.

Ang also narrated that Dr. Casey Marks of the NCSBN told him that he was puzzled by the method used by the PRC in the recomputation of the grades.

“He (Marks) finds the solution employed by the PRC unbelievable. He couldn't understand it. Pinagtatawanan tayo ng mga NCSBN sa recomputation (They laughed at us for the recomputation),” Ang said.

He explained that Marks could not understand how the board takers could have gotten a two percent “bonus” and how the weight of Test 3 (Medical and Surgical Nursing) and Test 5 (Psychiatric Nursing) was reduced in the recomputation.

When allegations of a leakage surfaced shortly after the June nursing exams, the PRC employed a formula that disregarded 20 questions from Test 3 and 90 questions of Test 5 since these questions were suspected to have been leaked to the board examinees prior to the exam.

The resulting formula resulted in an increase of the grades of the exam takers by two percent, the PRC had said.

Fields, Marks and the other NCSBN officials met recently with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to discuss the leakage controversy and the possibility of bringing the National Council for Licensure Exams (NCLEX) for nurses to the country.
“They (NCSBN officials) are concerned about the integrity of the system. They are looking at how we are addressing the problem and they said the world is watching as well,” Ang said.

He said Arroyo assured them that the issue of the leakage was being addressed with the charges filed against two members of the Board of Nursing suspected to be involved in the leakage and the recent President's order to place the PRC under the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).

“They liked the moves we have taken,” Ang said.

“We also asked her (Faith Fields) if they could go the extra mile so the Philippines can be included as a testing country. She said she could not make the decision alone since they have a board,” Ang said.

He also said the NCSBN officials offered their help in “professionalizing” the local board exams and avoiding leakages in the future.


http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=29142

INQ7.net, GMA7
10/27/2006


THE OATH-taking of more than 15,000 nursing board passers for 2006 started this Friday, according to GMA Network’s “Flash Report,” a day after the Court of Appeals ruled that the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) could administer the oath.

The report said some of the successful examinees were at the PRC office as early as 3 a.m.

The appeals court allowed the oath-taking after holding conciliation talks with all concerned parties that have agreed to allow the passers to acquire their licenses.

These involve more than 1,000 nursing students who passed the board before the PRC recomputed the scores of the examinees following the discovery of a leakage on some portions of the test.

Over 1,000 others who passed after the PRC recomputation had been ordered by the court to retake the exam that has been scheduled in December.

http://globalnation.inq7.net/news/news/view_article.php?article_id=29062

MANILA -- If there was a leakage in a nursing licensure exam in the United States, officials from the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) would have ordered a retake of the whole exam.

This was the assessment made by Faith Fields, newly elected president of the NCSBN, and other officials during a visit to the country, Dante Ang told the Inquirer Friday.
“If this thing happened in the US we would have called for a retake of the exam,” Ang quoted Fields as saying.



Just gets to show that people here in the Philippines can't do something right.. I mean tama naman na magretake ng exam.. its the most proper thing to do di ba? I think they're settled that all this could just blow over.

Finally, the chairman of PRC admitted that their first move releasing the list of passers despite of the leakage controversy just aggrevated the problem.

Sana nung una palang narealize na nila un, paano sinubukan pa nila pagtakapan mga kasama nila kaya kahit hindi pa tapos investigation sa leakage naglabas na sila ng result sa pag aakalang makakabawas yun sa problema. Ngayon masyado ng maraming taong concern ang apektado, syempre kahit ikaw nalaman mong pasado kana gugustuhin mo pa bang magretake? Kaya mas lalong gumulo eh dahil sa kapalpakan ng PRC.:evil:

i didn't know where to place this thread. since it talks about health i decided to place it under The Economy, Industry and Development Issues. there would be no economy and development without health, right?

what do you all think of the country's health care system?

post photos of hospitals in your location

this is a nice topic... :okay:

thanks!:) but i guess nobody is even interested in this topic. haha

i think this is a really good topic. i'm looking forward to reading up on this thread actually.

right off the top of my head, i think our health care system is in a sorry state. the only hospital with sufficient facilities & competent staff that can be accessed by most metro manilans would be PGH, i think. St. Luke's, Medical City & Asian Med are really nice steps in the right direction but these institutions are, understandably, out there for a profit. i guess that's ok since it's still a growth area for our country anyway- medical tourism, etc.

then, there's the sad fact that most medical professionals are getting out of the country which could lessen the benefits of having hospitals with world class facilities.

Philhealth (Phils' health insurance company) worked quite well from my experience, btw.

U.S. Plan to Lure Nurses May Hurt Poor Nations

The New York Times - May 24, 2006
Celia W. Dugger

http://www.aegis.com/news/nyt/2006/NYT060518.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the United States runs short of nurses, senators are looking abroad. A little-noticed provision in their immigration bill would throw open the gate to nurses and, some fear, drain them from the world's developing countries.
Health experts fear that nurses, like this one in Manila, would be unable to resist the higher wages offered by hospitals in the United States.

Nursing students at Manila Doctor's College. An exodus of medical workers has left the local health care system on the verge of collapse.

The legislation is expected to pass this week, and the Senate provision, which removes the limit on the number of nurses who can immigrate, has been largely overlooked in the emotional debate over illegal immigration.

Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, who sponsored the proposal, said it was needed to help the United States cope with a growing nursing shortage.

He said he doubted the measure would greatly increase the small number of African nurses coming to the United States, but acknowledged that it could have an impact on the Philippines and India, which are already sending thousands of nurses to the United States a year.

The exodus of nurses from poor to rich countries has strained health systems in the developing world, which are already facing severe shortages of their own. Many African countries have begun to demand compensation for the training and loss of nurses and doctors who move away.

The Senate provision, which would remain in force until 2014, contains no such compensation, and has not stirred serious opposition in Congress. Because it is not part of the House immigration bill, a committee from both houses would have to decide whether to include the provision on nurses if the full Congress approves the legislation.

Public health experts in poor countries, told about the proposal in recent days, reacted with dismay and outrage, coupled with doubts that their nurses would resist the magnetic pull of the United States, which sits at the pinnacle of the global labor market for nurses.

Removing the immigration cap, they said, would particularly hit the Philippines, which sends more nurses to the United States than any other country, at least several thousand a year. Health care has deteriorated there in recent years as tens of thousands of nurses have moved abroad. Thousands of ill-paid doctors have even abandoned their profession to become migrant-ready nurses themselves, Filipino researchers say.

"The Filipino people will suffer because the U.S. will get all our trained nurses," said George Cordero, president of the Philippine Nurse Association. "But what can we do?"

The nurse proposal has strong backing from the American Hospital Association, which reported in April that American hospitals had 118,000 vacancies for registered nurses. The federal government predicted in 2002 that the accelerating shortfall of nurses in the United States would swell to more than 800,000 by 2020.

"There is no reason to cap the number of nurses coming in when there's a nationwide shortage, because you need people immediately," said Bruce Morrison, a lobbyist for the hospital association and a former Democratic congressman.

The American Nurses Association, a professional trade association that represents 155,000 registered nurses, opposes the measure. The group said it was concerned the provision would lead to a flood of nurse immigrants and would damage both the domestic work force and the home countries of the immigrants.

"We're disappointed that Congress, instead of providing appropriations for domestic nursing programs, is outsourcing the education of nurses," said Erin McKeon, the group's associate director of government affairs.

Holly Burkhalter, with Physicians for Human Rights, an advocacy group, said the nurse proposal could undermine the United States' multibillion-dollar effort to combat AIDS and malaria by potentially worsening the shortage of health workers in poor countries. "We're pouring water in a bucket with a hole in it, and we drilled the hole," she said.

There are now many more Americans seeking to be nurses than places to educate them. In 2005, American nursing schools rejected almost 150,000 applications from qualified people, according to the National League for Nursing, a nonprofit group that counts more than 1,100 nursing schools among its members.

One of the most important factors limiting the number of students was a lack of faculty to teach them, nursing organizations say. Professors of nursing earn less than practicing nurses, damping demand for teaching positions.

Under the current immigration system, experts estimate that 12,000 to 14,000 nurses have immigrated to the United States annually on employment visas that entitle them to bring their immediate family members and obtain green cards. They must pass English and U.S. nursing exams to qualify for visas.

In recent years, there had been enough visas for foreign nurses from most countries, but a bottleneck developed in 2005, after immigration authorities made a big push to clear a backlog of employment visa applications. That year, Congress set aside 50,000 additional visas for nurses and their families. But those visas will likely have all been used up by early next year, State Department officials said.

It is difficult to forecast exactly how removing the limit on nurse immigration would affect the number of nurses who moved to the United States.

Based on past trends, Mr. Morrison, the lobbyist who represents the hospital association, said he thought the numbers would grow 5 to 10 percent a year over recent levels. Recruiters would focus on countries with large numbers of well-trained nurses, mainly the Philippines, India and China.

"But it's certainly true that the longer the United States puts off investing in training nurses, the more pressure there will be to find nurses abroad," he said.

Senator Brownback, who has been an advocate for programs to combat AIDS and malaria in Africa, said he did not think lifting the cap on nurse migration would have much effect on Africa because the infrastructure of companies that did recruiting for the United States market was not set up there, nor did African nurses have a big community there to plug into.

And while the Philippines could see an increase in nurse immigration, such flows could also bring benefits, he said, not just in the money they sent home, but in the nurses' voluntary efforts to improve health care in their home countries.

But Eric Buch, the top health adviser to the New Partnership for Africa's Development, an Africa-wide undertaking initiated by the continent's heads of state, said he expected that recruiting agencies would set up in African countries where nurses were trained in English and that they would advertise the change in the American law.

"You'll see that emerge, that's my guess," Professor Buch, who teaches health policy at the University of Pretoria, in South Africa, said in a telephone interview. "The United States could become a place where we bleed our health care workers."

The flight of nurses from the Philippines, a former American colony, has provided a huge boost to a weak economy, through remittances. Some government agencies there have encouraged the export of nurses, who send home billions of dollars each year to their families.

A nurse in the Philippines would earn a starting salary of less than $2,000 a year compared with at least $36,000 a year in the United States, said Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, a medical professor at the University of the Philippines who led the country's National Institutes of Health.

He said the flight of nurses had had a corrosive effect on health care. Most Filipinos died without medical attention in 2003, just as they had three decades earlier.

Based on surveys, Dr. Galvez Tan estimates that 80 percent of the country's government doctors have become nurses or are enrolled in nursing programs, hoping for an American green card. "I plead for justice," he said in a telephone interview. "There has to be give and take, not just take, take, take by the United States."

***

you should take a look at the UST hospital.. its undergoing a massive redevelopment/construction phase.. right now they are building a big building that will house the current occupants of the medical arts building.. they already have a new building that was build for cancer patients only.. i think the target completion date of the redevelopment would be sometime in 2008/2009.. we could ask for the inputs from the students in UST for more info.. :)

you should take a look at the UST hospital.. its undergoing a massive redevelopment/construction phase.. right now they are building a big building that will house the current occupants of the medical arts building.. they already have a new building that was build for cancer patients only.. i think the target completion date of the redevelopment would be sometime in 2008/2009.. we could ask for the inputs from the students in UST for more info.. :)

that's great! actually i've already seen photos of ust's cancer center. and i'm glad they put up one. anybody from ust here? please enlighten us on your school's plans and current initiatives to improve the health care system in our country.

portludlow, i'm really sad with what's happening to our country right now. brain drain... which would vastly hurt the philippines some 5 years from now. although the fleeing nurses and doctors from the philippines is such a sad thing, we can't really blame them for doing so. first of all, the countries luring them are offering great pay and benefits, so who would turn down such an offer considering that the place where they are from don't give much regard o medical professionals? and in connection to this, secondly, the working conditions of medical professionals here in the country are leagues behind as compared to that of the luring countries; given into consideration the work environment, load of work, and the opportunity for them to further nurture their knowledge and career. those aforementioned are just non-existent in our health care system. lastly, these medical professionals deserve a quality of living fit for a community servant. our medical professionals in the philippines don't enjoy lives at par of that with their counterparts abroad. so i guess it all boils down to how much we put importance to our health givers.

hopefully, the national government, the lgu's and the private medical sector will find a solution to this hurting brain drain, as the filipinos need much of these medical professional's services.

you should take a look at the UST hospital.. its undergoing a massive redevelopment/construction phase.. right now they are building a big building that will house the current occupants of the medical arts building.. they already have a new building that was build for cancer patients only.. i think the target completion date of the redevelopment would be sometime in 2008/2009.. we could ask for the inputs from the students in UST for more info.. :)

Yes, this is true. There are also a number of new projects and facilities being built in surrounding areas of the Metro as well. Maybe things are turning around and they finally got the point so late! The brain drain issue has really been a big issue and it's effects are great, and this links with the whole issue.

And yes, please pay our doctors, nurses and other health care workers, more! They play a big role in our society, much bigger than you think. There's new taxes now, so put a part of it towards that!

Philhealth (Phils' health insurance company) worked quite well from my experience, btw.

unlimited ba ang coverage ng insured?

Chiong Hua Hospital is building a 10storey hospital in Banilad... across BAnilad Town Center... Chiong Hua decided to build a hospital because one of it's directors: Augusto Go- President of University of Cebu... wants to build a hospital near it's Banilad Campus and because of the need to build a modern hospital Uptown.... (according to the construction crew)...

hehehe... another good news for Cebu! ma.shock nsad ang uban nga way kalibotan... hehehe...

they are currently demolishing the structures in the area....

unlimited ba ang coverage ng insured?


hehe. we can only dream... pero seriously, ok sya as long as your company has been diligent in making the contributions. walang red tape contrary to what i expected.

Chiong Hua Hospital is building a 10storey hospital in Banilad... across BAnilad Town Center... Chiong Hua decided to build a hospital because one of it's directors: Augusto Go- President of University of Cebu... wants to build a hospital near it's Banilad Campus and because of the need to build a modern hospital Uptown.... (according to the construction crew)...

hehehe... another good news for Cebu! ma.shock nsad ang uban nga way kalibotan... hehehe...

they are currently demolishing the structures in the area....

a good news for cebu's health care system. another addition to the philippines' growing and developing medical industry.:yes:

http://www.chonghua.com.ph/images/banner1.gif
http://homepage2.nifty.com/cebu/Hospital/DSCF0058.JPGhttp://www.wayblima.com/medicalarts.jpg

Chong Hua Hospital

Chong Hua Hospital is home to some of the region’s top specialists and sub specialist, making Chong Hua Hospital the referral hospital of choice for physicians and patients seeking the highest level and quality of care.

With our 660 beds and our state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, Chong Hua Hospital is considered as one of the biggest, most advanced, fully integrated and comprehensive health care facility system in the Visayas and Mindanao area. Our eleven(11) story twin tower building stands at the very heart of Cebu City completing the back draft of the famous Cebu’s landmark, the Fuente Osmeña Circle.

Patients at Chong Hua Hospital benefit from the care provided by a multidisciplinary team of nationally recognized leaders in virtually every clinical field. A number of specialized programs and services are also available, most providing both in and out patient supports. Through these, patients receive coordinated state-of-the-art care to address specific needs.

Chong Hua Hospital commits to provide community service through ethical, compassionate and collaborative quality healthcare delivery systems and services par excellence – world class standards while upholding the dignity and welfare of its employees.


The heart. . . The vision. . . The will to serve. . .

thanks!:) but i guess nobody is even interested in this topic. haha

im interested...

like the fact that the philippines is in dire need of modern public hospitals

then, there's the sad fact that most medical professionals are getting out of the country which could lessen the benefits of having hospitals with world class facilities.


one of the reasons most medical profs are leaving is that..there's no jobs there in pinas after board exams..there might be other jobs but not in medical fields..if one want to practice his/her own profession,and get paid is to work abroad.
in my experience,filipino nurses can work anywhere,w/ experience or w/out.
hence,kahit going abroad after grad.
we got loads of newly grads every year..there's not much hospitals in pinas.

those who can afford to build hospitals in pinas..pls consider.
not necessarily to make a profit but to help.if u need manpower,
i know a lot of people who wants to help out when vacationing in pinas.
also..newly grads can volunteer and get experience as well.
i think,this is possible..

unlimited ba ang coverage ng insured?

worldwide?

http://www.chonghua.com.ph/images/banner1.gif
http://homepage2.nifty.com/cebu/Hospital/DSCF0058.JPGhttp://www.wayblima.com/medicalarts.jpg

Chong Hua Hospital

Chong Hua Hospital is home to some of the region’s top specialists and sub specialist, making Chong Hua Hospital the referral hospital of choice for physicians and patients seeking the highest level and quality of care.

With our 660 beds and our state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, Chong Hua Hospital is considered as one of the biggest, most advanced, fully integrated and comprehensive health care facility system in the Visayas and Mindanao area. Our eleven(11) story twin tower building stands at the very heart of Cebu City completing the back draft of the famous Cebu’s landmark, the Fuente Osmeña Circle.

Patients at Chong Hua Hospital benefit from the care provided by a multidisciplinary team of nationally recognized leaders in virtually every clinical field. A number of specialized programs and services are also available, most providing both in and out patient supports. Through these, patients receive coordinated state-of-the-art care to address specific needs.

Chong Hua Hospital commits to provide community service through ethical, compassionate and collaborative quality healthcare delivery systems and services par excellence – world class standards while upholding the dignity and welfare of its employees.


The heart. . . The vision. . . The will to serve. . .
i love cebu..maybe i should go home and work there.
do they accept applicants from abroad do u know?

i love cebu..maybe i should go home and work there.
do they accept applicants from abroad do u know?

are you kidding? they'd hire you right away if they'd know you have some experience from abroad. but i'm sure you wouldn't be satisfied with the pay. hehehe

the philippines indeed needs more medical facilities, may it be a hospital or just a bunch of clinics or out patient surgery facilities. the reason why few are interested in investing in the medical field is that the medical care in the philippines isn't affordable for the masses. i guess the country should find a way to make these services affordable to the masses so that the thriving industry of medicine could survive and improve.

we've got a doctor here in this forum. i just am not sure if he knows about this thread. but he is currently based in the us. maybe after some years of practice here he could like put up a medical facility that could both benefit the masses and the medical professionals.

yesterday ive seen a bunch of doctors lambasting a helpless woman in labor since she does not have enough money to pay for her medications and not to mention, for her upcoming surgery...it was like a scene straight out of a drama...i didnt think that people could be that callous, not until i saw what i saw yesterday...like, these doctors are stinking rich, the least that they could do was to offer the poor woman some help...but instead, they add verbal assaults and insults to the intense pain that she's already feeling...and being the poor and powerless student nurse that i am, all that i could do was offer her emotional support...

yesterday ive seen a bunch of doctors lambasting a helpless woman in labor since she does not have enough money to pay for her medications and not to mention, for her upcoming surgery...it was like a scene straight out of a drama...i didnt think that people could be that callous, not until i saw what i saw yesterday...like, these doctors are stinking rich, the least that they could do was to offer the poor woman some help...but instead, they add verbal assaults and insults to the intense pain that she's already feeling...and being the poor and powerless student nurse that i am, all that i could do was offer her emotional support...

really? damn... i feel sorry for that lady. those doctors should be reinformed of the reason why there are doctors, what their roles are, and what they should do with their profession. i praise doctors for their intelligence, but if ingunani ra man diay ilang mga batasan, then they might as well not become doctors. pisti!

the philippines indeed needs more medical facilities, may it be a hospital or just a bunch of clinics or out patient surgery facilities. the reason why few are interested in investing in the medical field is that the medical care in the philippines isn't affordable for the masses. i guess the country should find a way to make these services affordable to the masses so that the thriving industry of medicine could survive and improve.



and there lies the rub (and i shall never try to quote Shakespeare again...)... we can't really expect a normal human being to shell out a lot of money w/o having some sort of return in mind. it's very difficult to make medical services "affordable". there has to be some balance, i guess. we should never assume that investment is done for a public service. the money has to come somewhere.

SSS, GSIS, Philhealth, etc... these institutions can help by offering medical options for members w/o taking out personal responsibility (one has to be a diligent contributor & services still get paid) from the equation. the red tape can be intimidating though. i guess for our poorest brothers, med facilities can set up a sort of "pro bono" scheme... they can just charge it to a PR account or sumthin...

yesterday ive seen a bunch of doctors lambasting a helpless woman in labor since she does not have enough money to pay for her medications and not to mention, for her upcoming surgery...it was like a scene straight out of a drama...i didnt think that people could be that callous, not until i saw what i saw yesterday...like, these doctors are stinking rich, the least that they could do was to offer the poor woman some help...but instead, they add verbal assaults and insults to the intense pain that she's already feeling...and being the poor and powerless student nurse that i am, all that i could do was offer her emotional support...

huwhaaaat???!!! doctors actually do that? whatever happened to that oath they make (Hippocratic?) after becoming doctors? i'd expect this behavior from admin personnel... but doctors?!

yesterday ive seen a bunch of doctors lambasting a helpless woman in labor since she does not have enough money to pay for her medications and not to mention, for her upcoming surgery...it was like a scene straight out of a drama...i didnt think that people could be that callous, not until i saw what i saw yesterday...like, these doctors are stinking rich, the least that they could do was to offer the poor woman some help...but instead, they add verbal assaults and insults to the intense pain that she's already feeling...and being the poor and powerless student nurse that i am, all that i could do was offer her emotional support...


Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, a tertiary government hospital here in Cebu. :okay:

When I was still a student nurse at that freaking hospital, I can attest to the fact that those doctors (who are mostly resident physicians) whom pIrena referred to are indeed very rude.

Others might say that it's a government hospital and that the doctors have dealt with various personalities thus their "rudeness" but I don't think it's a good excuse.

yesterday ive seen a bunch of doctors lambasting a helpless woman in labor since she does not have enough money to pay for her medications and not to mention, for her upcoming surgery...it was like a scene straight out of a drama...i didnt think that people could be that callous, not until i saw what i saw yesterday...like, these doctors are stinking rich, the least that they could do was to offer the poor woman some help...but instead, they add verbal assaults and insults to the intense pain that she's already feeling...and being the poor and powerless student nurse that i am, all that i could do was offer her emotional support...
open ur eyes and learn from these things..
someday u can do much, much more..
changes may not happen now, but someday it will.:)

and there lies the rub (and i shall never try to quote Shakespeare again...)... we can't really expect a normal human being to shell out a lot of money w/o having some sort of return in mind. it's very difficult to make medical services "affordable". there has to be some balance, i guess. we should never assume that investment is done for a public service. the money has to come somewhere.

SSS, GSIS, Philhealth, etc... these institutions can help by offering medical options for members w/o taking out personal responsibility (one has to be a diligent contributor & services still get paid) from the equation. the red tape can be intimidating though. i guess for our poorest brothers, med facilities can set up a sort of "pro bono" scheme... they can just charge it to a PR account or sumthin...

medical 'pro bono'
a brit doctor one time volunteered in PGH..she's a member of an organizatn here in london who sends medics ie. in the phil.
she paid for her fare and accomodation..and for 3 months,she worked in PGH.
amazed as she was on how good fil docs are,
its pitiful also to have seen poor people begging her to pay for some tests.

PGH needs money to run it..but its doing its part in helping poor people.
do other hospitals help out? esp private hospitals?

HMO: The healthy supports the sick and ill
Without the White Coat by Florentino P. Alerta II, M.D.

The Filipino way of thinking is always so unique when it comes to health maintenance organizations (HMO) contrary to the main mission and objectives of the health maintenance organizations. The HMO had made its existence here in the Philippines for more than 20 years now, but deep inside "most" of HMO subscribers and members will never see the point, reason and purpose of its existence. If all the members of the HMO will have there ways, utilization cost will just hit the ceiling. The Filipino mentality may he deny it "always" believes that if he puts a peso in, then he should get a peso out. The HMO members or subscribers yearly pays a certain premium to the HMO and with this they are entitle to "some" basic benefits of the health organization like a "no-cash out" consultation in an accredited HMO doctor's office or in the emergency room of an accredited hospital. A "no-cash out" for laboratory examinations that are approved by the HMO provider, and the hospital stay in a room designated by the HMO as a private or semi-private.

Behind the set-up the Filipino HMO member or subscriber will never see the point for the purpose of an HMO. In the US of A the HMO set up works with efficiency and is highly commendable in some cases some HMO have already had set up there own medical institutions. With this a lot of US citizens have now opted to buy health insurance, this have paved for the HMO to dictate on the cost, coverage terms and reimbursement and documentary requirements. (Payments will come in late, with HMO assuring an influx of patients if the practicing doctors will just cut down its rates....consultation fees to 60 to 70%, this was just too good for the HMO ,but too bad for the doctor since he will be under the clutches of the HMO) The Filipino never thinks that as a healthy individual the premiums that he pays will cover those that will get sick or in some future day will pay for an emergency consultation in the emergency room of an accredited medical institution. As Filipinos we never see the purpose of an HMO, we deposit in forms of premiums then will collect later in form of a "yearly executive check-up" or some weird and "unnecessary" diagnostic examinations.

From the view point of the HMO members it is beneficial due to the "no-cash out" policy for consultations or laboratory examinations. For accredited HMO physicians dealing with some "demanding" members that thinks they are entitled to a yearly "this and that" without any medical basis or will need a battery of medical diagnostics just to consume there premiums or one way or another will get something out from there HMO from the side of the doctor and physician this doesn't make any sense. Imagine a hypertensive and diabetic patient, a member of an HMO demanding a 2D echocardiogram with no reason at all just for the heck of it.

In the losing end of the rope are the medical coordinators, since it is the HMO that will make the money.(remember they [HMO] are already paid(yearly premiums) for by the members, irregardless of our intentions as physicians to serve our patients we are used by the HMO as pawns in the world of business in medical practice). The belief among "true" doctors or physicians that will render there services irregardless they are paid or not will always become pawns of the games the HMO will be playing.

HMO which falls under managed-care practice will always make the big bucks living the accredited physician or doctors holding an empty bag, let us look on the side of curb reimbursements---- deny valid claims, delayed claims, undisclosed cost based criterias to asses medical claims, a power behind the HMO that dictates among practicing physicians to accept billing practices that is "only" beneficial to the HMO, and a no appeal process.

In the long run it is the HMO or any managed care institution that will be benefited, and the hopefully its members, but it is the accredited physicians and doctors that will end up holding the bag ......... an empty bag.

Perpetual Succour Hospital - Medical Specialty Center CEBU

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inside the oncology pharmacy where cytotoxic and chemotherapeutic drugs are compounded and prepared in a zero atmosphere clean room.

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my better half is a nurse and is working for a year now in national kidney (mind you, the hospital doesn't look public). At age 23, one year in the job, a year and a half after passing the board, the person is now the most senior in the ward!
the hospital, i think, is understaffed with nurses.there are so many board takers and passers, yet this happens.

theres really a big problem with the health care system

Last month, I was interviewing an applicant for our operations manager's position. His resume shows he went to UP and completed his medical school education.

Why didn't you pursue a career in the medical field, I asked. He responded by telling me about an encounter with his senior instructor in a hospital. He saw the instructor (who is a physician) dressed in a nurse's uniform. Why, he asked. The instructor tells him, "I've served my country as a physician for 19 years and I think I've served long enough. It is now time for me to take care of my family before I get too old. I'm taking courses in nursing so I can challenge the board. Then my family and I will move to the US to work there."

malaki ang sweldo ng health administration here

Davao Medical Center

Enacted by the Philippine Legislature in 1971 as the Davao Public Hospital situated in downtown Davao with a 25-bed capacity. Renamed Davao General Hospital around 1946 with a 200-bed capacity. Rebaptized as the Davao Regional Medical and Training Center in 1957 under R.A. 1859 with a 350-bed capacity to be established in Bajada with an area of 12.8 hectares. New building in Bajada inaugurated in December 1964 but transfer was completed in 1966. Officially designated as Medical Center for Mindanao and Sulu by the Department of Health under A.O. 157 effective January 1, 1971. The 200-bed Davao Mental Hospital was attached in 1986 and became under full administrative and fiscal control of DMC by 19910. Upgraded in 1992 as 400-bed hospital for a total of 600-bed capacity for both main hospital and the Mental Hospital.

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1. those hospitals look really impressive! i hope we have more of those to be built throughout the country.

2. to palawan, i think that is very weird, and another sign of brain drain. i do give congratulations and credit to your friend though. that is really an achievement and is a great role towards the people.

3. to rene, that is quite revealing and another example of a loss of someone needed for the medical health field.

4. doctors and nurses should not be rude! that is so opposite of what their field is about! and it's so inhospitable and cold, so unfilipino!

@ thisfire: uhmm, the only reason why he's still here is bec the process of applying for work to america is longerthan other countries (e.g. dubai or singapore). u.s. provides for the biggest pay, i think.

Nice thread. I think the government is spending little money for the health care programs. There are places in the Philippines that has no doctor, clinic or hospital. Little money for health care but more money for the pocket of corruption.

yes, imagine how it would be if all the pocketed money for many years went to the country? wow

Nice thread. I think the government is spending little money for the health care programs. There are places in the Philippines that has no doctor, clinic or hospital. Little money for health care but more money for the pocket of corruption.
so so true..politicians must be audited too i think.
gov't hospitals lack funds..it's like working like girl scouts:ohno:
making do w/ what's there, most times w/ what's not there.

was it last year or a year before that..there was an expose of nurses abroad who were found out to be using FAKE DIPLOMAS?
re-taking the exam is much better than that!

hoenstly, IMHO, the government health care system su-cks bigtime. Yung PhilHealth na binibigay sa mga employees is not enough to cover the hospitalization of a person,

i am just lucky siguro that our company has an HMO (Medicard) which provides us a BETTER heath coverage compared to PhilHealth. at maasahan talaga, like when i was rush to the ER nung 2004 for an emergency case. all the medicines, ultrasound, ECG, all all those stuff, ni isang centavo wala akong binayaran. To think na sa Medical City pa ako nag pa hospital nun.

Siguro kung wala akong medicard nun, malamang sa kangkungan na alng ako pupulutin nun. :(

Education has long been touted as one lasting legacy a parent can give a child. It is the springboard for a possible successful future for one’s child. This is a common perception among Filipinos.

Today, nursing schools are bursting at their respective seams to accommodate the countless hopefuls who dream of landing a job in the US or any developed nation.

It will take an investment of at least seven years to fulfill such a dream: four years at university, a year to pass the nursing board, plus two years of hospital experience. On top of this, they have to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) test.

Is nursing the only college degree that Filipinos can export? Can students of a business school have a chance to land a job overseas as nurses do?

Since I teach in a business school, I come across students who wish to work abroad to better their lives and their family.

I recently had an encounter with a Cebu-based learning institution. After more than 20 years in Cebu, they are opening a new campus in the heart of Makati City to offer students the opportunity to gain a business education and get a chance to study in the US or England.

Their program allows students to study for two years here in the Philippines and finish their college degree for one year in an American school. Graduates earn both a Philippine and US diploma. Upon graduation, they are referred to US corporations for their apprenticeship which could lead to jobs with salaries of anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 per month.

The school owner, a lady, said that as early as high school, their students are immersed

in the study of business and entrepreneurship with a focus on leadership. Students are trained to eventually become managers or business owners.

She opened her school in Cebu over 20 years ago to make a difference in the development of the Visayas region. She deliberately opened it in a province outside Manila to fulfill her dream as a young educator at that time to make a difference in the province. Many of her associates landed teaching jobs in Manila.

I admit that I was taken aback by the tuition she charges her college students in Cebu. On second thought however, I asked what is the cost of getting the best education possible and an opportunity to study and work in the US? What is the real cost of not going to that school and not fulfilling one’s dream?

I cannot over emphasize the value of earning a US diploma. When I first came to the US after I finished college in Manila, I could not even get a job interview for a college-level job (I eventually landed a clerical job instead). However, after two years of study at the University of Illinois at Chicago, my B.S. Accounting degree opened doors for me to gain the same salary as American college graduates in Chicago.

After working for five years with US banks, I set up my own business in Los Angeles. In 1991, I decided to come home to Manila for good.

Now tell me, did my study in the U.S. cause a brain drain in the Philippines?

[Marlo is a radio anchor of CMMA Hall of Fame Awardee “Radyo Negosyo” at ABS-CBN DZMM 630 KHz and is a best-selling author of Entrepreneurship books at Powerbooks. He teaches Entrepreneurship at De La Salle Professional Schools Graduate School of Business and is a DBA student at the same school. E-mail him at pinoybisnes@yahoo.com.]

May nabasa po akong artikulo sa diyaroyo kahapon lamang at ipinakita po duon ang isang dating duktor na ngayon po ay isa nang nars sa Amerika. Nakakaawa po kung iisipin. Halata pong nahihiya siya habang kinukunang ng litrato. Hindi ko lang po sigurado kung nahihiya siya dahil pinagtaksilang po niya ang kanyang propesyon alang alang sa pera.

my views on nursing in the philippines...

>dapat may standardized exam para sa mga students na gustong mag-nursing, para naman ma-regulate, at yung karapat-dapat lang ang pwedeng maging nurse...ngayon kasi, kahit mga adik, pwede nang mag-aral ng nursing...kakahiya para sa profession...

>dapat gawing 5 years ang nursing, para hindi na magkandarapa ang mga students para makakumpleto na required number of cases para sa PRC...

^^Oo nga kasi kadalasan pag kinulang sa completion ng cases, ang nangyayari nanghihingi na lang ng cases ung student sa Clinical Instructor kahit d naman talaga naiperform ng student ung case. Kadalasan pa nga naduduplicate ang mga cases, kahit gamit na ung case nilalagay rin ng mga student para lang my maipasa sa PRC.

May bagong curicumulum ang CHED sa Nursing, Ladderized System.
1st year - Care Giver Program
2nd year - Certified Nursing Assistant, Institutional Health Care Assistant
3rd year - Midwifery
4th year - Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Mas ok to atleast kahit di matapos ng student ung pag aaral nya pwede sha magtrabaho at macrecredit mga napag aralan nya. Sobrang mahal kumuha ng Nursing, isa sa pinakamahal ng course. Kahit sa isang ordinary school ka mag aral sa province almost 30 Thousand ang tuition per semester sa lower years pa lang un mas malaki pag graduating na. Hindi pa kasama dyan mga gastos sa duty.

^^Oo nga kasi kadalasan pag kinulang sa completion ng cases, ang nangyayari nanghihingi na lang ng cases ung student sa Clinical Instructor kahit d naman talaga naiperform ng student ung case. Kadalasan pa nga naduduplicate ang mga cases, kahit gamit na ung case nilalagay rin ng mga student para lang my maipasa sa PRC.

May bagong curicumulum ang CHED sa Nursing, Ladderized System.
1st year - Care Giver Program
2nd year - Certified Nursing Assistant, Institutional Health Care Assistant
3rd year - Midwifery
4th year - Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Mas ok to atleast kahit di matapos ng student ung pag aaral nya pwede sha magtrabaho at macrecredit mga napag aralan nya. Sobrang mahal kumuha ng Nursing, isa sa pinakamahal ng course. Kahit sa isang ordinary school ka mag aral sa province almost 30 Thousand ang tuition per semester sa lower years pa lang un mas malaki pag graduating na. Hindi pa kasama dyan mga gastos sa duty.
if u wanna be a nurse..dont take ung ladderized.
teachers are not nurses..so less in-depth ang studies.

not finishing the nursing course,a student can still work as NA. as for becoming a midwife,pwede after ng course.cases lang & exam i think kelangan.

some nursing grads are hard-up sa board exam..what more kung sa ladderized?just a thought.

^^Our government thinks this will improve the competence of our graduates not only nurses but including other courses like engineering etc. Im not sure if it will be compulsary or it will be optional once it is implemented. After all each level in ladderized system are very related from 1st to the last. This is alot better than taking minor subjects in college which are irrelevat to their course.

one uni in ilocos is already implementing it..according to the new grads there,proper nursing course is a lot better for the students.
in my experience, nsg 101 can equip u to be a care giver or NA even.
of course,if students are not so sure to be able to graduate bec of high tuition fees..ladderized is good for them..they can have a certificate each year.

^^ mura lang dyan sa Davao Medical Center. its a govt hospital. pero mas malaki ang discount pag pumila ka sa dswd/lingap para sa mahihirap. mas maganda pa ang payward nila compared to regular private room ng private hospital. kaya lang mas maraming tao dyan.

pero kung gusto mo ng mas mas mabilis, you may try other health care providers like medicard, maxicare, philamcare, fortunecare, ayala, valuecare etc etc. pero mas higher ang premium na babayaran mo. siguro more than P7,000/year. im sure mas higher pa ang premium kung individual not as group ang mag-avail. pero kung nagtitipid ka at P100/month lang ang gusto mong bayaran, konting patience lang.

^^ mura lang dyan sa Davao Medical Center. its a govt hospital. pero mas malaki ang discount pag pumila ka sa dswd/lingap para sa mahihirap. mas maganda pa ang payward nila compared to regular private room ng private hospital. kaya lang mas maraming tao dyan.

pero kung gusto mo ng mas mas mabilis, you may try other health care providers like medicard, maxicare, philamcare, fortunecare, ayala, valuecare etc etc. pero mas higher ang premium na babayaran mo. siguro more than P7,000/year. im sure mas higher pa ang premium kung individual not as group ang mag-avail. pero kung nagtitipid ka at P100/month lang ang gusto mong bayaran, konting patience lang.

My mom got operated on with her kidney at the DMC payward. I could say the payward room is very cozy and less expensive than getting it at most private hospitals within the city.

Ladderized is good. This is unlike the traditional way of taking up a college course wherein you stake it all for four years, and if for any reason (including financial) you have to drop out of school, you cannot use your level of schooling as a qualification for jobs that require a degree. A ladderized system is more practical as in between your years of schooling, you can use what degree you have already earned to find a decent job and save up for your next year of schooling.

Republic of the Philippines
PROFESSIONAL REGULATION COMMISSION
Manila

NURSE LICENSURE EXAMINATION
RESULTS RELEASED IN TWENTY-EIGHT (28) WORKING DAYS

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 19,712 out of 40,147passed the Nurse Licensure Examination given by the Board of Nursing in the cities of
Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Tacloban,
Tuguegarao and Zamboanga last December 2006. The results of examination with respect to
four (4) examinees were withheld pending final determination of their liabilities under the rules
and regulations governing licensure examinations.
Furthermore, the Board of Nursing, cognizant of the impact of the calamity situation in
Bicol region during the examination period, after due consideration, decided to nullify the
results of those who failed and allow them to take the June 2007 Nurse Licensure
Examination anew. Similarly, the retakers from the June 2006 examination from Bicol region
who failed this December 2006 shall be allowed to take Tests III and V this June 2007 ONLY.
The members of the Board of Nursing are Carmencita M. Abaquin, Chairman; Leonila
A. Faire, Betty F. Merritt, Perla G. Po and Marco Antonio C. Sto.Tomas.
The schedule of registration of successful examinees in alphabetical order will be
announced later. Those who will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished
Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community Tax Certificate (cedula), 2
pieces passport size picture (colored with white background and complete nametag), 1 piece 1”
x 1” picture (colored with white background and complete nametag), 2 sets of metered
documentary stamps, and 1 short brown envelope with name and profession; and to pay the
Initial Registration Fee of P600 and Annual Registration Fee of P450 for 2007-2010.
Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered
Professionals.
The oathtaking ceremony of the successful examinees in the said examination as well
as the previous ones who have not taken their Oath of Professional will be held before the
Board on Sunday, February 4, 2007 at 8:00 o’clock in the morning for surnames starting with
A – J; and 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon for surnames starting with K – Z, at the Cuneta
Astrodome, Derham Park, Pasay City. All must come in their white gala uniform, nurses
cap, white duty shoes, without earrings, hair not touching the collar and without
corsage.
Tickets will be available starting Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at the Ground Floor of PRC
– Main Building, Sampaloc, Manila.
The top performing schools in the December 2006 Nurse Licensure Examination are
the following:

A. WITH 100 AND MORE EXAMINEES
RANK SCHOOL TOTAL NO.OF EXAMINEES TOTAL NO.PASSED PERCENTAGE PASSED
1 Xavier University 147 147 100.00%
2 Silliman University 258 255 99.00%
3 Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila 313 307 98.00%

B. WITH 30-99 EXAMINEES
RANK SCHOOL TOTAL NO.OF EXAMINEES TOTAL NO.PASSED PERCENTAGE PASSED
1 Saint Paul University - Iloilo 31 31 100.00%
2 Mindanao State University – Marawi City 45 44 98.00%
Saint Louis University 53 52 98.00%
3 Southern Luzon Polytechnic College –Lucban 89 83 93%

For complete list of Board Passers and Performance of Schools here's the link:
http://www.prc.gov.ph/examresults.asp?svc_id=3&board_code=2600

pdf download
http://www.ofwcenter.com/gallery/images/Blog/20070114_NURSE1206.pdf

People- centered agreements were tackled at the 12th ASEAN Summit. One of these agreements includes concerns for Filipino nurses. With this, our nurses have greater opportunities to work within the member countries of ASEAN.

Easier access of nurses in the region will definitely give an edge to Filipino nurses.

Even with the problems in our education system, Filipinos still continue to prove their competence in the world arena. Our nurses have always been known for their work ethics and their compassionate attitude. Hopefully, the development of medical tourism in the Philippines will eventually enable Filipino doctors and nurses working abroad to come back and work in our own country.

More jobs abroad for RP nurses under ASEAN accord

Filipino nurses can look forward to greater overseas employment opportunities in the months ahead with the recent affirmation of a new agreement liberalizing the trade in professional nursing services within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Our nurses can now count on easier access to the lucrative job markets of Asean members since the Mutual Recognition Agreement on Nursing Services has been affirmed in the 12th Asean Summit and would soon be implemented by member-countries.

RP nurses in Singapore

The covenant essentially means that Philippine-licensed nurses will be automatically recognized as nurse practitioners by other Asean members. Asean groups 10 countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The MRA would expedite the recognition of the qualifications of Filipino nurses, and thus, considerably ease their recruitment and deployment within Asean. This means our nurses do not have to take the national nurse licensure examinations of other Asean members to be able to practice in those countries.

Right now, for instance, Singapore recognizes nurses from Malaysia and Brunei, but not recognize nurses from the Philippines. For a Filipino nurse to practice in Singapore, he or she has to pass the city-state’s nurse eligibility test, similar to the US National Council (of State Boards of Nursing) Licensure Examinations for Registered Nurse, or NCLEX-RN. At present, most of the 4,000 foreign nurses working in Singapore are Filipinos. They all had to pass Singapore’s nurse licensure test.

The Philippines will be the MRA’s biggest beneficiary, since we are now the world’s biggest exporter of nurses. Since the MRA is mutual, the Philippines would also automatically recognize nurses from other Asean members.

The MRA, which is part of a Free-Trade Agreement initiative, had been in the works for years, and was finally signed by the economic ministers of the 10 Asean member-countries on December 8 in Cebu City, and affirmed by Asean leaders attending the 12th Summit also in Cebu City the other day.

The Philippines negotiated with Japan for a similar MRA for health professionals. Japan is a huge potential market for our nurses, physical therapists and caregivers. Japan’s population is aging faster than that of any other country. The land of the rising sun would soon have only two able-bodied workers for each retiree. Our government was right in including an MRA for health services in the proposed Japan-Philippines Free-Trade Agreement, which became controversial because of the toxic waste dumping issue.

Super Nurses over Super Maids

I said last week that the government, led by the Department of Labor and its able Secretary Art Brion, is pushing for the overseas deployment of highly skilled Filipino workers. These high-end jobs include those in the health, tourism, construction, manufacturing, banking and finance, and maritime industries.

Again, this is the right approach. There are many other more lucrative jobs for Filipinos other than being maids, even if they are what they call "supermaids" demanding no less than $400 a month salaries [a government policy local recruitment agencies are protesting).

If government must encourage overseas employment, it would definitely be better for the country to be exporting super nurses, or even super sailors.

25,951 new nurses in 2005

The country now enjoys a large surplus of nurses. We are producing each year more than 25,000 new registered nurses. According to the Professional Regulation Commission, in 2005 alone, a total of 25,951 candidates were formally admitted to the local nursing profession as registered practitioners. And yet, the Department of Health says only 1,000 to 2,000 of them are being absorbed locally by government and the private sector. And so government might as well support their overseas employment.

I know the export of nurses has led to the rapid turnover of hospital staff, but there would always be new practitioners willing and able to assume the posts rendered vacant by those going abroad.

this is great! mind u, filipino nurses who are working in singapore as NAs still function as nurses anyway..they just have NA salaries.
as for nurses back home..newly-grads especially, the hardship of volunteer works just to have work certificates will stop,
nor working something different just to earn a living.
nice.:cheers:

D ko nga alam kung bakit kinukulang pa din mga nurses sa public hospitals, eh ang dami2 nating mga nursing grads na willing magvolunteer para makakuha ng certificates. Kadalasan 6 months experience lang naman kelangan para makapag abroad.

US: Vast market for practical nurses
By Sam Mediavilla Friday, January 19, 2007

The United States is urging Filipinos to exploit that country’s vast practical nursing market.

Gregory Tyrone Howard, LPN, president of the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses of America, noted in a dialogue with Office of the President Undersecretary for External Affairs Eduardo Soliman that US employment opportunities are not limited to graduates of a four-year bachelor’s degree.

“There is also a bigger need for graduates of short vocational courses for nursing to man the frontlines there,” Howard told Soliman in a meeting as part of his on going dialogues with government groups like the TESDA [Technical Education and Skills Development Authority].

Howard is also a member of the Committee of Licensed Practical Nurse, Commission Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools [CGFNS].

He is in the country on the invitation of the Philippine Paramedical and Technical Schools (PPTS) as this year’s commencement speaker for its graduating classes in the different fields all over the country.

Howard said Filipino vocational graduates could qualify in the US practical nursing program if schools here introduce America’s approved Practical Nursing courses.

The country’s medical profession is only addressing the US employment demands for Registered Nurses, which is far smaller, compared for the need for vocational nurses, Howard pointed out.

“If the country can answer the need for practical nurses in America, thousands more will be gainfully employed there on top of the current registered nurses that we are now sending,” he said.

Howard noted that vocational nursing education could be ladderized.

This means a high-school graduate who could not afford to take up four-year nursing course could take a 15-month licensed practical nurse program at a US-accredited school and then apply for the US licensure exams.

He added that while waiting for the processing of their papers, graduates could opt to proceed to another nine-month additional training for a degree in Applied Science in Nursing.

That would qualify them to take the registered nurse licensure exam [NCLEX] and become a “registered nurse” in the US, he pointed out.

“For underdeveloped countries like the Philippines with vast number of manpower resources available for foreign deployment, abbreviated courses like the vocational or practical nursing program are timely,” Howard stressed.

“It will enable graduates to qualify for highly paid nursing employment in the US in a shorter time sending much need dollar remittances back to the country,” he added.

Fair pay urged for Filipino nurses; Ministry tells firms not to undercut as in other professions
Kyodo News Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007

A draft government guideline for employers hiring nurses and caregivers from the Philippines says they should be paid the same as their Japanese colleagues, according to labor ministry officials.

Japan is to accept up to 400 nurses and 600 caregivers from the Philippines between fiscal 2007 and 2008 under a free-trade agreement signed in September.

The guideline drafted by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is aimed at preventing the Filipinos from having to work under unfair labor conditions, officials said.

Currently, foreign trainees in the machinery and agricultural industries tend to get lower pay than their Japanese counterparts.

Under the draft guideline, the Japan International Corp. of Welfare Services, an affiliate of the labor ministry, would serve as an office to match Filipinos who want to work in Japan with hospitals and welfare facilities looking for employees. The Filipinos would enter Japan after concluding contracts with their Japanese employers.

Employers would be required to report the labor conditions of their Filipino workers to ensure transparency.

The draft guideline would require employers of Filipino nurses to have trainers and a "sufficient" number of Japanese nurses at their facilities. They would be required to employ a total of more than one nurse or assistant nurse for every three hospitalized patients, according to the draft.

In principle, employers of Filipino caregivers would have to be designated insurance facilities, such as special nursing homes, where more than 40 percent of regular workers have a national care-worker license.

The draft would not allow Filipinos to provide at-home care services because of the inherent difficulties in monitoring their working conditions, the officials said.

Under the FTA, Filipinos entering Japan will be required to have six months of Japanese-language lessons before undergoing training to provide care services at hospitals and welfare facilities for the elderly.

Once here, nurses will have three years to pass government exams to continue working, while caregivers will have four years.

If they don't pass the exams, they will be required to return home, but those who pass will be effectively allowed to work in Japan indefinitely.

So much talk about ensuring this and that for nurses abroad, but what about nursing in our own country? Silliness.

So much talk about ensuring this and that for nurses abroad, but what about nursing in our own country? Silliness.
coz theyre thinking of the remittances generated by such things..portraying the philippines as a great & helpful country supplying foreign need for nurses..cynical as it may sound.
its a fact that the govt dont care for the nurses back home,
govt hospitals cant even afford to give minimal allowances for volunteer nurses..let alone hire one.
no matter how brainy one is..sometimes, a padrino is still needed to get hired.
people needs to eat to survive,
and more often than not, survival is possible working abroad:cheers:
oh well..trying to be optimistic..am sure our govt is trying their best to help the filipino people in ways they know how

We will not be able to prevent the exodus of our countrymen for years. There are always greener pastures elsewhere, and the least the government can do is to make it easier for Filipinos to do this, and to ensure that they are given adequate protection by their host countries.

But that doesn't mean nothing is being done at home in the meantime. In fact, the government is also capitalizing on the medical tourism industry which will eventually redound to the benefit of our health care system.

We will not be able to prevent the exodus of our countrymen for years. There are always greener pastures elsewhere, and the least the government can do is to make it easier for Filipinos to do this, and to ensure that they are given adequate protection by their host countries.

But that doesn't mean nothing is being done at home in the meantime. In fact, the government is also capitalizing on the medical tourism industry which will eventually redound to the benefit of our health care system.
am not sure if it's the right thread..but i just wanna answer this..
medical tourism is good..but mostly for private hospitals.
am not quite sure if kaya ni pedro bayaran magpa-hospital.
let's face it..private hosps are only for those who have money.
if marame siguro like PGH..there's still chance for our poor kababayan,otherwise mamamatay na lang.
St. Luke's for example..it wants to be the best healthcare in SE Asia.
not only it have the means..it's generating a lot of money from the rich pinoys & foreigners..
and why not..they are paying to receive the best.
hospitals like this can afford to have charity wards..meron ba?

^^Lam kung prime hospital na may charity division ay UST.. Actually the whole USTH both Private and Charity divisions is now ISO certified. Dinaig na nila St.Lukes kasi sa St.Lukes some departments lang ang ISO certified. USTH now is gearing to be a leader in Medical tourism not only here in the Philippines but also in asia. Kaya din siguro ng ibang malalaking private hospital na gumawa ng charity division.

totoo ba ang usap-usapang bawal mag-take ng licensure exam ang mga BSN na hindi registered voters?

if yes, then WTF!?

di ba parang blackmail yan?

pwede bang mag-file na kaso laban sa PRC kung ganun nga? sa tingin ko ay hindi ito makatarungan at naayon sa batas...

anong **** nila kung ayokong magpa-register?

ano naman ang connection ng pagtatake ng board sa registered voter? Tsaka kung totoo un sa nursing lang ba?

^^Lam kung prime hospital na may charity division ay UST.. Actually the whole USTH both Private and Charity divisions is now ISO certified. Dinaig na nila St.Lukes kasi sa St.Lukes some departments lang ang ISO certified. USTH now is gearing to be a leader in Medical tourism not only here in the Philippines but also in asia. Kaya din siguro ng ibang malalaking private hospital na gumawa ng charity division.

Yep, may charity division ang UST. I don't know about St. Lukes. I think that if this medical tourism thing continues, the ordinary patient will ultimately benefit because the earnings of these hospitals will allow them to improve the facilities in their charity wards. Plus the revenues this will mean for the government would enable it to improve public health care.

"Pinoy M.D." is an answer to health care needs
Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The Department of Health (DOH), in partnership with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the academe, teamed up to establish a medical curriculum that would produce doctors who will be deployed to government hospitals and to the doctor-less areas of the country.

DOH Health Education and Promotions Officer Noland Sabling said the program is the government's answer to the dwindling medical manpower in the country.

The program is officially called as "Doktor Para sa Masa Program" and will also be known as "Pinoy M.D."

Sabling explained that even before the Pinoy M.D., the DOH, through the initiative of Senator Juan Flavier, embarked on a very noble program called as "Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB)" which aimed to ensure quality health care service to depressed, marginalized and underserved areas through the deployment of competent and community-oriented doctors.

He said the best thing coming out of the program "is that more local chief executives are realizing the need of having a doctor in the municipality." As a result, he said, these doctors are provided with permanent position since they are absorbed as municipal doctors.

"With the Pinoy MD and other similar programs, hopefully the country could bring the doctors back to where they are needed," said Sabling.

To qualify for the scholarship, an applicant must belong to any of the following sectors: indigenous peoples (IPs), barangay health workers (BHW) or their children, and government employees or their children.

An applicant must be a bachelor degree graduate with at least 35 units in science subjects like chemistry, natural sciences, physics, microbiology, and genetics; must have a general weight average (GWA) of 2.50 or its equivalent or better; must be not more than 35 years old upon admission to the program; and must not have a combined gross family income of not more than P30,000/month or P360,000/annum.

Most of all, he or she must be willing to render two years of service to the government for every year of study/scholarship (or a total of 10 years payback).

The first batch of Pinoy M.D. scholars started this school year 2006-2007.

open ur eyes and learn from these things..
someday u can do much, much more..
changes may not happen now, but someday it will.:)

I agree. I also had some bad experiences at government hospitals, and my brother, being also a nursing student, has witnessed similar situations. But I think we should be thankful for the fact that our young nursing and medical students are aware of these shortcomings of government doctors and nurses, and are learning from their experiences. Someday, we will hopefully have a better, more compassionate breed of health care practitioners.

The media can also help to expose these rude doctors and nurses so that proper action can be taken by the Department of Health.

I've read that the national budget for this year includes additional appropriations for the capital outlay of regional hospitals as well as subsidy for indigent patients in specialty hospitals. The legislature has also required the mandatory health coverage of all indigents under Philhealth. The internal revenue allotment of LGUs will bear the funding requirement for enrolment of indigents in Philhealth.

^^ Well, this initiative could help us in the near future to prevent the loss of doctors in the provinces. I still remember the back to the barrios program of then DOH Secretary Juan Flavier.

Now that such program is running, we will not run out of doctors even in far- flung provinces. After all, health is one of the social services which should be in the forefront of government agenda.

^^ mura lang dyan sa Davao Medical Center. its a govt hospital. pero mas malaki ang discount pag pumila ka sa dswd/lingap para sa mahihirap. mas maganda pa ang payward nila compared to regular private room ng private hospital. kaya lang mas maraming tao dyan.

pero kung gusto mo ng mas mas mabilis, you may try other health care providers like medicard, maxicare, philamcare, fortunecare, ayala, valuecare etc etc. pero mas higher ang premium na babayaran mo. siguro more than P7,000/year. im sure mas higher pa ang premium kung individual not as group ang mag-avail. pero kung nagtitipid ka at P100/month lang ang gusto mong bayaran, konting patience lang.

so among these healthcare insurance..what is best for those who are working abroad? something that can be used upon retirement..
we can pay now that we're young..
anyone?

"Pinoy M.D." is an answer to health care needs
Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The Department of Health (DOH), in partnership with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the academe, teamed up to establish a medical curriculum that would produce doctors who will be deployed to government hospitals and to the doctor-less areas of the country.

DOH Health Education and Promotions Officer Noland Sabling said the program is the government's answer to the dwindling medical manpower in the country.

The program is officially called as "Doktor Para sa Masa Program" and will also be known as "Pinoy M.D."

Sabling explained that even before the Pinoy M.D., the DOH, through the initiative of Senator Juan Flavier, embarked on a very noble program called as "Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB)" which aimed to ensure quality health care service to depressed, marginalized and underserved areas through the deployment of competent and community-oriented doctors.

He said the best thing coming out of the program "is that more local chief executives are realizing the need of having a doctor in the municipality." As a result, he said, these doctors are provided with permanent position since they are absorbed as municipal doctors.

"With the Pinoy MD and other similar programs, hopefully the country could bring the doctors back to where they are needed," said Sabling.

To qualify for the scholarship, an applicant must belong to any of the following sectors: indigenous peoples (IPs), barangay health workers (BHW) or their children, and government employees or their children.

An applicant must be a bachelor degree graduate with at least 35 units in science subjects like chemistry, natural sciences, physics, microbiology, and genetics; must have a general weight average (GWA) of 2.50 or its equivalent or better; must be not more than 35 years old upon admission to the program; and must not have a combined gross family income of not more than P30,000/month or P360,000/annum.

Most of all, he or she must be willing to render two years of service to the government for every year of study/scholarship (or a total of 10 years payback).

The first batch of Pinoy M.D. scholars started this school year 2006-2007.
this is good..but even now, some MD grads wanna work in their own provinces. it's just frustrating most times coz ala mga gamit sa hosp,ala funds..ok na sana kahet allowance lang meron..
at least kumpleto sa gamet..
di recycle ang gloves,etc..

PGMA’s Botika ng Bayan makes medicines more affordable to Filipinos

Knowing fully well the predicament of the Filipino poor, making medicines more affordable and more accessible through the Botika ng Bayan is a major concern for the Government and a platform issue of the Administration.

Around 80 percent of ill Filipinos die without access to medication and less than 30 percent of the 80 million Filipinos have regular access to essential drugs, Philippine International Trading Corporation chairman Roberto Pagdanaganan revealed during the Round Table discussion with the President recently.

It is to address the problem on the access of the Filipinos to affordable essential drugs, that President Arroyo launched the Botika ng Bayan in 2004. Currently, Chairman Pangandaman informed that there are already about 1,200 Botika ng Bayan owned by individuals nationwide.

The PTIC, the Department of Health and the Bureau of Foods and Drugs are at the forefront of this Administration program to provide Filipinos with affordable medicine.

In order to do that, the government must be able to provide the people with more products and more venues and stores, as well as an educational campaign to correct the misconception about cheap medicines.

Under the Program, PTIC provided 76 imported drugs covering ten therapeutic categories. The PTIC also accredited 57 local suppliers and manufacturers of essential branded and generic medicines which provide the Botika ng Bayan the medication.

In order to be accredited, the investor of Botika ng Bayan must have a space of least 50 square meters, must have at least P50,000.00 capitalization, and a licensed pharmacist in the staff.

The success of the Botika ng Bayan program shows that more people are willing to buy generic medicines. This also shows that people are aware the medicine does not have to be expensive and that access to medicine is a basic right of all the people, not only the rich.

i'm glad kiretoce "revived" this tthread with a new post. hehehe. i think that botika ng bayan is a nice project. i still believe though that having a health insurance policy for all the filipinos would be a much better idea. to think that the money pocketed by the politicians can easily pay for the filipinos' health-related expenses.

CEBU CITY — Poverty prevented the parents of Baby Christian, a four-year-old born with a cleft palate, to have their son undergo operation to repair his lips’ deformity.

The baby’s parents, however, found hope in "Operation Smile," a yearly mission done every February, aimed at providing free surgery nationwide for children with cleft palate deformities and other facial impairments.

On February 26 to March 2, hundreds of children, including Baby Christian, with cleft palate and other facial impairments will be operated under the "Operation Smile" mission that has given smiles to about 2,1258 patients since it started ten years ago.

Spearheaded by the Mariquita Salimbangon Yeung (MSY) Foundation, Inc., a charitable institution in Cebu, Operation Smile will launched free surgery in the cities of Cebu, Manila, Bacolod, and Davao.

During the weekly Kapihan sa PIA yesterday, Ramona Aliño, executive director of the MSY Foundation, Inc., said 500 out of 10,000 newly-born babies in Asia are born with cleft palate defects compared with only about 100 in Europe and the US.

Dr. Vivina Chiu, chairman of the medical advisory board of the MSY Fndn. cited genetics or heredity as one of the main factors of cleft palate deformities aside from poor nutrition, environment, and iodine deficiency.

Chiu encouraged those suffering from cleft palate impairments to proceed to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) on February 23 and 24 for the screening to determine their eligibility for surgery.

A simple cleft lip operation is expected to cost around P60 thousand while an indigent’s price is about P30 thousand.

The MSY Foundation shells out about P1.5M for the annual expenses that cover primarily the transport and accommodation costs for the medical volunteers from across the country and some from abroad.


BY MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.
http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2007021587174.html

CGFNS urges re-take of June 2006 nursing exam

The Philadelphia-based Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) announced Thursday that Filipino nursing graduates who passed the leakage-marred June 2006 nursing licensure examination are not eligible for a VisaScreen Certificate.

In its website (www.cgfns.org), CGFNS urged Philippine authorities to “provide an opportunity for re-take of tests (3 and 5) without surrender of licensure" so that the June 2006 passers may qualify for the VisaScreen Certificate.

Only a "selective" re-take of the compromised nursing licensure exam was conducted on December 2 and 3, 2006 involving 1,687 passers in the June 2006 exam from review centers where leakage of test manuscripts were reported.

CGFNS is an internationally recognized authority on credentials evaluation and verification pertaining to the education, registration and licensure of nurses and healthcare professionals worldwide.

It is an immigration-neutral, nonprofit organization with 30 years of experience in certifying the credentials of over 450,000 internationally educated nurses and other healthcare workers.

CGFNS said the decision to disqualify the June 2006 nursing licensure passers from the VisaScreen Certificate was arrived at “after careful consideration" and “made in support of this critical mission of CGFNS."

It said it investigated the leakage “soon after the first reports of irregularities were received" and sent a fact-finding mission to the Philippines in September 2006.

“CGFNS has concluded that the licensure process for those who received their license as a result of passing the compromised June 2006 licensure examination raises significant questions about the accurate assessment of the competencies of many of those individuals," the announcement said.

“CGFNS is unable to certify that the licensure is comparable to a U.S. license. In this instance, applicable U.S. immigration law will not permit CGFNS to issue the VisaScreen Certificate required of internationally educated health care workers to those nurses who obtained Philippine licensure on the basis of passing the June 2006 nursing licensure examination," it explained.

However, CGFNS noted that the June 2006 passers “are able to overcome this bar and qualify for a VisaScreen Certificate by taking the equivalent of Tests 3 and 5 on a future licensing examination administered by Philippine regulatory authorities and obtaining a passing score."

“Consequently, CGFNS urges the Philippine authorities to provide an opportunity for re-take of those tests without surrender of licensure so that the June 2006 passers may qualify for the VisaScreen Certificate," it said.

“The integrity of foreign licensing systems ultimately affects the health and safety of patients in the United States, a primary consideration of CGFNS in its role in evaluating candidates under U.S. immigration law," the announcement further said.

All 17,323 passers in the June 2006 nursing licensure exam had been sworn in as licensed nurses on the basis of a decision by the Court of Appeals in October.

Some 1,687 of the passers from review centers where the leakage allegedly happened re-took Tests 3 (Medical Surgical Nursing) and 5 (Psychiatric Mental Health) last December 2 and 3, along with the regular batch of new examinees.

It was not immediately clear if the CGFNS-suggested re-take would still include those who already re-took the exam in December 2006.

This developed as Malacanang welcomed the news that the United States National Council of State Boards of Nursing has allowed the holding of its licensure nursing examination in Manila

That means thousands of Filipino nurses hoping to work in the US will no longer have to travel abroad to take licensing exams.

"This is very good news for Filipino nurses, nursing students and the nursing profession," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, said in a statement. "This is a landmark in the history of the Filipino nursing profession."

Bunye said this development would trranslate into "huge savings and great convenience" for Filipino nurses hoping to land a job in the U.S.

Nurses from the Philippines — the largest source of foreign-registered nurses in U.S. hospitals and healthcare facilities — have to travel to Hong Kong or other Asian cities to take the exams, Bunye said.

Jennifer Gonzales, deputy executive director of the Commission for Overseas Filipinos, said the first testing center is expected to be established within six months.

About 25,518 Filipino nurses holding combined immigrant visas and work permits traveled to the US to work between 1988 and May 2006, according to the council. Adding those holding only working visas would push the number much higher, Gonzales said.

An earlier plan to allow Filipinos to take the exams at home was aborted following a cheating scandal in the local nursing board exams last year, in which questions from two of five test subjects were leaked.

More than 17,323 of the over 42,000 who took the exams in June passed, but the Court of Appeals ordered 1,687 to retake the tests in December, said Leonor Rosero, head of the Professional Regulation Commission.

Only 1,200 took the exams again and about 1,000 passed, she said.

At least 19 people — two nursing board examiners and 17 officers of test review centers — are facing criminal charges in connection with the leaks, said Elfren Meneses, chief of the anti-fraud and computer crimes division of the National Bureau of Investigation.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration reported 7,768 nurses went abroad to work in 2005, down from 12,822 in 2001.

The top six countries that employ Filipino nurses are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Britain, Taiwan, Ireland and the United States.

PNA: Foreigners should not dictate on local nurses

The Philippine government should not be dictated upon by a foreign body with regard to the fate of Filipino nurses, the Philippine Nurses' Association said Thursday.

“Nobody can dictate to the country what to do. We will again explain to them how we were able to resolve this,” Remigia Nathaniels, PNA consultant for nursing education, said.

Daniels issued the statement as she thumbed down on the decision of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools not to allow June 2006 board passers to work in the United States.

CGFNS has reportedly barred issuing VisaScreen certificates to prospective applicants.

According to the CGFNS Web site (www.cgfns.org), a VisaScreen certificate is needed by registered nurses and other health care professionals who are applying for jobs in the US.

It said that a VisaScreen certificate is needed by those "seeking temporary or permanent occupational visas as well as those who are seeking Trade NAFTA (TN) status, to first obtain a CGFNS/ICHP VisaScreen Certificate as part of the visa process."

Daniels said the PNA will file an appeal to overturn the CGFNS decision. She said the group will explain why it thinks the results of the June 2006 Nursing Licensure Examination were legitimate.

“We will write them and explain. If they don’t want to listen then we will know,” Nathaniels said.

She said because of the CGFNS ruling, not a single board passer of the June exam will be able to work in the United States unles they agree to re-take the test modules which were allegedly leaked to examinees.

Daniels, however, said PNA is against advising board passers to re-take Tests 3 and 5.

No meddling

The Alliance of New Nurses, meanwhile, said the CGFNS should have allowed groups in the Philippines to resolve the issue on the June 2006 exam among themselves before issuing a ruling.

“Its really unfair kasi nga naglabas na ng desisyon ang Supreme Court na hindi nila i-entertain ang petisyon ng mga pro-retake for lack of new evidence. Paano kami makakapag-move on, marami pa naman gusto mag-US (It’s really unfair because they didn’t even accept the Supreme Court for lack of new evidence. How can we move on now when many of us want to work in the US),” alliance member Renato Aquino said.

Aquino was referring to the decision by the Supreme Court that junked the petition of members of the University of Sto. Tomas nursing faculty that asked the high tribunal to reconsider its ruling that there should be a re-take of the NLE.

PNA, meanwhile, said it is certain that the CGFNS will change its mind. The group said it intends to ask President Arroy to intercede on its behalf.

Aquino, on the other hand, said his group will seek an audience with US Ambassador to the Philippine Kristie Kenney.

“We will try our best to appeal,” Aquino said.

Chairwoman Leonor Rosero of the Professional Regulations Commission has declined to comment on the issue. The commission had previously supported the "no re-take" policy for examinees for all parts of the examination.

PRC, nursing groups to meet on CGFNS issue

The Philippine Regulatory Commission on Friday said that only a few nurses will be affected by the US-based agency's recommendation for a retake of some parts of the controversial June 2006 board exams.

PRC chairwoman Leonor Rosero said that she will meet with nursing industry leaders and get a consensus before deciding on a course of action.

"Ang PRC at Board of Nursing at nursing leaders ay maguusap-usap para pagusapan kung ano ang dapat gawin (The PRC and Board of Nursing will talk with nursing leaders on what to do)," Rosero said in an interview on dzRH radio.

For the moment, she said the Philippine government will abide by the decision of the Court of Appeals that only 1,687 examinees will have to retake Tests 3 and 5 of the exam. The retake was held last December.

"In the meantime the PRC is abiding by the decision of the CA that only 1,687 will retake Tests 3 and 5," she said.

She added only those not yet applying for CGFNS will be affected by the edict as many passers have already taken the CGFNS and passed.

Besides, she said the CGFNS edict applies only to the US and not other countries accepting Filipino nurses.

"Magbibigay kami ng pahayag as soon as meeting kami para pag-usapan ano ang gagawin namin (We will give an announcement as soon as we arrive at a decision)," she said.

The Philadelphia-based Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) announced Thursday that Filipino nursing graduates who passed the leakage-marred June 2006 nursing licensure examination are not eligible for a VisaScreen Certificate.

VisaScreen Certificate is a requirement to apply for a nursing or related job in the US.

CGFNS is an internationally recognized authority on credentials evaluation and verification pertaining to the education, registration and licensure of nurses and healthcare professionals worldwide.

All 17,323 passers in the June 2006 nursing licensure exam have been sworn in as licensed nurses on the basis of a decision by the Court of Appeals in October last year.

On the other hand, Rosero said the CGFNS requirement may apply to only those applying for immigrant visas. She said those seeking work visas are not affected by the CGFNS requirement.

Rosero said that of the 1,687 whom the CA said will have to retake Tests 3 and 5, "only" 1,200 have actually retaken the exam and 90 percent of them had passed.

"Kakaunti ang sa retake ng Test 3 and 5, iilan na lang, almost 400 na lang (Only a few need to retake Tests 3 and 5, only about 400)," she said.

Sana nung una palang nagretake na silang lahat para naging ok na. Hindi pwede sabihin ng PNA na d dapat tayo diktahan ng foriegners. Unang una kaya maraming kumukuha ng nursing sa atin sa pag hahangad makapunta sa ibang bansa. Sa ibang bansa ay may sarili silang standars na iba sa atin. Kaya kung doon tayo magtratrabaho kelangan sumunod tayo sa sinasaad nilang requirements. Kung ayaw naman nating sumunod eh d d2 na lang tayo magtrabaho sa Pilipinas. Walang pinagkaiba un sa iba nating products na ine-export natin sa ibang bansa, sumusunod tayo sa standards ng costumers natin hindi sa sarili nating standards.

Government mulls free review classes for re-takers of leaked nursing test
Sunday, February 25, 2007

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) plan to tap reputable nursing schools to provide free review classes for nursing graduates who want to re-take Test 3 and 5 of the leakage-marred 2006 licensure exams.

CFO chair Dante Ang said they will coordinate with schools that have a passing rate of 80 to 100 percent in the licensure tests to allow the June 2006 passers to enroll in their review center and pay lesser, if not no fees at all.

“If there are nurses who come from other schools but they want to review in these reputable schools, we’ll request that they be charged a very minimal amount as fee,” Ang said in Filipino.

Ang doubts whether the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) will change its mind about not admitting the June 2006 passers since the institution does not believe that a re-computation of the grades is the answer.

The Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) had invalidated Tests 3 and 5 that were leaked and re-computed the percentages of the five-part test.

Ang said the only way to settle the issue is for the test examinees to re-take the questionable portions of the licensure test.

Labor Secretary Arturo D. Brion, meanwhile, said the Dole will administer the voluntary retake of Test 3 and 5 of the June 2006 nursing exams since it has direct supervision and control over the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) and is coordinating with the Board of Nursing (BON).

But the administrative processes of the examinations shall be undertaken by the PRC. The BON shall prepare the examination questions similar to those in Tests 3 and 5 of the June 2006 examination.

Brion also said the re-take shall not require a waiver of the results of the June 2006 exam results and will not require the surrender of the license previously granted to the successful examinees.

binasura ng cfgns ang mga hiling ng pilipino nurses na hindi sumama sa dugaan nang makakuha ng us working visa kasi nga nde sila kasama sa dugaan at kasi daw mas malaki ang bayad sa amerika.

Sana nung una palang nagretake na silang lahat para naging ok na. Hindi pwede sabihin ng PNA na d dapat tayo diktahan ng foriegners. Unang una kaya maraming kumukuha ng nursing sa atin sa pag hahangad makapunta sa ibang bansa. Sa ibang bansa ay may sarili silang standars na iba sa atin. Kaya kung doon tayo magtratrabaho kelangan sumunod tayo sa sinasaad nilang requirements. Kung ayaw naman nating sumunod eh d d2 na lang tayo magtrabaho sa Pilipinas. Walang pinagkaiba un sa iba nating products na ine-export natin sa ibang bansa, sumusunod tayo sa standards ng costumers natin hindi sa sarili nating standards.
Correct pero maraming kumontra dahil mahirap daw ang pagpreprepare. Eh ganun din naman sa ibang Board exams lalo na sa Bar exams. Anyways, mali naman yatang sabihin ng taga PNA na di tayo dapat diktahan ng foreigners. The CGFNS is not dictating upon the Filipino nurses. They are just implementing their independent decision of not issuing the Visa Screen certificates to nurse applicants who do not qualify to their standards and requirements. Their decision is bound by the United States' own immigration laws as said by the CGFNS CEO. So the only thing to do is to retake the exam if one really wants to be employed in the US.

open daw ang SPAIN FOR NURSES..pls confirm.
ENQUIRE SA SPANISH EMBASSY
pwede daw nursing home if not fluent in spanish

Sana nung una palang nagretake na silang lahat para naging ok na. Hindi pwede sabihin ng PNA na d dapat tayo diktahan ng foriegners. Unang una kaya maraming kumukuha ng nursing sa atin sa pag hahangad makapunta sa ibang bansa. Sa ibang bansa ay may sarili silang standars na iba sa atin. Kaya kung doon tayo magtratrabaho kelangan sumunod tayo sa sinasaad nilang requirements. Kung ayaw naman nating sumunod eh d d2 na lang tayo magtrabaho sa Pilipinas. Walang pinagkaiba un sa iba nating products na ine-export natin sa ibang bansa, sumusunod tayo sa standards ng costumers natin hindi sa sarili nating standards.

I agree, if we want to work there we have to abide by their standards. I think a voluntary retake is in order for those who prefer not to wait for the decision of the court. Waiting is always a gamble, since they have no idea whether the ruling will favor them or not, and meantime they will be losing job opportunities.

For those who opt not to retake, hindi naman yata babawiin yung mga na-issue nang licenses. They can still work anywhere within the ASEAN.

mas madami daw ditong tinatangap na LPN licensed practical nurse kaysa Rn kasi malaki daw ang tubo ng rn kesa lpn

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has scheduled the voluntary retake of the leakage-marred June, 2006 nursing licensure examination either in June or December this year simultaneous with the regular nursing exam.

Labor and Employment Secretary Arturo Brion said the nursing exam retake for last year’s board passers — a requirement of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) for its Visa Screen Certificates — would not affect their licenses.

"The retake shall be on a voluntary basis and shall be offered once to an examinee who may take it in June or December, 2007 Board of Nursing examinations. It will not require the surrender of the license previously granted," Brion said.

The labor chief reiterated that those who decided to undergo the voluntary retake of Tests 3 and 5 to qualify for issuance of visa to enable them to work in US are already certified professional nurses.

The DoLE, under the administrative supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), scheduled the voluntary exam retake in June or December after Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol asked Brion to set the date for the examination.

According to Apostol, Malacañang need not issue an executive order for a retake of the nursing exam considering that Brion had been given the authority to administer the retake to those who passed the June, 2006 nursing exam.

In a related development, the task force formed by the PRC is no longer pursuing its plan to appeal the decision of the CGFNS, and has abandoned the idea of leaving next week for Philadelphia, where the commission is based.

PRC Chairperson Leonor Rosero dropped her plan, barely three days after Barbara Nichols, head of the CGFNS, spoke to her to confirm that the CGFNS decision on the Visa Screen Certificate and retake is final.

The DoLE has already started talks with the deans of nursing schools or centers of excellence to conduct special review for the voluntary examinees but no official pronouncement yet who among them agreed.

Brion said the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recognizes these centers of excellence with the highest passing rate in nursing examinations in their area. Financial assistance to be provided by the government such as the waiver of P600 application fee will be channeled through the review centers.


http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN2007022888243.html
BY RAYMUND F. ANTONIO

Mas masuerte ung mga bumagsak nung june 2006 kasi karamihan sa kanila pumasa na last december 2006 nung mag 2nd take sila, wala na silang problema ngayon malinis ang record nila. Samantalang ung mga pumasa na kumokontra sa retake hangang ngayon masakit pa din ulo nila.

libre na daw magtake yung nagtake nung 06 june

Mas masuerte ung mga bumagsak nung june 2006 kasi karamihan sa kanila pumasa na last december 2006 nung mag 2nd take sila, wala na silang problema ngayon malinis ang record nila. Samantalang ung mga pumasa na kumokontra sa retake hangang ngayon masakit pa din ulo nila.


You can't have your cake and eat it too. Sayang ang mga job opportunities if they will still wait and continue to oppose the retake. The government cannot do anything more about the CGFNS decision. It's their country, their rules. At least our government has made prompt action to resolve the leakage controversy, reorganizing the nursing board and filing charges against erring officials and owners and employees of review centers.

couldnt agree more with nayki on his statement na di natin pwedeng sabihin na d tau dapat dictahan etc., etc., at ni heathcliff na we have to abide by their standards.

nagtataka lang ako bakit nagpupumilit pa sila pumunta ng US para lang i-explain and to somehow pursuade CGFNS to change their minds. Ano ba naman sila magsasayang pa sila ng tax payers money para sa isang futile try!

Pambihira naman talaga! Di na ba sila nahiya? Sila ang pasimuno ng kalokohan di pa umaalis sa pwesto igigiit pa ang gusto nila sa CGFNS. Nasan naman ang delikadesa?

I really like Philipino nurses. I went to 1 after I was attacked by a couple of guys. She was pretty damn hot!

Correct pero maraming kumontra dahil mahirap daw ang pagpreprepare. Eh ganun din naman sa ibang Board exams lalo na sa Bar exams. Anyways, mali naman yatang sabihin ng taga PNA na di tayo dapat diktahan ng foreigners. The CGFNS is not dictating upon the Filipino nurses. They are just implementing their independent decision of not issuing the Visa Screen certificates to nurse applicants who do not qualify to their standards and requirements. Their decision is bound by the United States' own immigration laws as said by the CGFNS CEO. So the only thing to do is to retake the exam if one really wants to be employed in the US.

Spot on ka dyan Zeejay!

CGFNS turns down 4-member RP appeal team Palace: ‘No more choice but retake’

By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 07:54pm (Mla time) 03/06/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) on Monday (Philadelphia time, Tuesday in Manila) rejected with finality the appeal of a four-member Philippine mission to reconsider its decision to withhold VisaScreen certification to the passers of the June 2006 nursing board exam.

On its website, the CGFNS said its board of trustees president Dr. Lucille Joel and chief executive officer Dr. Barbara Nichols, explained to the task force that CGFNS' decision “was based on the requirements of US law and was not subject to re-negotiation or further review.”

This means that all nurses who passed the June 2006 board will have to retake tests 3 and 5 of the exam, advance questions to which were leaked ahead of the licensure exam.

Malacañang finally acknowledged that there was nothing more for the nurses to do but take the partial retake if they want to work in the US. “If they want to go to America, they need to retake the tests," Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said.

The CGFNS announcement said Joel, Nichols, and CGFNS counsel John Ratigan, met with the task force, led by Bacolod Representative Monico Puentevella, at the CGFNS headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 5.

Aside from Monico Puentevella, the task force also included Professional Regulation Commission chairwoman Leonor T. Rosero; Remigia Nathanielz of the Commission on Higher Education and Philippine Nurses Association; and Renato Aquino, the leader of a group of June 2006 nursing licensees.

Although the Department of Labor and Employment immediately worked to set up the mechanism for the retake, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered officials to suspend all talk about the CGFNS decision so as not to “sabotage” the task force’s attempt to appeal the decision.

The CGFNS notice quoted its officials as saying: “This decision was based on US law, and what US law required of CGFNS in the circumstances of the June 2006 examination. The key question was not what Philippine authorities did, but what US authorities would have done in similar circumstances.”

US law designates the private CGFNS to determine whether internationally-educated healthcare professionals who wish to obtain a visa to practice in the US possess education, training, license, and experience "comparable with that required for an American healthcare worker of the same type."

“CGFNS determined that in the case of the June 2006 Philippine license examination, the compromise situation was handled in a way that was not comparable to the way it had been handled in the US,” they added.

“As Dr. Nichols advised Dr. Rosero, the decision on this issue made and announced by the CGFNS Board of Trustees on February 14 was unanimous. That decision is final, and will not be reconsidered. The Philippine delegation accepted that fact,” the CGFNS report said.

“The sooner the responsible authorities in the Philippines move forward to implement the steps for a retake of tests 3 and 5, without the need for Philippine nurses to surrender their current licenses in order to do so, the better it will be for all concerned,” it added.

The US body said it has been gathering information on the issue almost since it occurred, even sending Nichols to lead a fact-finding team to Manila in September 2006.

The CGFNS announced that it is denying VisaScreen certification for Philippine nurses who passed the compromised June 2006 Philippine licensure examination on February 14 unless they took tests 3 and 5, which have a passing score of 75..

Since the beginning of the controversy over the test leaks, Philippine Labor Secretary Arturo Brion and Secretary Dante Ang of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas had pushed for a retake to erase all doubts of the passers’ competence.

Brion has already set up the mechanism for the retake of tests 3 and 5 for the June 2006 nursing board passers during the regular board exams in June and December.

Ermita said the administration’s thrust now is to implement Brion’s proposal.

With a report from Lina D. Fernandez

Tit for tat: Puentevella threatens Americans
03/06/2007 | 07:24 PM

An administration congressman on Tuesday threatened American citizens who will break the law in the Philippines would have a hard time dealing with the government and the country’s laws.

Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella said if the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) International could not bend a little to accommodate the Philippine government’s appeal for reconsideration of its February 14 decision to deny Visa Screen Certification to passers of the June 2006 nursing licensure exam, there would come a time when Americans would have to come begging to the Philippines.

“Laws are laws, but sometimes you have to bend a little to make a better world. I told them, some day when you need our help, you will remember us when we have to be strict in enforcing our laws," Puentevella said in an interview on dzBB radio early evening Tuesday.

“I told them, ‘why will you burn the whole house if you’re only going to kill one rotten rat. Isang daga lang papatayin mo bakit mo papatayin buong bahay," he said.

“Someday they will also come to us begging. They say they are just following their mandate. i told them we will also follow our laws. Someday, you will also have problems," said Puentevella, a close ally of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The lawmaker said he did not mention about the case involving US Marines Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, convicted recently for raping a 22-year-old woman in Subic, Zambales in November 2005, but stressed he gave “insinuations" to the American officials of the CGFNS.

“They asked, ‘what do you mean?’ I told them, you know, we have many American citizens also and sometimes they go out of the line, but sometimes we bend a little even with our laws just to accommodate our friendship. We are allies," Puentevella said.

“Weather weather lang ito (Everything has its own season)," the lawmaker quipped.

In a tone that tends to undermine CGFNS, Puentevella said the body was just “kulang sa pansin (attention-seeking)," particularly because a new group is coming to the Philippines.

“Their body language, nahalata ko after four hours, mukang kulang sa pansin itong grupong ito. Parang lalo na ngayon may pumapasok na bagong grupo. Mayroon NCLEX. Parang nagpaparamdam talaga. Parang, you know, we’re here. You better take note," Puentevella said on the dzBB radio interview.

He was referring to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) that will administer the NCLEX starting this year in Manila.

CGFNS earlier explained that the VisaScreen certification process is an immigration process -- not a licensure process -- that must be satisfied to obtain an occupational visa to work in the United States.

Passing NCLEX is a licensure requirement to practice nursing in the United States, but it is not a substitute for the federal VisaScreen rule.

CGFNS International is an internationally recognized authority on credentials evaluation and verification pertaining to the education, registration and licensure of nurses and healthcare professionals worldwide.

CGFNS International is an immigration-neutral, nonprofit organization with 30 years of experience in certifying the credentials of over 450,000 internationally educated nurses and other healthcare workers.

Puentevella also raised doubts on the claim of CGFNS as a non-profit organization, noting that each nurse entering the United States have to pay $400 to CGFNS.

During the interview, Puentevella also blamed the Arroyo Cabinet for bringing up the June 2006 nursing exam controversy at the time the issue was already dying down.

He said students in universities that did not top the exam also made noise about allegations that test manuscripts were leaked to some favored review centers.

The congressman said that while CGFNS executives voiced their high respects for the nursing education system in the Philippines and the way the PRC was conducting the licensure examinations, they said there were “too much noise" from the Philippines that reached the United States and raised doubts on the eligibility of the nursing graduates involved in the controversial exam.

Puentevella said CGFNS explained to the four-man task force from the Philippines that it could not accommodate the appeal against a retake of Tests 3 and 5 of the June 2006 exam because it did not want to create a precedent case that other countries might invoke in the future.

The CGFNS officials, he said, told them the controversy should have been settled among the stakeholders and should not have reached the US.

Former Board of Nursing chair Eufemia Octaviano did not make it to Philadelphia because she had problems with her US visa. Puentevella was accompanied to the US by PRC chair Leonor Rosero, Remigia Nathanielz representing the Commission on Higher Education and the Philippine Nurses Association, and Renato Aquino, president of the anti-retake Alliance of New Nurses. - GMANews.TV


http://www.gmanews.tv/story/33253/Tit-for-tat-Puentevella-threatens-Americans

So now that the decision is final, the retake has to be implemented. The Department of Labor has plans on how to conduct the retake. The implementation of th mechanisms for the retake was already proposed by the Labor Secretary and it will need the cooperation of the review centers and the association of nurses. Hopefully, everything turns out well this time.

I agree..retake nalang para wala ng gulo...if you are confident you can pass it..then..diba..why not retake it..pero dapat..no fees ...because it wasn't their fault...

Yep, the retake does seem to be the best solution. With the mechanics for voluntary retakes out, it should be easier. Let's hope for the cooperation of review centers and registration sites. I believe the Philippine Nursing Association can also be tapped for assistance.

^^ I guess the government exerted all efforts to promote the interest of our nurses. But we have to accept the decision of the CGFNS. It is the decision of a private organization which we have to accept.

Now, what we need to do is to ensure that the upcoming retake for those who want it will be pushed through efficiently.

Nursing exam retake voluntary, says Ermita (http://www.gov.ph/news/?i=17341)

Only those who wish to work in the United States may take the repeat examination for Tests 3 and 5 of the June 2006 nursing licensure exams to be conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita announced today the retake is voluntary and only for those interested to go to the United States.

"If they have no plans to go to the United States, they have passed the exams. The Supreme Court said there is no need for retake," he said at a regular press briefing this afternoon in Malacanang,

Ermita said that the government, through the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), has been contesting the decision of the US-based Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) for a retake of Tests 3 and 5 prior to the grant of a Visa Screen Certificate needed to work in the US.

Ermita said the CGFNS has agreed that the DOLE and the PRC conduct and validate the retake of the exams which was tainted by a leakage scandal.

"And they (CGFNS) agreed that to validate those going to the States, it is the DOLE who will tell them yes PRC has conducted a validation examination for Tests 3 and 5," he explained.

Ermita said the government would shoulder the examination fee amounting to some P900 for those willing to retake Tests 3 and 5 either in June or December 2007 Board of Nursing examinations.

i saw from news that there this another association of nurses in US which is a big portion of it other than cfgns. and they wont allow anyone to work for them, if the pnas nurses ,that took it in jun 06, will not take the whole test over again.

Statement of nurses on the ANA "retake all" recommendation
Saturday, March 10, 2007

Time and again we have said that the nursing leakage controversy, if not addressed properly, will affect the reputation of the nursing profession and the nursing licen*sure examination in the Philippines. Hence, as early as July 2006 we called for a retake of the examination to erase the stigma that the controversy created. Our call was premised on public health and safety not only for American health-care consumers but to all patients including our patients here in the Philippines. Unfortunately, except for a few officials, our entire government would rather engage in politics rather than resolutely address the issue.

The Commission on Gra*duates of Foreign Nursing Schools’ (CGFNS) decision to withhold the Visa*Screen certificate to all 2006 NLE examinee unless they go for a retake of Tests 3 and 5 is a case in point.

Today, we were informed that the American Nurses Association (ANA), as early as March 2, 2007, made a pronouncement that “all passing applicants of the June 2006 Philippine nurse licensure exam wishing to be considered for entrance into the United States to practice nursing should be required to retake a new and different nurse licensure test and obtain a passing score.” Further, it said: “Given the extent to which the June 2006 exam was compromised, there are significant questions as to whether the exam can be considered a reliable test of nursing knowledge.” Moreover, as early February 28, 2007, ANA has written PRC expressing the same.

Unfortunately, the Professional Regulation Commission has kept mum about this development. Certainly, this is not without precedent; their response to the leakage when it was first brought to their attention is similar.

It is now crystal clear that the leakage issue will drag to the detriment of the June 2006 examinees, the nursing profession and the entire li*censure examination system in the country if the President will not undertake sweeping changes in the PRC.

Moreover, despite the fact that it is election season we call on her to stop playing politics. Public health and safety transcends political expediency.

Equally important there should be no double standards when health and safety needs of patients are at stake. Filipinos are not second-class citizens. We should not discriminate between Filipino and American patients. If US authorities recognize the need of ensuring the health and safety of its citizens we first and foremost should uphold such. Let us not dwell in this dichotomy, rather let us renew our commitment and affirm that health is a universal right for all and this is made possible by ensuring the integrity of our health professionals.

what's the current mortality rate of the nursing licensure exams?

CGFNS to RP appellants: Decision is final
By James Payawal Saspa Balita News Service March 12, 2007

LOS ANGELES — Standing pat on its previous decision, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) on Monday turned down the appeal of a Philippine mission who flew to the commission’s office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a bid to gain VisaScreen certification to the passers of the June 2006 nursing board examination, according to a statement sent to BALITA.

Controversy erupted last year following widespread allegations that portions of the examination were leaked to examinees before testing time. This led to an investigation by the CGFNS in September. On Oct. 26, the commission announced it was questioning the eligibility for VisaScreen certification of those who passed the disputed exam.

On Feb. 14, the CGFNS board of trustees ruled unanimously to deny VisaScreen certification—required by US immigration law to accept all immigrating nurses—to the 2006 exam passers. It recommended they repeat and pass tests 3 and 5—the portions where leakage occurred—in order to qualify for the VisaScreen.

According to the statement, the commission’s top officials—board of trustees president Dr. Lucille Joel, CEO Dr. Barbara Nichols, and counsel John Ratigan—conducted extended discussion with the four-man Philippine delegation: Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella, Dr. Leonor T. Rosero, chairwoman of the Philippine Professional Regulation Commission, Dr. Remigia Nathanielz, of the Commission on Higher Education and Philippine Nurses Association, and Renato Aquino, the leader of a group of June 2006 nursing licensees.

After listening to and reviewing the concerns aired by the delegation, Joel and Nichols explained that the board’s decision was based on the requirements of US law and was not subject to renegotiation or further review.

The key question, the commission explained in its statement, “was not what Philippine authorities did, but what US authorities would have done in similar circumstances. And in the case of the June 2006 exam, the compromise situation was handled in a way that was not comparable to the way it had been handled in the United States.

Saying “the time for challenges and delegations is past,” the commission recommended thus: “The sooner the responsible authorities in the Philippines move forward to implement the steps for a re-take of tests 3 and 5, without the need for Philippine nurses to surrender their current licenses in order to do so, the better it will be for all concerned.”

Nothing more to do but retake

In Manila, Malacañang finally acknowledged that there was nothing more for the nurses to do but take the partial retake if they want to work in the United States. “If they want to go to America, they need to retake the tests," Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Tuesday.

Top officials like Labor Secretary Arturo Brion and Secretary Dante Ang of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas have pushed for the retake shortly after the controversy erupted, in order to erase all doubts of the passers’ competence. But they were met with protests from the passers, who said they were being made to look bad even if they passed the exam without cheating.

Brion has already set up the mechanism for the retake of tests 3 and 5 for the June 2006 nursing board passers during the regular board exams in June and December.

The administration’s thrust now is to implement Brion’s proposal, Ermita told the Inquirer.

Not a government body

The commission had emphasized the fact that it is not a government body that can consider appeals, but a private organization that certifies foreign healthcare professionals who want to work in the United States.

“CGFNS International is an immigration-neutral, nonprofit organization with 30 years of experience in certifying the credentials of over 450,000 internationally educated nurses and other healthcare workers,” the commission said in its statement. “US law designates CGFNS to determine whether internationally-educated healthcare professionals who wish to obtain a visa to practice in the United States possess education, training, license and experience that is "comparable with that required for an American healthcare worker of the same type."

It explained that the VisaScreen program, administered by the International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP), a division of CGFNS, is a federal screening program mandated by US immigration law.

Here is a good news for the "retakers" (or those who are still thinking whether to retake or not). President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the release of P20 million to subsidize the voluntary retake of nursing licensure examinations for those who passed the June 2006 examinations which was tainted with cheating. The fund will be used for the review of the retakers to be conducted in schools assigned by the Department of Labor. The special voluntary examinations will be conducted along with the regular examination periods on June and December. After the exams, the results will be brought to the Board of Nursing and not to the PRC. Hopefully, the examiners will be encouraged to retake since the government is already doing everything to help them.

29 nursing schools to give review classes
By Sheila Crisostomo The Philippine Star 03/18/2007

Twenty-nine nursing schools in the country have agreed to give free review classes to passers of the leakage-tainted June 2006 licensure exams who want to retake Tests 3 and 5.

This was the result of yesterday’s meeting between Labor Secretary Arturo Brion and members of the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing (ADPCN) to help passers who aspire to work in the United States.

Brion said that eight nursing schools recognized as "Centers of Excellence" by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and 21 others they "selected" have responded to the "voluntary retake" initiated by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The centers of excellence are the University of the Philippines-Manila (UP-Manila), University of Sto. Tomas in Manila, St. Louis University in Baguio City, St. Paul University Philippines, St. Paul University Iloilo, Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro and San Pedro College in Davao.

"These schools are practically doing this with no profit al all," Brion said at a hastily-called press briefing, adding that the retake is only for the "employability" of the June passers in the US and that they will not be required to surrender their licenses.

The retake is a requirement of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), which conducts the visa screening of health professionals who want to work in the US.

In a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by Brion and ADPCN president Dean Carmelita Divinagracia, the schools will hold special review classes covering the topics included in Tests 3 and 5, which were leaked prior to the examination.

Divinagracia said the retake will "remove all doubts" cast upon the passers of the June 2006 licensure test.

"We’ve agreed to do this to help the government and (June 2006 nursing) graduates pass the licensure exam. This will bring in lost reputation," she said.

UP-Manila College of Nursing Dean Josefina Tuazon, who stood as a witness to the MOA signing, said the retake is also a chance for the Philippines to redeem itself in the nursing profession.

"This will teach us a lesson – that nothing can take the place of our integrity and good name," she said.

Test 3 covers medical and surgical nursing and will entail 40 hours of review classes. Test 5 covers psychiatric nursing and will require 24 hours of review classes.

Brion said the participating schools, "by way of assistance" from the government, will receive P1,200 for each special reviewee they accommodate. He said the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) will waive the fee charged for the licensure test.

"Passers can choose not to review or to go to other review classes. It’s up to them," he added.

Under the MOA, "every participating school shall provide the physical facilities, qualified faculty for the special review and computer support for communication and administration purposes during the review."

The registration for the review can be done online at www.specialnursingreview.dole.gov.ph, although manual filing is also being arranged at the participating schools and with the DOLE regional and provincial offices from March 21 to April 4.

Each class will accommodate only 80 to 100 reviewees. The review classes will start on April 16 and end on June 3.

Brion said the special review class is only a one-time offer and the reviewees can take Tests 3 and 5 either in June or December 2007, during the regular licensure test for nursing administered by the PRC.

Nurses are okay. I'm entering medical school this fall so I'm indifferent to them. I wanna see more Filipino MDs coming here and retain their original profession.:)

Nursing wages rise, shortage continues (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/35156/Nursing-wages-rise-shortage-continues)

Luck has no magical formula. It surely comes when readiness meets an opportunity. For the 17,000 Filipino board passers in the June 2006 nursing examination, job opportunities in and outside the United States continue to beckon.

However, the question on the nursing board passers’ preparedness, which sprang from the reportedly tainted test results, seems to suggest their luck won’t come any sooner.

The issue on the exam leak has snowballed, settling on a move for selective retake of the examination based on the recommendation of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools.

Opportunities

The shortage of nurses that US healthcare industry needs to fill up hits hundreds of thousands.

John L. Moore, in his March 17 article on The Morning News, www.nwaonline.net, wrote that the shortage continues despite rising wages of nurses.

Moore has quoted Steve Percival, director of human resources at Washington Regional Medical System, saying [that he] and his counterparts at other hospitals have a tough job trying to keep their hospitals fully staffed with nurses.

He said the health care industry has bemoaned the nursing shortage for more than a decade, and that more will be needed for additional patients as the Baby Boom generations age.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projected in 2005 more than 3.1 million registered nurse jobs would be available by 2014. That would add more than 700,000 new jobs for nurses, Moore said.

If other projections from the American Hospital Association hold true, the country could have a shortfall of 600,000 nurses by 2020, said Mike Meeks, senior vice president for Northwest Health System.

Paul Cunningham, senior vice president of the Arkansas Hospital Association, said that one of the problems in getting a larger supply of nurses into the US health care system is the lack of qualified nursing faculty for the nursing schools.

Cunningham said many faculty members of nursing programs are approaching 50 and beyond and are thinking about retirement in the next five to eight years.

Nursing schools at both NorthWest Arkansas Community College and the University of Arkansas have expanded their programs in recent years, but recruiting nursing faculty can be a challenge, officials for both schools said.

Quoting other sources, Moore also cited another reason for shortage of nurses being the multiple opportunities for work out side the hospital setting. Managed care organizations, insurance companies, doctor's offices, nursing homes, diagnostic laboratories, pharmaceutical companies and medical software companies also hire nurses.

Citing a 2007 Minority Nurse magazine article, Moore said that the average salary of a registered nurse in Oakland, Calif. alone is $80,270 per year, adding that the projected number of new jobs added for registered nurses between 2004 and 2014 is 703,000.

Outside the US

Opportunities also abound for licensed Filipino nurses outside the United States.

New Zealand, for instance, has a vacancy for 1,000 nurses in public and private health facilities.

In fact, a Philippine-based manpower agency, Reliable Recruitment Corp., has recruited at least 200 newly-licensed nurses for deployment to Wellington. “New Zealand is the right place for you," declared the agency’s president and chief operating officer Zosimo Cabulisan.

Alberto Tuason, a Wellington-based Filipino senior consultant and general manager of Alta Solutions, a recruitment and consulting specialist, has also just completed interviewing applicants in Baguio City for nursing positions in New Zealand health facilities.

Tuason said Kiwis (locals in New Zealand) prefer Filipino nurses over other nationalities because of their compassion and sensitivity to their patients’ needs. “Filipino nurses are very kind and helpful, too," he said.

Besides, most Philippine-trained nurses are not very conscious about rendering work even beyond their time of duty.

Tuason said there were instances when Filipino nurses opted temporary employment in New Zealand as a stepping board to migration to the United States, United Kingdom or Australia, but they ended up settling in New Zealand because of the pleasant working conditions and reasonable salary rates.

According to Cabulisan, nurses in New Zealand tend to receive higher take-home pay compared to their counterparts in the UK because of the relatively low withholding tax deductions of only 24 percent, as against 40 percent in the UK.

Cabulisan’s placement agency has been doing business in New Zealand for 27 years and has been accredited by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) while Tuason has settled in Wellington for 13 years.

Tuason noted a steady growth in the number of immigrants to New Zealand owing to its friendly business climate and social atmosphere.

"We are now the preferred overseas destination for Overseas Filipino workers and immigrants compared to Europe, Asia and North American countries," he said.

Tuason said there are at least 50,000 Filipinos now in New Zealand. Some 25,000 of them are in Wellington, the capital city.

Actually, some 1,000 nurses for public and private health care services are needed in New Zealand, Tuason said.

New Zealand is an industrial-agricultural and tourism-oriented country about the size of the Philippines and has a population of less than 5 million.

Pinoy nurses, lawyer charged with child endangerment
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=71357

By LENN ALMADIN-THORNHILL

ABS-CBN North America News Bureau Correspondent

This was not part of their American dream.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/images/news/newspics/03-25-2007/fil_nurses225.jpg


On Thursday 10 Filipino nurses found themselves in front of Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Robert Doyle, pleading not guilty to a misdemeanor charge.

The nurses, who were contracted by Sentosa Recruitment Agency, and their New York lawyer, Felix Vinluan, were all charged with sixth-degree conspiracy, five counts of endangering the welfare of a child and six counts of endangering the welfare of a physically disabled person.

Vinluan reportedly advised them to resign last April from their jobs at the Avalon Gardens Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Smithtown, New York.

“You cannot walk out on disabled children who have nobody to call, there’s no one to cry for help," Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Leonard Lato said.

"Whatever their dispute, they could have said they intended to walk out in 24 hours."

When ABS CBN News interviewed some of the nurses last year at Vinluan’s law office, they said Sentosa, specifically its owner, Bent Philipson, has been notified numerous times of their concerns before they resigned.

“They just wanted out," James Druker, the nurses' criminal attorney, told reporters. "They didn't leave for better jobs, they were just tired of broken promises."

These 10 are among 26 nurses and one physical therapist who walked out of their jobs last March from different health care facilities owned by the Sentosa Care Group, after being advised by legal counsels, specifically by Vinluan.

Vinluan’s lawyer, Oscar Michelen, told reporters that his client only advised the nurses of their legal rights, under the law and that the contract allowed them to leave.

The 26 nurses included Elmer Jacinto, a Filipino doctor who now works as a nurse in New York City. They accused Sentosa of cheating them out of their agreed wages, forcing them to work unpaid overtime, and denying them promised benefits.

The nurses claimed that Sentosa and its recruitment agency hired them to work for a specific health care facility. But after they arrived in New York, they were instructed to report at different locations.

Salvador Tuy, a New York Filipino lawyer who has volunteered to help the nurses in the civil lawsuit filed by Sentosa, was in court to support the beleaguered nurses.

“They were contracted out of the Philippines to work for somebody else,” Tuy told reporters. “And Sentosa claims that they can substitute employers.”

“They were not contracted to work for Avalon. This is a violation of the Federal Immigration law. This is a violation of the Department of Labor law."

After their resignation, the nurses’ lawyers did file administrative cases before the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration against the Philippine-based Sentosa Recruitment Agency headed by Francis Luyun, for violations of recruitment rules and regulations.

They reportedly also filed labor claims before the National Labor Relations Commission and criminal cases before the Department of Justice.

But there have been no decisions yet from these agencies.

The nurses are also dealing with breach of contract lawsuits filed against them by Sentosa.

Despite the prospect of jail time of up to six years or deportation, if convicted of the child endangerment charges, the nurses, according to Tuy, are all doing their best to continue working, to keep fighting for their rights, and to salvage whatever is left of their dreams

Asian Nurses Anchor the Industry (http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=37f00e50cb995f794d89f677f3c3c05e)

SAN DIEGO -- The face of nursing is changing significantly in San Diego and elsewhere in Southern California.

According to a survey by NurseWeek earlier this year, 15 percent of registered nurses in San Diego are Asian or Pacific Islander, compared to 12 percent of the total population.

At Kaiser, the ratio is double that. Of 1,565 nurses working for Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, a third, or 528, are Asian, according to Kaiser spokesperson Sylvia Wallace.

And at UCSD Medical Center, where Crystal Hsaio works, the majority of nurses on her floor are Asian or Pacific Islander.

"When people see an Asian face they feel more comfortable," said nurse Hsiao, a native of Taiwan, adding that having someone available to translate for a patient can be critical. So is awareness of cultural differences. For example, some nationalities believe that washing a mother and baby after birth can be harmful to both by changing the temperature of the body and thereby altering the chi or flow of energy which, in turn, prevents elimination of toxins. Nurses need to know how to deal with a variety of cultural views such as that.

"Even if we are not the same (in nationality), we are more open-minded about cultural differences," Hsaio said.

While the nationwide average of Asian Pacific Islander nurses, according to the NurseWeek survey, is still only 4 percent but increasing, Southern California has become a magnet for nurses from Pacific Rim countries.

While less and less Americans are enrolled in nursing, more and more nurses are emigrating or being recruited from countries such as India, Taiwan, China, and even Korea. The largest source, however, remains the Philippines.

Training as a nurse in the Philippines and coming to work in America is a tradition that began in the 1970s and 1980s, according to Ben Macapugay, spokesperson for Paradise Valley Hospital in Southeast San Diego.

Quality of labor and quality of training is another factor. The Philippines is known to produce more nursing graduates and have more nursing schools than any other country in the world – 186 with the combined ability to graduate 20,000 nurses a year, according to Dr. Jaim Z. Galvez-Tan of the University of the Philippines in Manila.

Supply also dictates salary. In the Philippines, a nurse can expect to earn between $150 and $250 a month. In the United States, where demand is greater, salaries range from $3,000 to 4,000 and often come with signing bonuses, according to Galvez-Tan.

Coming from a poor country makes coming to the United States an easy choice to make, especially when many people in the Philippines already have family here.

"People prefer places like San Diego, where they already have relatives," said John Pasamonte, a recruiter for International Nurses Solutions, one of many companies recruiting foreign nurses for U.S hospitals.

Patt Mareschal, lead nurse at Fallbrook Hospital's Medical Surgical Unit, who has spent 30 years in the profession, sees an even greater shift.

For one, nurses have to work more effectively with fewer resources, caring for sicker patients for shorter periods of time. Their responsibilities extend well past a patient's general health and often include sociological and psychological issues, such as domestic violence or mental illness, according to Mareschal.

In addition, today's nurses are older; the average age is 46. And they are increasingly male – 6 percent nationwide.

Despite the economic advantages, becoming a nurse in the United States isn't all that easy. No matter how well trained, foreign nurses must pass the NCLEX (National Council for Licensure Examination) and must demonstrate a proficiency in English. Still, the number of nurses passing the NCLEX exam rose to 16,490 in 2003, nearly double what it was in 2001, according to NurseWeek. Many believe a large part of that is the level of education supplied by such institutions as UCSD and United Education Institute of San Diego and El Cajon, which offers, among other things, training for medical assistants, pharmacy technicians and dental assistant, in addition to nursing careers.

For a hospital, the attraction of Asian and Pacific Islander nurses is two-fold: one cultural, one economic. "There is no question that cultural diversity is important, said Wallace. "At Kaiser we work hard to provide faces and cultures that reflect the community at large."

Culture aside, there is a critical need for skilled nurses, period.

"The nursing crisis is grave and only growing worse. Nationwide, there are130,000 nursing vacancies, a deficit that is expected to double in the next five years. By 2012 it will be 1.1 million," said Pasamonte.

Here in this country, nursing school enrollments have dropped 16 percent in the last five years because of other opportunities opening up, according to Mareschal. "There are new avenues for women now. We no longer have to go the teaching, nursing route," she said.

Meanwhile, those trained as nurses don't always stay in the profession. Many leave in their 20s and 30s to raise families or to pursue other careers. Others go on to related careers such as nurse practitioners or physician assistants.

For their part, the nursing schools are working hard to respond to the crisis, but it has not been easy. "We can't get educated students fast enough," said Dottie Crummy, head of the nursing program at Point Loma Nazarene University. "All the nursing programs in the city are filled to more than capacity. This year we took in an extra five students. Last year we took in 10, and we still had to turn away qualified students."

While the vast majority of students in nursing programs are native born, a high percentage are Asian – a sharp change from past years. "The majority of our students were white Anglo-Saxon Protestants," said Crummy. "Now, Filipino/Pacific Islanders are our largest ethnic group, followed by Asians, then Hispanic."

Many of the Filipinos, she added, are the children and nieces of the nurses who came here to practice their profession 20 or 30 years ago.

Michelle Capati, a nursing student at Grossmont College is one of them. When asked why she wants to be a nurse, her answer is simple: "My Mom."
Capati's mother has been a nurse for more than 20 years, logging 12-hour shifts seven days a week. But she wouldn't have it any other way, her daughter said.

Hard work or the capacity for hard work may be another reason Asians and Pacific Islanders are swelling the nursing ranks.

"The Philippines is a third world country. People there are used to stress and hardship, Pasamonte said, adding that "Asians are also known for their compassion."

Mareschal agrees: "They work hard and are generous, caring people."

Saudi needs 5,000 nurses (http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN2007042492488.html)

Medical, dental workers in demand in Kingdom 5,000 nurses needed in Saudi Arabia

By EDD K. USMAN

Saudi Arabia needs at least 5,000 Muslim and non-Muslim nurses for immediate deployment in the oil-rich kingdom, Ambassador Mohammad Ameen Wali announced yesterday.

Wali said applicants should submit their applications to the Saudi Recruitment Office (SRO) in Makati City.

Skilled workers needed by the kingdom are 100 female medical technologists, 100 female X-ray technicians, 50 female dental assistants, 50 female physical therapists, 50 female respiratory therapists, and 20 dental technicians.

Authenticated documents and papers should be submitted on or before May 15. Underboard Muslim nurses will be accepted.

Wali said he has relayed the information to Labor Secretary Arturo Brion, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) head Rosalinda Baldoz, and Administrator Marianito Roque of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

According to the envoy, Brion wrote him requesting for a government-togovernment transaction for the hiring of nurses, with the POEA accepting applicants for endorsement to SRO.

Wali had agreed with Brion’s request.

"On Thursday, we met with Labor Secretary Brion to also discuss the new rules on the deployment of household workers. The secretary has agreed to review the 0 raise for their monthly salary," Wali said.

The ambassador thanked Brion for his decision saying only very few Saudi employers can afford the steep increase in the salary of domestic workers.

Wali said Brion also promised to establish training centers for Muslims in the cities of Zamboanga, Davao, Marawi and Cotabato for deployment, particularly to Makkah and Madina, where non-Muslims are not allowed entry.

He likewise called on the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) to remain strict and vigilant so it would not be able to issue documents to fake Muslims.

Director Paharuddin Pangcoga of OMA said applicants for certificates of tribal membership (CTM) are photographed inside their office to prevent the switching of photos.

The Saudi ambassador also reiterated his warning to recruitment agencies that those caught with fake documents will be banned immediately from transacting business with the embassy.

"We already caught many of them. Let them be reminded it will not be tolerated."

^^ Good news for our nurses but I don't know if Saudi Arabia is a safe place for Pinay nurses.

^^ i'm an OFW here in Riyadh.... dahil karamihan ay maliit lang ang sweldo ng mga nurse dito sa Saudi Arabia, believe me, ang daming "pokx2" na nurse dito...

...hindi 100% safe dito....ang daming uhaw sa laman...mga rapists ang mga Arabo! :lol:

^^Hmmm, I agree, my dad told me stories about Filipino OFW fathers who left the country for work and because of being far away from their wives, they are now seeking intimacy and sensuality with female OFW nurses.

Hospital Detention Act: pro-poor or anti-health care? (http://www.philippinenews.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=d4c3d920f6886ee7d1cd75231b145027)

There’s a new Philippine law that makes it illegal to detain poor patients who can’t pay their hospital bills. Framed by Sen. Pia Cayetano and signed by President Gloria M. Arroyo, Republic Act (RA) 9439, or the Patients’ Illegal Detention Act (Hospital Detention Act), was passed to permit indigent patients to sign promissory notes so they can leave the hospital, instead of staying in-house, while settling their payment obligations.

At a glance, RA 9439 is pro-poor and compassionately humane. It embraces our long-ignored ugly humiliation of detaining patients for non-payment of hospital services. A dead patient’s body is not released from the hospital morgue; certifications, medical records and burial papers are withheld for the same reason. We court our patients’ relatives to sell their homes and sacrifice their carabaos.

The new law, co-authored by Senators Manuel Villar and Serge Osmena III, now sets a jail time of six months and a fine of up to P50K for errant hospital officers and workers. But it’s unclear what legal avenues hospitals have for those who’re unable or refuse to pay.

It’s horrible to suffer hospital detention. Patients and their waiting relatives are at greater risk of catching hospital-borne diseases. Holding our citizens longer than usual, in places noted for contagion and cure, makes us wonder how we love our patients and respect their rights. Do we need a law which shields the poor from insults and exorcizes our conscience against the failure to deliver adequate medical care?

“The constitution assigns the government the responsibility of healthcare for its citizens,” said Dr. Santiago A. del Rosario, a former president of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA). With the rapid rise in population, he saw the alarming drop in the number of hospitals-- from 2,000 in 1988 to 919 in 2005. Behind this huge attrition, our hospitals have been overbooked with patients, doctors and nurses have left for better jobs, and health services have faltered.

More than half of our hospitals have ceased to operate. Dr. Santiago blamed the closures to “absconding patients, taxes, expensive facilities, and high maintenance and labor costs.” With the new law, we run the risk of breeding patients who have little ability and incentive to pay. Hard pressed with the fight for survival, our hospitals will doubly labor on debt collection if we don’t instill fiscal responsibility to ourselves.

The Private Hospital Association of the Philippines (PHAP) through its spokesman, Dr. Rustico Jimenez, expressed objection to RA 9439. As a protest and warning, the association planned a “hospital holiday,”---the deliberate slowing and cutting of hospital services if the Department of Health (DOH) can’t come up with acceptable terms of “IRR”—the implementing rules and regulations for the new law.

The PHAP is pessimistic about signed payment pledges. Even when guaranteed by mortgage or co-maker, the group believes promissory notes will not work because many patients pull back in their financial obligations. Only 10% pays payment pledges; others give wrong addresses and claim penury to escape payment liability.

Nicholas Gonzales, a private citizen, expressed his displeasure to RA9439 when he half-jokingly and half-seriously asked, “Will we allow hungry people to eat at any restaurant and submit promissory notes?”

“It places the blame on private hospitals instead of establishing an accessible healthcare system by allotting sufficient funds for public hospitals,” echoed Dr. Eleanor Jara, the director of Health Education Training and Services Council for Health Development (CHD).

According to Dr. Jara, only 0.1%, about P11.5 billion of the 2007 national budget of P1.126 trillion in 2007, is allotted to healthcare. The amount is measly. It translates to only P144.53 for every Filipino per year. That’s why poor folks go to private hospitals as charity patients rather than be treated in poorly-funded, crowded public healthcare facilities which just the same--- charge their patients.

The stark inadequacy of the RP’s healthcare budget prompted Senator Pia Cayetano to push, without tangible success, for a raise in the national health budget, from 1 percent to 5 percent of the Gross National Product (GDP). The senator said the increase is advised by the World Health Organization (WHO) so that an effective health care delivery system could be achieved in the Philippines.

We have seen the worst and the most fearsome of our inequities. In the front burner, the new law puts forward problems in many surreal ill-defined forms which must be tackled by our government with public cooperation.

There’s urgency to raise our healthcare money; our leaders must heed the cries of the poor instead of wrangling over inane political issues which blur our vision. A sizeable portion of the national budget, pork barrels, valued added taxes (E-VATs) etc. are needed to sustain the viability of our health services. With sky-rocketing medical costs, we need more funding for insurance programs, health research, prescription drugs, preventive care, and medical aid for the poor.

We must make sure we get the right treatment; we get back our health and we pay our hospital bills.

^good at least were moving forward
thanks legislators :)

World Health Organization eyes Davao as an anti-smoking model city in Asia

DAVAO CITY – The World Health Organization has eyed Davao City as a model city for its anti-smoking campaign, said an official heading the city’s anti-smoking advocacy body.

The city council approved the anti-smoking ordinance, Comprehensive Anti Smoking Ordinance no. 0423 in November 2002.

About a year later, the city government enforced the city ordinance with the Anti-Smoking Task Force, making it the only city in the country strictly implementing the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 or Republic Act 9211, said Dr. Domilyn Villareiz, who heads the task force.

Villareiz told reporters about the WHO update at the I-Speak press conference Thursday and added there is no let up on the implementation of the law.

Among the rules in the ordinance orders a ban on smoking in public places and allowing it only in specified separate smoking areas.

Villareiz said they were able to successfully implement the ordinance with violators arrested both in the city’s urban and rural centers.

Earlier, Villareiz said the cut on the number of smoking-related ailments listed in the city’s hospitals showed the success of the Anti-Smoking campaign.

She said the arrest of violators also showed the city is keen on implementing the law.

Based on earlier reports, the Davao City Police Office has arrested 5,265 violators from the start of implementation up to 2006.

She cited that most violators were caught in public transportation vehicles and during night time.

She announced that starting July 1, the Task Force will remove all bill boards and cinema ads bearing advertisements promoting cigarettes and smoking. She said they will also no longer allow promotional materials in printed ads in newspapers and magazines in 2008.

Last year, the Task Force announced the ban on all television and radio networks to air cigarette advertisement effective January 1, 2007 to back Republic Act 9211.

She said the law prohibits selling of cigarettes as well as any kind of advertisements within 100 meters of schools and recreational establishments.

Offenders will be penalized with P100,000 fines on first offense and a maximum of one year imprisonment. On the second offense, violators will be meted P200,000 penalty and a maximum of two years imprisonment, while the third offense will have a P300,000 penalty and prison term of not more than three years.

She said managers or heads of establishments, which violated the law will also be liable. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)

YES! This will reduce the risk of lung cancer caused by direct and chain smoking. The butts thrown on the street, which is an eyesore, will be reduced, not to mention the risk of fire accidents. This is also a concrete example of discipline reinforced to improve the health and safety of a city. Call me Machiavellian, but public smoking is irresponsible and crude.

^^
hmmm, not sure yet..I am definitely against smoking in private spaces like restaurants, etc. (we have that ban in Makati)..what does anti smoking city really mean? Do you provide adequate public spaces for them to smoke?

PS I'm actually a non smoker

whats machiavellan?
but yes, coz i dont smoke

^^
hmmm, not sure yet..I am definitely against smoking in private spaces like restaurants, etc. (we have that ban in Makati)..what does anti smoking city really mean? Do you provide adequate public spaces for them to smoke?

PS I'm actually a non smoker




Among the rules in the ordinance orders a ban on smoking in public places and allowing it only in specified separate smoking areas.



Last year, the Task Force announced the ban on all television and radio networks to air cigarette advertisement effective January 1, 2007 to back Republic Act 9211.



She announced that starting July 1, the Task Force will remove all bill boards and cinema ads bearing advertisements promoting cigarettes and smoking. She said they will also no longer allow promotional materials in printed ads in newspapers and magazines in 2008.

^^ Unfortunately, i think the ordinance is not that strictly implemented in Makati. There are still smokers lining infront of our office building having yosi breaks day or night.

World Health Organization eyes Davao as an anti-smoking model city in Asia


She announced that starting July 1, the Task Force will remove all bill boards and cinema ads bearing advertisements promoting cigarettes and smoking. She said they will also no longer allow promotional materials in printed ads in newspapers and magazines in 2008.


She said the law prohibits selling of cigarettes as well as any kind of advertisements within 100 meters of schools and recreational establishments.



^^

Now that is first world standard. Thou I'm not sure yet about banning smoking on public spaces, I'm definitely for banning smoking ads on billboards, newspapers, etc. (most 1st world countries have enforced that advertisement ban long time ago).

^^ banning smoking in public places like parks ,palengkes , hospitals but not all open spaces ..the rule if you want to smoke in public just don't smoke when there is an eaves atop your head.

whats machiavellian?

Machiavellian: Characterized by subtle or unscrupulous cunning, deception, expediency, or dishonesty.

^^ banning smoking in public places like parks ,palengkes , hospitals but not all open spaces ..the rule if you want to smoke in public just don't smoke when there is an eaves atop your head.


That's ok then. As long as it is clear where you can and you can not smoke. I think even smokers who want to cut down or quit smoking would welcome that.

^^ banning smoking in public places like parks ,palengkes , hospitals but not all open spaces ..the rule if you want to smoke in public just don't smoke when there is an eaves atop your head.

as a smoker, yan ang rule of thumb ko..pag may bubong, wag mag yosi (except if its a smoking lounge or private place)..of course, sa mg park and public places bawal din :)

that way, pag may nagreklamo na wag ako ng mag yosi, pwede ko siyang di pansinin

Davao is one of the cleanest cities in the country because of the strict implementation of the anti-smoking ordinance. Even in hotels, they don't allow smoking in the lobbies because the liability will fall on the management. Unlike in Metro Manila where you are greeted by the strong smell of cigarettes and the sight of cigarette butt litter when you pass in front of schools, etc. Metro Manila mayors should take a page from Duterte's book.

Do you want to become a next tobacco industry poster model?


http://www.tobaccofacts.org/poster/index.html (http://www.tobaccofacts.org/poster/index.html)

It's a good news for non-smokers..I hate the smell of cigarette in my shirt, car, bed, etc..I hate staying in a 5 star hotel that smell like an ashtray. If they don't have a non-smoking floor..then forget it...also, I'm allergic to smoke due to my sinusitis

pero dapat legalize nila marijuana..sarap ng amoy..negk!

As a nurse, I'd say smoking really kills a lot of people.

betlog ang NO :D

i voted for NO. i do smoke but im not a chain smoker. tho the whole world is like so ANTI smoking, i still believe that cities, for it to be livable should also respect those who smoke. everytime i hear the phrase: anti-smoking city, it gives an impression that the city is also against smokers. i still believe that smoking, same as watching tv, is one of your rights. cities should not deprive individuals with this simple/basic right. i for one know the health hazards of smoking but as a mature individual, im already responsible for my actions.

what only bothers me is if we allow people to smoke in an enclosed/airconditioned room which i think is not practiced or tolerated naman, EVEN WITHOUT city laws/ordinances and smoking in public transpo, whether aircon/non-aircon. but to the extent of banning billboards and many other "bawal", i think that's too much.

personally, im not so comfortable living in a city with so much restrictions... again, just my personal opinion.

i voted for NO. i do smoke but im not a chain smoker. tho the whole world is like so ANTI smoking, i still believe that cities, for it to be livable should also respect those who smoke. everytime i hear the phrase:

Nope, not the whole world. France is a smoker's shangrila :)

i also voted no..

ok, majority i believe :)

Nope, not the whole world. France is a smoker's shangrila :)

I voted NO. Smoking is already a part of the human system. If people want to burn their lungs to death, let them do it!

Just think of the thousands of lives that has saved people due to anti-smoking campaigns...

It is as simple as this..will you allow your kids to smoke at age 11? because they have a right?

i smoke occasionally but in a 'smoking area' , here's my problem i really hate if someone smoking in front of me... dunno why, maybe its bec i hate to inhale someone's breathe haha but anyway the problem here is not that we smoke but those who don't smoke imo

no. pag nag-quit na me, yes... :bash: :lol:

Just think of the thousands of lives that has saved people due to anti-smoking campaigns...

It is as simple as this..will you allow your kids to smoke at age 11? because they have a right?

If I was a PARENT, I would never allow any of my children to go even 10 meters near anything that's relevant to smoking and cigarettes.

I don't smoke personally, in fact I hate it. And lookee, it's doing no harm to my health! If I see one person go near me na nagsosmoke, I shove them off or I go away. Nasa tao lang yan at sa disiplina niya.

i control lang, im not for full anti-smoking so i voted NO!

These are good news for the pinoy nursing community. I am really curious how many nurses will take NCLEX exam in Manila and finally pass?

Go for it! GOOD LUCK!!

NCLEX listing on today


By RAYMUND F. ANTONIO

The United States National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), through the Pearson Professional Center, starts today the registration of examinees for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) on Aug. 23 at its new international test site in Manila.


Dante Ang, presidential task force on NCLEX chief, said yesterday that examination appointments can only be done online where applicants may register at www.pearsonvue.com and download their registration information from the website.

According to Ang, other information on the NCLEX may also be available at www.ncsbn.org.

"All the requirements and fees to be paid by the applicants are listed online," he said.

Ang said applicants cannot make the registration at the Pearson office and testing center in Manila because only online registration will be entertained.

"Applicants will register, submit the requirements, and get the schedule of the examination online," Ang added.

He said about 12,000 to 50,000 examinees are expected to take the NCLEX in the next few months, which will be given Monday to Saturday starting August.

The NCSBN Board of Directors had chosen Manila as an international NCLEX site last February, following the Philippine government’s request to host the NCLEX.

It was the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), chaired by Ang, which convinced the NCSBN to open a testing site in Manila.



http://www.mb.com.ph/MTNN2007071397690.html

NCLEX to be conducted in Manila on August 23 (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/july/13/yehey/top_stories/20070713top5.html)

The nursing profession in the Philippines got a big shot in the arm with the recent approval of the government’s request for the establishment of a National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) testing center in the Philippines.

The approval was a welcome development after the controversial nursing board exam leakage last year tarnished Filipino nurses’ reputation abroad. The initiative was advanced through the efforts of Secretary Dante Ang, chairman of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO).

Dr. Ang said it was the sincerity of the Philippine government in resolving the nursing-text leakage issue that convinced the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) to make the Philippines a venue for NCLEX. Ang stressed, however, that members of the Philippine nursing profession must closely guard this victory.

He urges nursing graduates who will take the NCLEX exam for the first time not to be wooed by fixers and other devious elements who claim they possess test questions.

Ang also warns examinees of the consequences of collaborating with individuals out to make money from the exams by fraud. Dr. Ang relates how unscrupulous review centers acquired test questions and sold these for huge fees.

“With a group of such individuals positioned in a test center, these crooked institutions manage to get substantial leakage incomes from a particular exam,” he told The Times.

Ang warned that anybody caught engaged in such activities will be pursued criminally by the government.

For reliable information on fees and other details regarding the NCLEX exam, Dr. Ang advises nursing graduates to visit the NCSBN website at http//www.ncsbn.org. or http://www.pearsonvue.com/. The NCSBN will commence the NCLEX testing at the International Pearson Professional Center in Manila on August 23. Scheduling for examination appointments will begin on July 13.

With an NCLEX testing center established in Manila, local nursing graduates will save a great deal of money on air fare and accommodation expenses because they no longer have to travel to overseas testing centers. Filipino nursing graduates who pass the NCLEX test will no longer have to take the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) exam, Ang said. “Passing the NCLEX is the Filipino nursing graduate’s ticket to working and earning good money as nurses abroad,” he added.

hi to all

does anybody know, if the NCLEX is comparable to the philippine licensure exams?

as far as i know, its also a multiple choice exam.

nclexis freakin hard....

i'm starting a study on the readiness of filipino nurses (emotionally and socially) for life abroad...

NZ health org wants to directly recruit RP nurses


Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us One of New Zealand’s largest healthcare providers wants to directly recruit nurses from the Philippines and spare Filipino jobseekers from abuse and exploitation by private recruitment agents.

Representatives of Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB), a government health organization established in 2001, are preparing to come to the Philippines to initially screen prospective candidates to an eight-week competency course preparatory to their hiring in Auckland.

Japhet Vailoces, a Filipino clinical nurse educator at the CMDHB’s cardiology and neurology department, told GMANews.TV in exchanges of e-mail, that other health boards in New Zealand would follow suit should their recruitment process prosper.

There are 21 district health boards under the New Zealand government health agency, according to Vailoces.

In fact, he said the recruitment consultant of the Auckland District Health Board has expressed keen interest in the program. “They are just observing first the outcome of the move of my organization," he said. “New Zealand is now in short of nurses," he added.

Recruitment fee waiver

Currently, CMDHB representatives have been trying to work out an arrangement with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on how to go about the direct recruitment process.

The group is seeking an exemption in the payment US$450 fee to POEA prescribed under the standard recruitment agreement.

“Would it be possible to please waive this cost as we will already be incurring a cost of about NZ$6,000 for each candidate, which covers the course fee, airfare and accommodation?" asked Sabrina Freitas, recruitment consultant of CMDHB in a letter to Stella Banawis, head of POEA’s pre-employment service department.

The website of Auckland Health Careers described CMDHB as “one of the largest providers and funder of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare in Australasia, serving the people of South and East Auckland in an area that stretches from Otahuhu to Port Waikato."

“Known for being dynamic, progressive and at the forefront of innovative health delivery, people choose to work at CMDHB for many reasons," it added.

CMDHB’s own website said it was established on January a, 2001 under the provisions of the New Zealand Public Health & Disability Act 2000 and is responsible for the funding of health and disability services and for the provision of hospital and related services for the people of Counties Manukau (Manukau City, and Franklin and Papakura Districts).

According to Vailoces, the organization’s representatives plan to visit the Philippines on the third week of September to interview applicants and possibly send them to New Zealand by October.

“Overseas nurses coming from countries where English is the second language cannot work as nurses until they do an eight-week competency work. The candidates initially come to New Zealand on visitor’s visas to do a competency course for eight weeks. There is an exam at the end of it, before then can apply for registration to work as nurses in New Zealand," he explained.

CMDHB will shoulder the student course costing roughly NZ$4,000, one-way airfare and accommodation for the eight-week duration of the competency course at the Manukau Institute of Technology.

“Once they successfully complete the course, we will employ them as nurses at CMDHB," Vailoces said.

Counties Manukau DHB employs roughly 200 Filipino nurses, he said. “CMDHB is a multi-cultural organization with employees from almost all over the world."

The Auckland Health Careers website said CMDHB employs around 5,343 staff providing first-class services within its various hospitals, outpatient clinics, day surgical and day treatment facilities and community clinics.

Eligible candidates

What the group wants in recruiting nurses from the Philippines is to have complete control over the recruitment process from receiving applications to shortlisting and interviewing the applicants.

“We would need the assistance of POEA in sourcing candidates, shortlist or organize the interview, as we already have a large base of candidates," said Freitas in her letter to the POEA.

The interview would be held at the New Zealand consulate in Manila, she said.

The New Zealand Immigration would assign a case officer to facilitate the issuance of visas to the “students."

Vailoces said applicants have to be registered nurses with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and fluent in English, which is a basic requisite for registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

“New Zealand is an English-speaking country, we are so strict about the English language requirements. Since many Filipinos are fluent in English, they will definitely qualify for this," he said.

The applicants have to meet basic immigration requirements, including cleared criminal records.

CMDHB also promises to assist the applicants in taking up the English language test (IELTS), secure an assessment from the National Council in New Zealand for their registration to be eligible to work as nurse there.

Exploited by agents

Vailoces said that as a Filipino and a nurse, he would like to help fellow nurses wanting to seek employment in New Zealand and spare them from pawning their properties or incurring huge debts for processing fees.

According to him, some nurses going through recruitment agencies have to shell out as much as P500,000 to P700,000 to be able to leave the country and work overseas.

“Then the recruiters will deploy them to rest homes and they will also get 15% cut from the nurses’ monthly salary," he said.

“Ang mga nurses na na-recruit ng agents ay napakalaki ng ibinabayad, tapos itinatapon sila sa rest homes na mababa ang sahod, kawawa naman. Filipino nurses are exploited by agents in New Zealand," he said.

According to him, CMDHB has been helping five Filipino nurses recruited by agents to get out of their contracts that gave them jobs not suitable to their skills and experience.

“We have hired immigration lawyers to defend them against their recruiters," he said.

“We, as a district health board, want to recruit them directly from the Philippines so that they are not cheated by these agencies," he asserted.

Vailoces said his group has communicated about their plan to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo through Rebecca Baltazar of the Presidential Action Center.

“The presidential office found the program very good and pleasing. I was then advised to put my request in writing so they can contact POEA about this issue," he said. - GMANews.TV

magkano kaya palitan ng pera ng NZ at Australia sa peso? At rate ng mga nurses? comparable kaya sa sahod sa uk? anlapit nila sa pinas a.

musta naman? andami nang bansa ang gustong kumuha ng pinoy nurse. paano na tayo?

^^^ Shortage in nurses is almost global, everywhere you go, they are all in need of nurses, it just happened that these rich nations are bigger in the aspects of population, land mass and economical status. It's just that, the case in the Philippines, the skilled workers are all leaving for greener pasture elsewhere in the world. Hath they given enough monitary compensation within the Philippines, I doubt if these pinoy nurses would actually leave the country unless they see other countries as always better than their own land. IMO, I feel that even if we pay the nurses enough salary, the Philippines would probably still have a bit of shortage in nurses because of the ever growing population in the Philippines. "Dapat turuan magpigil si miguel sa pang-gigil" LOL

^^ i don't think the philippines has a shortage of nurses nowadays! we have an excess supply of nursing manpower actually. there are hospitals here in manila that actually stopped hiring na because they are now fully staffed.

what we have though is a high turnover rate of nursing employment here in the philippines as many of our nurses leave the country to work abroad! but whatever vacancies created by these nurses who are bound overseas are immediatelly filled up from the thousands of idle nurses, many of whom, are willing to go even on a volunter basis (working for a few months without pay) just to get that experience.

this experience in turn are valueble credentials that these nurses can use if they wish to go abroad later.

yes that is so true!

mehh NZ has always been like a backdoor of Australia...I know filo families who migrated to NZ first coz its not as difficult as coming to Australia..then after living in NZ for awhile they then migrated to Australia..it's like a stepping stone...haha no offense to any Kiwis there :P ....Having said that, there are Aussie nurses who even move to UK coz not because they offer more..but I think in our case it's more to do with the prestige of working overseas which would ultimately make their Resume/Curriculum Vitae look better when they apply for a higher position back home.

^^ i don't think the philippines has a shortage of nurses nowadays! we have an excess supply of nursing manpower actually. there are hospitals here in manila that actually stopped hiring na because they are now fully staffed.

what we have though is a high turnover rate of nursing employment here in the philippines as many of our nurses leave the country to work abroad! but whatever vacancies created by these nurses who are bound overseas are immediatelly filled up from the thousands of idle nurses, many of whom, are willing to go even on a volunter basis (working for a few months without pay) just to get that experience.

this experience in turn are valueble credentials that these nurses can use if they wish to go abroad later.

Are you sure? Last time I was in the Philippines a year and a half ago, when my late sister in law was gravely ill, the nurse told me that she handles more than 30 patients at a time where in the US, normally, they assign6 to 8 patients per nurse at a time, 8 and over is really pushing it. In the bigger and well knows hospitals in Manila, it think it's a bit less than 30 px per nurse.

^^ ^^ ^^ Most of these hospitals are simply skimping on labor cost using the "not enough nurses" as an excuse for their greed for more money. It's timely that the Philippines amend its constitution and allow foreigners to 100% own and operate hospitals in the the country. This would significantly help in modernizing the Philippine healthcare industry into a world class quality.

Any nurse here from Australia? I've got a question.:)

@midwestguy, OMG regarding the 8 to 1 patient-nurse ratio! That should never happen. I've worked at so many hospitals around Chicago and the worst ratio i experienced was 6 to 1. Maybe that 8 happens only in the psychward, that's a MAYBE.

I have to say though, that nurses are one of the most abused people on earth. Oh THE HELL WE GO THROUGH, especially in the emergency department.

Are you sure? Last time I was in the Philippines a year and a half ago, when my late sister in law was gravely ill, the nurse told me that she handles more than 30 patients at a time where in the US, normally, they assign6 to 8 patients per nurse at a time, 8 and over is really pushing it. In the bigger and well knows hospitals in Manila, it think it's a bit less than 30 px per nurse.

that is precisely the point! what you see in hospitals (mostly public hospitals if i may add) is this terrible ratio of 30 patients to 1 nurse or even more because many nurses are really idle! in private hospitals such as st. lukes they maintain i think, a 1 to 7 ratio of patients per nurse. many nurses nowadays take up nursing with the sole purpose of going abroad. the philippines is producing anywhere between 70 to 90 thousand nurses a year! out of these numbers, roughly about 50% pass the local licensure exams for nurses. and out of those 50% who will pass, fewer still will work for hospitals here in the philippines.

a good percentage of those who pass the local boards will then immediately take the NCLEX and if they pass it, use their necessary connections in the US to work directly there without even experiencing working as a nurse in the Philippines. those who do not pass the first time will most likely take the exam the second time. and i know many of these "licensed" nurses have for the mean time changed careers. many of them are just buying time until the visa restrictions in the US is relaxed.

...

I have to say though, that nurses are one of the most abused people on earth. Oh THE HELL WE GO THROUGH, especially in the emergency department.


what do you go through?

In the recent past, my wife has been responsible for recruiting hundreds of Filipino nurses to the UK. Reed International shorlists the best and my wife and her colleagues fly over to Manila for the final interview.

There's no favouritism. My wife even had turn to down her sis in law, because she didn't have the training they were looking for.

They are highly trained and the UK is lucky...no... blessed, to have them. The retention rate for Filipino nurses is high in my wife's hospital, with only a few leaving, usually taking positions in US West Coast hospitals.

^^ Good news for our nurses but I don't know if Saudi Arabia is a safe place for Pinay nurses.

it is safe..as long as they stay in the hospital's accomodation..or they dont wander in the street at night on their own..the desert is full of ''bodies''..pinays/foreigners.it's true.

^^ i'm an OFW here in Riyadh.... dahil karamihan ay maliit lang ang sweldo ng mga nurse dito sa Saudi Arabia, believe me, ang daming "pokx2" na nurse dito...

...hindi 100% safe dito....ang daming uhaw sa laman...mga rapists ang mga Arabo! :lol:

some pinays will also say they are nurses..when in fact, they are not.

hi to all

does anybody know, if the NCLEX is comparable to the philippine licensure exams?
as far as i know, its also a multiple choice exam.

there is a similarity ung CG sa board exam..if u know ung technique..ie;preventive,diagnostic,rehab:nuts:
accdgly..medyo pareho lang CG n NCLEX..read ung NSNA


magkano kaya palitan ng pera ng NZ at Australia sa peso? At rate ng mga nurses? comparable kaya sa sahod sa uk? anlapit nila sa pinas a.

it'll be less money compared sa UK..but less living expenses.
depends on what ure lookin for..mas madame advantages i think in NZ, esp nature/adventure lovers

musta naman? andami nang bansa ang gustong kumuha ng pinoy nurse. paano na tayo?

there'll never be shortages for nurses in Pinas..ang kulang eh HOSPITALS.
And ADMIN not wanting to hire nurses coz nagtitipid.:ohno:

^^^ Shortage in nurses is almost global, everywhere you go, they are all in need of nurses, it just happened that these rich nations are bigger in the aspects of population, land mass and economical status. It's just that, the case in the Philippines, the skilled workers are all leaving for greener pasture elsewhere in the world. Hath they given enough monitary compensation within the Philippines, I doubt if these pinoy nurses would actually leave the country unless they see other countries as always better than their own land. IMO, I feel that even if we pay the nurses enough salary, the Philippines would probably still have a bit of shortage in nurses because of the ever growing population in the Philippines. "Dapat turuan magpigil si miguel sa pang-gigil" LOL

w/ so many nursing grads every year..madame rin ala trabaho..unless they work not as a nurse..like saleslady,AVON..ETC..kahet nga volunteer,mahirap pa.
if there's no job back home..and meron abroad..katangahan na lang siguro ang magstay sa pinas.

mehh NZ has always been like a backdoor of Australia...I know filo families who migrated to NZ first coz its not as difficult as coming to Australia..then after living in NZ for awhile they then migrated to Australia..it's like a stepping stone...haha no offense to any Kiwis there :P ....Having said that, there are Aussie nurses who even move to UK coz not because they offer more..but I think in our case it's more to do with the prestige of working overseas which would ultimately make their Resume/Curriculum Vitae look better when they apply for a higher position back home.

there are also auzzie nurses who come to UK to earn a bit more money and save just so they can buy a property in australia..PT too.
as one auzzie nurse said..it's for her downpayment in buying her house.

in NZ..the higher salary u'll have..the higher is the tax. how true?

there is a similarity ung CG sa board exam..if u know ung technique..ie;preventive,diagnostic,rehab
accdgly..medyo pareho lang CG n NCLEX..read ung NSNA

------
aside from NSNA, highly recommended ko rin yung online review ng NCSBN. you can avail of the following: 2, 3, 5, 8, and 15 weeks na review program dun depending on the review pacing that you prefer.

@ Jonna, sometimes i go through 12hour shifts without getting a chance to sit down. Everyone calling you from left and right and you only have two hands.

Which one is harder? the exam in the phils or the NCLEX?

on a scacle from 1 to 10, (1 means supereasy, 10 superhard) ??

i read that around 50 percent of pinoy nurses who take the NCLEx the first time pass it. it sounds low passing rate, but i find that not bad, given the fact that most of them take it several times til they pass and given the fact that they are conducting it now in manila, i really expect from the 600000 plus nursing students in the country, of which probably 250 000 will pass the exams in the phils, around 100000 of them to take the NCLEX and 50'000 of them to pass.

i mean 50'000 nurses! thats a lot!! only for the usa, and being a green card holder soon, having the right to petition your relatives will create a mass exodus in the phils . not only for the nurses themselves but also for their familiymembers who wish to migrate to the us.

i just took a few numbers i read in the newspapers, but i dont think i am unrealistic when it comes to my little mathematic assumption here.

good news anyway.

the way i experienced it, mas sobrang hirap yung nclex! maraming hidden concepts sa questions. analytical. whereareas, questions in the local boards are pretty much straightforward. but this is just my experience. i don't what others have to say about it who had taken both exams. but then if you have really prepared yourself for both exams, you can make!

NCLEX is very doable if you study hard for it. I was so happy when my computer turned off at 75. I was so nervous back then.

^^ same here. lucky for me, i also stopped at 75, hehe

kaya nyo yan.

Nursing exam flunkers may be credited as ‘practical nurses’


By Jerome Aning
Inquirer
Last updated 07:03pm (Mla time) 07/24/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- With only about half of the 78,000 nursing examinees projected to pass, the Department of Labor and Employment is formulating a new policy to allow the "flunkers" in the state-administered nursing licensure examinees last June to continue practicing their profession as "practical nurses."

Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said the department was expecting only about 40,000 of the 78,000 examinees -- including the re-takers of the leakage-marred 2006 exam -- to pass the test.

"We're anticipating that many of them (flunkers) will do re-take so we think that one fall-back position is to have them licensed as practical nurses. This is assuming that there are some who would not do the re-take," Brion explained to reporters.

The labor official noted that there remained a high demand for practical or vocational nurses in hospitals and clinics both here and abroad.

Giving another type of nursing license to the exam takers who failed would be a way to help them find jobs abroad, Brion said.

"This will be a sunrise opportunity for them because they could still practice their course even though they failed the test," he added.

In the Philippines, practical nurses are high school graduates who take two-year vocational nursing courses so that they can work in medical facilities. These nurses often perform simple medical tasks, mostly dealing with patient medication and care, under the direction of a full nurse or a physician.

Brion said he recently broached the idea to Senator Edgardo Angara, an educator, as well as officials of the Commission on Higher Education and to the Professional Regulatory Commission.

"They all agreed to its viability so we'll meet soon and discuss it," he added.

Meanwhile, Brion said the results of the June nursing licensure exam would be released by middle of August.

Out of the 42,000 who took the June 2006 licensure examination, only 17,000 passed the test.

The government, however, was forced to administer a retake of two parts of the exam after the United States' Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools said it would not admit passers of the leakage-tainted June 2006 test.

The first batch of re-takers took the partial test last month, while the next batch will have their retake during the regular licensure exam in December.



@dancethingy and eonynx

both of you have taken the NCLEX, passing grade seems to be 75 percent based upon your postings, but if you dont pass, will you find out what your grade was? or you will only know, you did not pass and thats it?

^^^ Alo, its only pass and fail, you never really get to know your grade.

alo, you won't know your actual grade, unlike sa local nursing boards! at hindi rin ibig sabihin na if you stopped at 75, it's an indication na parang papasa ka. i know of many examinees who stopped at 75 and failed. i also know of many who actually have to finished the whole maximum of 265 items and then passed.

when the computer stopped at 75, it just simply means that at that minimum required number of nclex questions, the computer is now convinced that you either pass or fail your nclex.

if you go beyond 75 items, it simply means that the computer is not yet convinced wether to pass or fail you, that's why it keeps on giving you questions to further to further test your capability.

thanks eonynx and dancethingy

what do you guys think about the idea to have those who did not pass the exams in the phils, to have them licensed as practical nurses, i was surprised when i read the following article, since i thought, those who did not pass would be lucky to have another way of getting a job, and in the meantime just prepare for the next exams? now there is opposition coming from the nurses themselves on this proposal.

here the article



Nurses junk Brion proposal for exam failures

The Philippine Nursing Association thumbed down on the proposal of Labor Secretary Arturo Brion that nursing graduates who failed to pass the Nursling Licensure Examination (NLE) should apply for vocational nursing jobs instead, TV Patrol World reported Wednesday.

Dr. Lea Pacquiz, PNA president, said the proposal would degrade Filipinos in the nursing industry abroad.

Brion, however, said his proposal is only one of the options being explored by the labor department based on the annual NLE passing rate.

It was learned that only half of those who take the board exam make the grade.

He cited the example of the NLE last month when 78,000 examinees sat down for the tests. Of this number, Brion said, only half of the examinees are expected to pass.

The labor chief said that the Department of Labor and Employment will discuss the proposal with the stakeholders.

He said that many examinees pass the NLE but there are also an equal number of those who fail. "We need to explore other options for them,” Brion said, referring to those who do not make the cut.

With the help of docs, RNs
Brion said those who fail can become practical nurses or nursing assistants who will be tasked to do simple medical procedures under the supervision of a doctor or a registered nurse.

“Bababa tayo sa level ng practical nurses? Ayaw namin 'yon. (We don't want to go down to the level of practical nurses. What will the rest of the world think of us?)" Pacquiz said.

Pacquiz then explained that those who flunk the NLE can always retake the test. After all, she said, there is no limit to the number of times one can take the exam.

She also added that hospitals in the United States only allows practical nurses who graduated from US schools and are licensed there.

She added that allowing Filipino practical nurses to work abroad would affect the salaries of licensed nurses from the Philippines.

Nursing graduates, meanwhile, said they would rather retake the board exam than have a lower-paying job.

Doddie Prodinci, a Filipino nurse in Kuwait, said the Philippines has an edge because it sends board passers unlike India which deploys graduates of diploma courses who become assistants of Filipinos.

She added that Filipino nurses are highly regarded because only the licensed ones are allowed to work abroad.

Several nursing graduates in Manla, on the other hand, said it would be better for them to retake the exam than waste four years of their studies in school. With reports from Timi Nubla, ABS-CBN News

what do you go through?

@ Jonna, sometimes i go through 12hour shifts without getting a chance to sit down. Everyone calling you from left and right and you only have two hands.

one time a fil nurse was punched by an abusive relative in ER..not forgetting those drunk and mentally deranged patients.
plus constant flow of critically ill/arresting pts:ohno:
2 hands are not enough...let alone being on ur feet the whole shift

practical nurses..i think it's a good idea.nurses not wanting to be one have only to retake and pass the board.
here in Uk..spouses that have no license in the phil can work as NAs..i think it'll take 18 mos further study to be able to practise

^^^ Thank you for your empathy :)

Yesterday, there were no beds on the ward so i was stuck taking orders for an encephalitis patient (and them plenty of orders) while taking care of patients in severe pain. I swear, we are never paid enough for this kind of stress.

I don't know what i think about the practical nursing idea. The only positive thing i see is that people who fail their exam are allowed to practice their clinical skills while awaiting for the next exam. Being a nurse is 50% knowledge and 50% skill. Skill is very important and having students who fail their exams practice in a clinical setting may be a good thing.

Lagi kong pinagmamalaki ang galing ng pinoy when it comes to nursing, accounting, engineering, IT, etc...... Ang mga practice ng mga nurses nating ay masyadong importante kc we are maintaining our image.

^^ @dance di ba may licensed examination din ng mga practical nurses dyan sa states? i think, it's different from the nclex which are for registered nurses.

i don't know much about licensed practical nurses because i've only worked with one. She could give oral meds but not IV meds. I think they need to take an exam, but definitely not as difficult as NCLEX.

^^ @dance di ba may licensed examination din ng mga practical nurses dyan sa states? i think, it's different from the nclex which are for registered nurses.

They do have licenses , A" state license", they take licensure exams for LPN it's different from NCLEX but is affiliated with the US board of nursing review, if you have a baccalaureate degree, you would be over qualified. You won't be able to take it. They hire foreign trained nurses because of the higher level of training that is hard to find here in America as most US graduates much prefer to go through a shorter route, it is why the US is lacking in this area . Don't get me wrong LPNs are equally as efficient as with RN and BSRN. It's just that BSRN can carry a much bigger responsibilties in a hospital setting than an LPN or sometimes even RN. Now, with nursing homes, it does not matter as the only high position you would get in a nursing home would be a Nursing director and maybe an Administrator, but to become an administrator, you don't necessarily have to be a nurse. There is a separate degree for it which is more on the business aspect than direct health provider. You would almost always have an equal or the same responsibility with the rest of the nursing staff.

my, i took the june 2007 board exam. i haven't heard of the news yet. whenever that topic is being discussed at home...
...the agony of waiting

@eonynx
@dancethingy
:hi: :hi:
may i ask if what was the mode of payment for non US applicants for nclex (i.e. filipino nurses), how will i be able to pay the $200 exam registration fee. and will it be necessary that i should pay the $150 + vat for an international scheduling since the testing center will be in makati?
tnx
:cool:

^^^ You should be able to check that in their website. I'm not really a nurse, I'm an Occupational Therapist but I've worked extensively with most discipline in healthfield including the different levels of nurses as I've worked in a hospital, outpatient rehab clinics, homehealth services as well as nursing home to some extent. It is how I have learned more about the different trainings in nursing. I've never really work with any filipina nurses as we just don't have them in our area but I know a couple of Philippine trained nurses so, i would asked them. that and I've inquired in our local nursing school as I am interested in becoming a Physician assistant or a Nurse Practitioner if I can still make myself go back to school at this point.

I don't know what is their link but you can type on your URL: US Board of Nursing Review, I'm sure the site will walk you through it.

@eonynx
@dancethingy
:hi: :hi:
may i ask if what was the mode of payment for non US applicants for nclex (i.e. filipino nurses), how will i be able to pay the $200 exam registration fee. and will it be necessary that i should pay the $150 + vat for an international scheduling since the testing center will be in makati?
tnx
:cool:

it's quite a long process. for further infos., check these websites: www.ncsbn.org, www.pearsonvue.com and the website of the US state where you wished to be licensed (ex., state of new mexico- just type "New Mexico Board of Nursing sa google search to locate the website of the said state. kung california ang state choice mo, ganun din,just type California Board of Nursing)

@eonynx
@dancethingy
:hi: :hi:
may i ask if what was the mode of payment for non US applicants for nclex (i.e. filipino nurses), how will i be able to pay the $200 exam registration fee. and will it be necessary that i should pay the $150 + vat for an international scheduling since the testing center will be in makati?
tnx
:cool:

you can pay online or using a bankdraft and send it along with your documents. They will send you the receipt in your email if you will use a bankdraft and then you will have to wait for your ATT to arrive. Then you may call to schedule yourself for the exam once you receive na your ATT...pwede kang tumawag kahit saan...asia pacific region or kahit sa america

i paid with a check. It depends on the state

@midwestguy1
@eonynx
@smile778
@dancethingy

thanks!
you're very generous in giving infos guys
:yes: :okay: :okay: :yes:
i checked on the site earlier. well, i don't have any credit card so most probably check na lang or money order.
may i know if how these things are being done
sorry for being very inquisitive
:bow:

@midwestguy1
@eonynx
@smile778
@dancethingy

thanks!
you're very generous in giving infos guys
:yes: :okay: :okay: :yes:
i checked on the site earlier. well i don't have a credit card so most probably check na lang or money order.
may i know if how these things done
sorry for being very inquisitive
:bow:

You go to your bank where you have a savings or dollar account and then buy a money order check or bankdraft. Just tell them its for NCLEX or CGFNS coz they already know what to do. :)

What? Money order of check?? That's kinda tough to answer. Maybe you can go to Bank of America or any US recognized banks, see if you can get a money order there OR? get a traveler's check maybe?? But don't quote me on this. The best way is if you can call their hotline number and inquire it to them directly.

May I ask something to any nursing student or filipino nurses that is still in the Philippines? Did you guys take nursing degree with traveling/practicing in the US as the main thing in mind or what? How much percentage there is for pinoy nurse's main goal or agenda is to travel to the US, UK or Canada. I'm just very curious ....

^^ midwest, fortunately or unfortunately, the honest answer is yes! a majority of nurses and nursing students nowadays took or is taking nursing with the end purpose in mind of working overseas.

about the money order, i think the nclex applicants here in the philippines can have that money order be issued by a philippine bank provided, that nclex applicant have a dollar/savings account in the said bank, as what smile778 has stated. for one, i paid through a bank draft with a help of a friend for my nclex application back then

What? Money order of check?? That's kinda tough to answer. Maybe you can go to Bank of America or any US recognized banks, see if you can get a money order there OR? get a traveler's check maybe?? But don't quote me on this. The best way is if you can call their hotline number and inquire it to them directly.

May I ask something to any nursing student or filipino nurses that is still in the Philippines? Did you guys take nursing degree with traveling/practicing in the US as the main thing in mind or what? How much percentage there is for pinoy nurse's main goal or agenda is to travel to the US, UK or Canada. I'm just very curious ....

100% hahahaha. Just like what they all agree...Nursing is the easiest way to go to the US. With the present situation in our country, i dont think one will have the courage to settle here for the rest of their lives...If everybody will be given the chance to migrate...definitely they will grab it!. But unfortunately, some nurses werent able to materialize their dream coz their financially insufficient. Just imagine how much would it cost for somebody who would want to take a CGFNS exam?..the NCLEX, IELTS/ TOEFEL ibt etc.. etc.. aside from that, they need to pay for the review materials and the review courses as well. Then, the travel expenses when you take those exams...good thing theres NCLEX na here. haaaaay!!!!

What? Money order of check?? That's kinda tough to answer. Maybe you can go to Bank of America or any US recognized banks, see if you can get a money order there OR? get a traveler's check maybe?? But don't quote me on this. The best way is if you can call their hotline number and inquire it to them directly.

May I ask something to any nursing student or filipino nurses that is still in the Philippines? Did you guys take nursing degree with traveling/practicing in the US as the main thing in mind or what? How much percentage there is for pinoy nurse's main goal or agenda is to travel to the US, UK or Canada. I'm just very curious ....

if i may reply to this..the percentage is quite high.it's a fact that there's a lot of nursing grads every year w/ no jobs after that..aside from the US,loads go to the middle east/southeast asia as the expense is cheaper.
having a job as a nurse is a certainty,only if to work abroad..so why not be a nurse?compared to other professions wherein there's no job to apply them..

mehh NZ has always been like a backdoor of Australia...I know filo families who migrated to NZ first coz its not as difficult as coming to Australia..then after living in NZ for awhile they then migrated to Australia..it's like a stepping stone...haha no offense to any Kiwis there :P ....Having said that, there are Aussie nurses who even move to UK coz not because they offer more..but I think in our case it's more to do with the prestige of working overseas which would ultimately make their Resume/Curriculum Vitae look better when they apply for a higher position back home.

you bloody aussies! hahaha. just kidding. you should know too that i work with a lot of aussie nurses who migrated to new zealand. and of course you'll find heaps of nz nurses migrating to aussie. we even hav lots of pommies too. im not offended at all, because i dont consider my( not in a racially slandering way ok) self a kiwi and im moving to NY next year,but life is as good here as it can be in aussie. just depends on what ur priorities in life are. besides, the migration of skilled workers into new zealand just happened in the last decade, so its no surprise that there are only 20,000 filipinos living in new zealand. majority of those who migrated in the early 70's and 80's were filipino women married to kiwi men.

i havent lived in australia, only been there for a holiday, but there are some things im sure new zealand fares better in than OZ, no snakes, no flies, no cockroaches, and heaps of water. hehehe.

i wanna go to new zealand

i wanna go to new zealand

punta ka dito and make NZ ur backdoor to Aussie!

hehehe

^^^ I wanna visit australia, not really to work there, although i hear the boys there are kinda yummy.

Anyways, this following article makes me VERY VERY PROUD. Hats of to Mrs. Lara. 35 LONG YEARS IN NURSING, I know i won't last that long, nursing is so much of a burn out career nowadays.


Filipina nurse shines in US
By Cheeko Ruiz
Sunday, July 29, 2007
A Filipino-American has been named one of the 10 Best Nurse Leaders of the United States, an honor that Los Angeles-based senior nurse Lily Maniquiz Lara finds unparalleled.


Lara, nurse manager of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s Nursing Home Care Unit 213-2, won the 2006 ADVANCE for Nurses Journal’s Best Nurse Leader award. Vital to Lara’s winning was the successful implementation of a program that she created for the reduction of patient fall incidents. This program has been adopted as model for other fall prevention programs.

“I was challenged by my senior leadership team to address the increasing patient fall incidents in our unit. What I did was, together with my multi-disciplinary staff, implement specific changes that became a four-pronged approach to reduce patient falls,” Lara shared in an e-mail to The STAR.

The approach included hourly safety checks, assessment, communication with and assistance to patients.

Lara’s program was initially met with resistance by nursing assistants who felt the extra duties would stress an already heavy workload. But being a true leader, Lara not only gave orders but personally went on rounds with her staff, in the process showing them how the new procedure could benefit patients.

Not long after, the staff completely signed on to the new protocol, resulting in an 80 percent decrease in patient falls. Lara said the reduction has been sustained for seven years.

“Teamwork among the staff in my unit established a greater sense of collaboration to implement the most wonderful ideas in our quest to provide safety and high quality care to our elderly residents,” said Lara, who holds a staff satisfaction survey rate of 95 percent.

Because of the success of the project, Lara was awarded the Excellence in Nursing Innovation in 2004. This year, she was also awarded the Excellence in Nursing Management by the Philippine Nurses Association-America in Southern California.

Filipino traits

Lara is quick to point out that there are a lot of Filipino traits that helped her clinch the ADVANCE Best Nurse Leader award. Among these are a strong faith in God, self-discipline, humility and compassion.

“Self-discipline and fortitude to complete a college education at the Manila Central University – that equipped me with the essential ability to understand my patients. It is with this same discipline and education that I am able to step back and allow my disruptive patients to verbalize their anger and frustration; the same education that provided me with the skills to use de-escalating and therapeutic listening interventions to calm them down and guide them back to civility and reality,” Lara said.

She added that her ability to connect with people is a known Filipino quality.

“Whether it happens to be my patients, staff or physicians, I am able to relate to them on a specific level on an issue that is important to them. Being flexible and able to communicate with a variety of personalities is very important. It creates a comfort level that allows me to approach someone about a problem before it gets too big,” Lara said.

For Lara, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing her patients feel better, free from pain. It brings her happiness to know that she made a difference in their lives. She shares one particularly heartwarming story.

“One of my most unforgettable experiences is with this patient who kept following me wherever I went. At the end of the day, he followed me to my car and said: Can I go home with you, please?”

Support system

Lara attributes her success to the Lord and to her husband Romy, “the wind beneath her wings.”

She also thanked her parents who taught her that if she puts good into the world, more than double will come back.

“I would like to make special mention of my staff – my partners in doing projects, ensuring success, reformatting programs to make sure that they are a success. To name a few: Angelina Leiva, Nancy Grech, Carolyn Turner-Brown, George Hill, Maria Manzano, Lucy Bermudez, Crystal Barker, Nikki Baker and the multiple experts who mentored me in nursing administration, research and clinical practice such as Dr. Janice Morse, Dr. Jan Roper, Jenice Guzman Clark, Donna Beiter, Marlene Brewster, Bonnie Pierce, Lynn Miller, Sharon Valente, Dr. Mira Cantrell, Dr. Steven Castle and Dr. Maria Gonzalez,” Lara said.

“My advise to Filipino nurses is that it is not enough to dream. Work hard to accomplish your dream. Love and be passionate about nursing. Nursing is caring for the patient with integrity and commitment,” Lara said.

Lara has given 35 years of loyal service to the veterans at the VA, but she looks forward to the day she will be spending more quality time with her own family.

“I am confident that the work that I have done will be carried on by the future nursing leaders. Patient-centered care is more than a protocol. It is part of our Filipino personality and I am truly proud of it,” Lara concluded.

@smile778
@midwestguy1
@eonynx

:okay: thank you guys...now i have some info. i already opened an account to one of the banks here. thanks for your advice. :okay:
it's somewhat difficult if you're the eldest

@cheersmate
@midwestguy1

same here, i go for the hundred percent for the $$$ as the no. 1 reason
before, i really wanted to quit school during my college days
but now that i have graduated and took the local board, i didn't regret that i took nursing. the profession helped me a lot in improving my attitude and personality, and skills :wink2:

@echeverriavy
@dancethingy

i also want to visit and/or work in australia. :)
i want to meet the hillsong team esp. darlene zchech :)

How much percentage there is for pinoy nurse's main goal or agenda is to travel to the US, UK or Canada. I'm just very curious ....

i guess, almost all?

^^^^ Noob, i actually don't know of any nurse in the philippines who wouldn't want to get out of there. The differences in pay are too phenomenal. Also noob, i emphathize with you about being the eldest, its really really really difficult to be the eldest. Everyone looks to you for guidance and as an example. I don't regret having taken nursing either, it was the most important and practical decision i have ever made. Good luck buddy. Study hard, if you want me to email you practice questions from KAPLAN just tell me. I have like a thousand questions from 2005-2006 and heaven knows kaplan questions are the best. Almost like the real exam.

^tapos mo na ba msn mo, ben.pano ka pala nakapag22ro ng nurse

^^^^ Hey tigs, di pa ako tapos ng MSN ko. I have one more year to go before i can take my MSN. Di na ako nag22ro ngayon, teaching was very traumatic saakin. Im in the Emergency department here sa dubai for 2 years, yun sa contract ko eh. The great thing is i don't get taxed on my sweldo. YAY. Dyan sa US nakakasakit magbayad ng tax. Plus i get 12 days off the whole month. OMG! Musta ka na dyan tigs?

^^^^ Hey tigs, di pa ako tapos ng MSN ko. I have one more year to go before i can take my MSN. Di na ako nag22ro ngayon, teaching was very traumatic saakin. Im in the Emergency department here sa dubai for 2 years, yun sa contract ko eh. The great thing is i don't get taxed on my sweldo. YAY. Dyan sa US nakakasakit magbayad ng tax. Plus i get 12 days off the whole month. OMG! Musta ka na dyan tigs?

I wanna experience working in the middleast just for the heck of it, I hope they would let one work in the healthfield for let's say 6 mos to about a year instead of the whole 24 years of contract. I used to have one friend who tried working in I think Bahrain or it could be UAE as well they (couple) would always come back in the US after a few months and return, his gf is canadian, he is American. This was over 5 years ago, I hope they still do that there. I heard so much good thing about UAE particularly Dubai. Oh well, if they don't have that 6 mos set up, I guess I can always visit. I have a cousin in Al Ain she works in a Hotel there, maybe she can let me visit and stay there with her..

^^^^ Noob, i actually don't know of any nurse in the philippines who wouldn't want to get out of there. The differences in pay are too phenomenal. Also noob, i emphathize with you about being the eldest, its really really really difficult to be the eldest. Everyone looks to you for guidance and as an example. I don't regret having taken nursing either, it was the most important and practical decision i have ever made. Good luck buddy. Study hard, if you want me to email you practice questions from KAPLAN just tell me. I have like a thousand questions from 2005-2006 and heaven knows kaplan questions are the best. Almost like the real exam.

you "got" me "there".
sometimes, the pressure is so so so heavy that sometimes i want to hide somewhere and take a breather for all of these but when i see the real situation, i must move on.

looking back in college, i don't have the books as references. state university grad kasi ako, so not much yung pondo ng government kung minsan. nag uunahan pa kami sa lib noon para i-photocopy yung med-surg book. :lol:

but at least, i was lucky na approx a fourth or a third of the tuition yung binabayaran namin compared to feu/ust/st paul students. thankful din ako na level 3 aaccup yung college namin, tulad ng up con

hey guys, just curious (again) with the finger print card (hard card)

the california rn website says that "if you fail to list your social security number, your application for initial or renewal license will not be processed"

are they asking for our local sss number?

hey guys, just curious (again) with the finger print card (hard card)

the california rn website says that "if you fail to list your social security number, your application for initial or renewal license will not be processed"

are they asking for our local sss number?

no they're asking for the US Social Security number which you can't get your hands on until you become a green card holder. so your exempt from that requirement.

^^^^ Hey tigs, di pa ako tapos ng MSN ko. I have one more year to go before i can take my MSN. Di na ako nag22ro ngayon, teaching was very traumatic saakin. Im in the Emergency department here sa dubai for 2 years, yun sa contract ko eh. The great thing is i don't get taxed on my sweldo. YAY. Dyan sa US nakakasakit magbayad ng tax. Plus i get 12 days off the whole month. OMG! Musta ka na dyan tigs?

ok lang naman... from your area i was just there the other day, theyre expanding the old orchard mall, making it longer and bigger than woodfield

I wanna experience working in the middleast just for the heck of it, I hope they would let one work in the healthfield for let's say 6 mos to about a year instead of the whole 24 years of contract. I used to have one friend who tried working in I think Bahrain or it could be UAE as well they (couple) would always come back in the US after a few months and return, his gf is canadian, he is American. This was over 5 years ago, I hope they still do that there. I heard so much good thing about UAE particularly Dubai. Oh well, if they don't have that 6 mos set up, I guess I can always visit. I have a cousin in Al Ain she works in a Hotel there, maybe she can let me visit and stay there with her..

wont u inquire kbrjobs.com theyll send you to iraq w/beaucoup mulah as well

@ tigs, OMG i can't believe they are making Old orchard bigger. I hope they bring back the levis store and put a sisley. OMG, i can't wait to go back and SHOP TILL I DROP. I love old orchard the most during winter. It has such a great christmas-y kinda feel. I also miss skokie swift.

@ midwestguy. Dubai ain't as great as people make it out to be. TRUST ME. This is a city known for its facade. Al Ain is suburbia incarnate.


@ Noob, i have so much admiration for people who came from state universities. You guys are a treasure for the country.

@echeverriavy
thanks for the info

@dancethingy
:cheers1:

@ tigs, OMG i can't believe they are making Old orchard bigger. I hope they bring back the levis store and put a sisley. OMG, i can't wait to go back and SHOP TILL I DROP. I love old orchard the most during winter. It has such a great christmas-y kinda feel. I also miss skokie swift.

@ midwestguy. Dubai ain't as great as people make it out to be. TRUST ME. This is a city known for its facade. Al Ain is suburbia incarnate.


@ Noob, i have so much admiration for people who came from state universities. You guys are a treasure for the country.

Really? This Scottish fella I work with and once we traveled together to London for work mentioned to me about dubai, he said there are nice resorts there as well, like the Jumaira something. I'm not really thinking about going to Al Ain, my cousin told me it's just an old city, kinda bit backward comparing to dubai.. Well know knows. Thanks for your input anyhow.

no they're asking for the US Social Security number which you can't get your hands on until you become a green card holder. so your exempt from that requirement.

Or once he arrived in the US as even working visa holder can get US-SSN if they are authorized to work legally under H1B visa. I know I know, nurses are all petitioned as permanent resident now unlike how it used to be.I was just saying .... Even all Physical and occupational therapist gets the greencard when they arrive in the US.

@midwestguy

you said, all sorts of healt care worker do get a greencard nowadays, my question is, do you see a big philippine migration wave coming to the us?

do those who get green cards, immediately petition their relatives? chain migration?

i read a lot about these things and it is really fascinating me.

@midwestguy

you said, all sorts of healt care worker do get a greencard nowadays, my question is, do you see a big philippine migration wave coming to the us?

do those who get green cards, immediately petition their relatives? chain migration?

i read a lot about these things and it is really fascinating me.

I think I can safely say yes. Majority of them if not all of them have their families petitioned with them as a permanent resident status. A big number of nurses whom mostly are already married flew in to the US with their spouses and children, half of them elected to leave their family behind until after they pass their nursing board licensure examination and get settled in, then their families would follow. The unmarried ones usually petitions their parents if not their fiances if the they have any, after five straight years of US residency and when they acquire a US citizenship, that is if they elect to seek US citizenship which majority probably would do it.

@midwestguy

i really wonder, how big the backlog must be, you mentioned they are petitioning their relatives, so, based upon your observations, would you say, this is getting bigger and bigger? more of a trend, and no ending in sight??

i read, in the usa, the baby boomers are about to retire, therefore , there is a huge, really huge demand for nurses in the us? given the fact that so many nurses, and would be-nurses in the phils are trying to go there, and then petition their relatives, the number of filipino immigrants could really shoot up over the next, hmmmm, two decades? or even more? how do you see this?

Petition for the family is pretty easy and fast right now, the families don't have to wait that long.

Yeah, they are trying to fill in the staff in preparation to the retirement of the babyboomers. The US can't produce enough graduates yet because the babyboomers in proportion to the current US nursing student population isn't balanced, there would be less graduates when these boomers retire. There are alot of programs to lure US students to take up nursing degree even if it's an associate level but it is predicted that these students won't graduate in time the babyboomers retire so then, the US gov is trying to compensate until we have enough local graduates.

Ofcourse there is a limit on hiring and petitioning with families. From what I have heard from an immigration lawyer I knew, the US has reached it's mark or quota, so, maybe by next year or two, the US will close hiring of foreign trained nurses, but don't quote me on this one yet as to when it will happen. I'm sure they would welcome foreign trained nurses again once the demand is there one more time, it has happened before. I think it took about 10 years before this new wave of foreign trained nurses being hired that they stopped hiring, I mentioned foreign trained nurses because the US also started hiring Chinese, Indian and Korean nurses as well as some from Europe and canada not to mention alot of Puerto Rican nurses down in florida whom has more priveledged to work in the US being a US colony.

double posting

one time a fil nurse was punched by an abusive relative in ER..not forgetting those drunk and mentally deranged patients.
plus constant flow of critically ill/arresting pts:ohno:
2 hands are not enough...let alone being on ur feet the whole shift

practical nurses..i think it's a good idea.nurses not wanting to be one have only to retake and pass the board.
here in Uk..spouses that have no license in the phil can work as NAs..i think it'll take 18 mos further study to be able to practise

I worked in the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) for four long years and when I read cheersmate's narrative I couldn't help but make a posting as well.

I was verbally abused many many times. Im lucky that I am able to diffuse situations even when the family/relatives (if not the patient themselves!)appears that they're are going to hit you any moment and any physical abuse is avoided. The no. 1 problem here in the UK is the waiting times to be seen by a doctor. I either work in Triage or take charge of the Major treatment area most of the time being a senior staff and when the patient or family gets demanding its a pretty ugly picture trying to make everyone happy while keeping a sane environment. I tell you dancethingy is right when he said were not being paid enough. My headaches increased when the goverment passed the 4hour target for AE which means that patients should be seen and decision made within four hours after registering in the AE Dept. You'd think well that's fair enough. Not when the whole national health service is tightening their belts and wont hire enough nurse, How can you cope? I was left most of the time with two junior nurses running a major treatment area of 16 cubicles including a psyche room with a turn over time of four hours!

It was very unsafe as patients are not monitored regularly and doctors orders are not carried out ON TIME! Plus I take the hand over from ambulances who had to queue outside the AE because Im the only qualified person to do that being the senior on hand. Just imagine that when someone asks just what is it you exactly do?LOL

Now I work in intensive care. One on one patient who is breathing via a ventilator. I am on top of things all the time and you interact with the consultants and senior doctors and other multidisciplinary teams with the patient as the focus. You interact with the families and keep them informed of the clinical status of their patient and I get respect and gratitude in the end. I feel more content and happy after that switch.

Working overseas as nurse isnt exactly a bed of roses as what we most commonly think. There is also the sacrifice behind it being away from your family and loved ones and dont think that there wont be a hint of descrimination here and there sometimes in this time and age.