Fewer Filipino nurses sought work in US in ‘09
A total of 15,382 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX for the first time from January to December 2009, a decrease of 5,364 compared to the 20,746 that took the examinations in the same 12-month period in 2008, according to former senator and TUCP secretary general Ernesto Herrera.
The NCLEX refers to the US National Council (of State Boards of Nursing) Licensure Examinations.
Compared to the record number of 21,299 Filipino nurses that took the NCLEX for the first time (that is, excluding repeaters) in 2007, Herrera said the 2009 figures were also down 28 percent or by 5,916.
TUCP’s disclosure came shortly after the Philippines' Professional Regulation Commission bared the results of the November 2009 eligibility examinations for nurses. Only 37,527 or less than 40 percent of the 94,462 nursing graduates that took the licensure test passed—the poorest performance since 2000.
To build up the competitiveness of Filipino nurses in foreign labor markets, Herrera pushed for:
* The immediate shutdown of 152 nursing schools previously classified as "substandard" by the Commission on Higher Education;
* The annual rating of the remaining 308 nursing colleges (net of the 152 to be closed down), based on the performance of their graduates in the local licensure examinations over the last five years, and the yearly publication of the rating of every college so that buyers of nursing education may be guided accordingly;
* The provision of free intensive second foreign language training, via the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, to nursing graduates seeking employment in non-English speaking countries such as Japan and the Middle East; and
* The strengthening of the capabilities of all state-owned hospitals, whether run by the Department of Health or by local governments, to provide superior clinical training to junior and senior nursing students.
On account of the overwhelming number of Filipino nursing students, Herrera lamented that many of them are not getting adequate clinical training or "related learning experience" in hospitals.
"Hospitals can no longer accommodate all our nursing students in emergency rooms, operating rooms, intensive care units, and delivery rooms. There are just too many of them waiting in line to observe procedures," Herrera said.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 | Labels: Nurses Abroad | 0 Comments
RP, Canada to renew job accords
Canada is set to renew existing agreements with the Philippines that seek to provide training and employment opportunities to Filipino nurses and other workers, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said Wednesday.
Director Salome Mendoza, head of the Canada desk of DoLE, said that the provinces of Skatschewan, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, all in the Western part of Canada, are reviving its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Philippines along with its implementing guidelines this year.
“The MOU for Manitoba is scheduled to renew this month, while Skatschewan and British Columbia are set to revive their MOUs within the first quarter of the year,’’ Mendoza said in an interview.
“For Alberta, although the MOU will expire on October, the implementing guidelines are already set for approval within the year as well,’’ she added.
Monday, February 15, 2010 | | 0 Comments
FEWER PINOY NURSES SEEK WORK IN U.S.
MANILA, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 (STAR) By Sheila Crisostomo - For the last three years, the number of registered Filipino nurses taking the US National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) has been declining, indicating that fewer Filipino nurses are seeking work in the United States, a labor organization said. Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) secretary-general Ernesto Herrera said only 15,382 took the US licensure exam for nurses in 2009, compared to 20,764 in 2008. In 2007, 21,299 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX.
The former senator said there is a need to “build up the competitiveness of Filipino nurses in foreign labor markets.” One way is to shut down the 152 nursing schools previously classified by the Commission on Higher Education as “substandard.”
Herrera also proposed that nursing schools publish their passing rates in the annual licensure exam “so that buyers of nursing education may be guided accordingly.”
He said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) should also provide free second-language training to nurses seeking employment in non-English-speaking countries.
Herrera also said that many nursing students do not get proper clinical training in hospitals because there are too many of them.
“Hospitals can no longer accommodate all our nursing students in emergency rooms, operating rooms and delivery rooms. There are just too many of them waiting in line to observe procedures,” he said.
“The capabilities of all state-owned hospitals, whether run by the Department of Health or by local governments, to provide superior clinical training to junior and senior nursing students (must be strengthened),” he added.
Sunday, February 14, 2010 | Labels: news | 0 Comments
