There’s a significant dip in the number of Pinoy nurses taking the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). NCLEX is just one of the many hurdles that Filipino nurses have to go through to be able to work as an RN in the United States.

According to the mid-year report of the United States National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), as of June this year, less than 6,000 Pinoy nurses took the NCLEX-RN. This number of test takers is 30% less compared to last year during the same period.

Despite this sudden plunge, the Philippines still has the most number of examinees taking the NCLEX just like last year. Trailing behind are India, South Korea, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Read related story: Filipino nurses taking US licensure exam down by 30% (gmanews.tv)

Four Filipino nurses were dismissed from their jobs in Maryland, United States after they spoke Tagalog while at work.

The said 4 Filipino nurses are Jazziel Granada, Hachelle Natano, Anna Rowena Abulencia Rosales and Corina Capunitan Yap. They said that their employer, Bon Secours Health System, terminated them “without due process,” for speaking Tagalog during work. The nurses violated a hospital policy which states that English should be utilized by all employees while on duty since it is the main language of their customers.

The nurses have filed a complaint last June before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Their immigration lawyer said that they will file a discrimination case against Bon Secours if the said commission allows the nurses the right to sue.

Read related story: Filipino Nurses Fired for Speaking Tagalog (newamericamedia.org)

Vice President Jejomar Binay has asked Japanese Ambassador Makato Katsura, who paid a courtesy visit on the Office of the Vice President to spruce up the training of Pinoy nurses under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Ageement (JPEPA).

It is noted that in the February 2010 Japanese National Nursing Examination (Kangoshi) administered by JPEPA, only one Filipino nurse had passed the exam.

Binay mentioned that Filipino nurses who wants to work in Japan need to have more training in Nihongo language proficiency. It is in this area that test takers are having difficulty with.

Read related story: Binay seeks enhanced training for Filipina nurses, caregivers (mb.com.ph)

In reference to the global need for more health workers in remote and rural areas, nurses and doctors in particular, the World Health Organization (WHO) has come up with dissemination strategies to its member-countries which includes the Philippines.

The Philippines is one of the member-countries of the WHO with a high record of migrating health workers.

WHO said there are still a huge need for provision of health services, the prevention and treatment of diseases in particular, in poor rural communities even if there are 60 million health workers worldwide.

Globally speaking, more than half of nurses and doctors work in towns in contrast to half of the population living in rural areas.

To improve this situation, WHO is going to help their member-countries encourage health workers to live and work in rural areas through their dissemination strategies.

Read related story: WHO stresses need for more nurses, doctors in rural areas (mb.com.ph)

In the February 2010 Japanese National Nursing Examination administered under the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) scheme, only one Filipino out of 257 applicants passed the test.

Under the said agreement, foreign nurses are required to undergo language training to be able to learn Nihongo.

It is the difficulty in Nihongo language and not the proficiency in nursing skills and competence that caused the poor turnout of successful Filipino nurse test takers.

The government of Japan has come up with measures to make their National Nursing Examination less difficult for foreign health care workers. Minor adjustments such as using familiar or easier terms could be one of them.

Read more: Japan eases exams for Filipino nurses (mb.com.ph)

3rd batch of NARS to be dispatched soon
By Sarwell Q. Meniano (leytesamardaily.net)

TACLOBAN CITY — The government will deploy next month the third batch of nurses to render six months service in 15 nutritionally-depressed municipalities of Northern Samar and Samar .
Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) regional Forter G. Puguon said that the implementation of Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (NARS) in selected areas will be extended considering the lack of nurses serving in depressed towns and high demand for health services.
Municipalities that are covered by Project NARS batch 3 are Lope De Vega, Mapanas, Las Navas, Mondragon, Pambujan, Palapag, Gamay Laoang, and Lavezares in Northern Samar; San Jose de Buan, Motiong, Tarangnan, Gandara, Sto. Niño, Sta. Margarita, Tagapul-an and San Jorge in Samar.

Puguon said that with five nurses assigned in every town, the total number of trainees will be 75 for the third batch. Priorities are those who were not hired during the first two batches.

“We have noticed during the deployment of the first two batches of nurses that there’s lack of health service providers in these municipalities. The number is now limited considering funding constraints,” the official said.
Hired nurses are tasked to initiate primary health, school nutrition, maternal health programs, first line diagnosis; inform about community water sanitation practices and also do health surveillance; and immunize children and mothers.

The NARS program was launched last year as the country felt the impact of global financial crisis, which reduces the demand labor force.
The training program will cover both the clinical and public health functions. Nurse trainees will rotate in their assigned hospital or rural unit for a period of three months. At the end of the third month, nurses who have completed their rotation in the hospital will be re-assigned to a rural unit and vice-versa.

“The project aims to address the glut in inexperienced nurses, promote health of the people and bring the government closer to them. The idea is to mobilize nurses in their hometowns due to low local and overseas demand for the services of inexperienced nurses. They are also helping their own people,” Puguon explained.

While on training, nurses will be given an allowance of P8,000 per month. This translates to about P366,00 per day for a 40 hours training every week.
“The regional office shall select qualified trainees based on criteria we used during the first two batches,” Puguon added.

A Certificate of Completion/Competency shall be issued jointly by the DOLE, Department of Health and Professional Regulation Commission after an assessment of the gained competencies of nurse trainees.

Article source: leytesamardaily.net

Number of jobless Filipino nurses increasing
by Apples Jalandoni (abs-cbnNEWS.com)

MANILA, Philippines – Richard Palikpik was one of the 92,000 nursing graduates who took the licensure examinations on Saturday.

Palikpik said he spent the last 3 months reviewing for the exam.

“Ayaw namin bumaba pa ang aming rating para hindi rin bumaba ang tingin ng ibang bansa sa amin,” he said.

But according to an official of the Review Center Association of the Philippines (RECAP), failing in the exams should be the least of the nursing graduates’ concerns.

“Ang pinakamahirap ay ang maghanap ng trabaho. Madali lang naman pumasa,” said Dr. Carl Balita, vice-president of RECAP.

According to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), there are 187,000 unemployed nurses in the country today. They can’t find work because there are no vacancies in hospitals, it added.

Read the rest of the article at abs-cbnNEWS.com

Filipino Health Workers Struggle in Filling Eldercare Gap
By Maricar C. P. Hampton (New America Media/Philippine News)

Nurse Edel Pimentel believes that Filipino health care providers will be especially able to deal with the demands of the 78 million aging boomers in the United States — plus their elderly parents — once they enter a healthcare facility, because Filipinos are “natural caregivers.”

In the Philippines, she said, “We tend to take care of our loved ones ourselves until they die. We don’t put them in nursing homes; we just don’t have that,” said Pimentel.

Read the rest of the article at newamericamedia.org

Filipina Nurses See Long Visa Delays Despite Nursing Shortage
By Maricar C. P. Hampton (New America Media/Philippine News)

Hannah Baslio had a difficult time when she first came to the United States four years ago and took a job as a nurses’ aide in a large New Jersey nursing home.

After a year of back-breaking work with too many patients and frequent double shifts, Baslio—one of the thousands of Filipina nurses or aides providing care to U.S. seniors–eventually moved to Maple Hill, a small group home in Maryland. There, she not only earns enough to help her family back home, but she grew to care for the seniors “in memory of my grandma, it’s like taking care of my family.”

“You have to have the right kind of heart and a lot of patience for this job. It’s not easy but if you love your job it’s easier,” Baslio said.

For decades the United States has turned to Filipina nurses, such as Baslio, and those from other countries, especially China, the Caribbean and India, to fill its growing shortage of nurses and nurses’ aides. American long-term care companies actively recruit nurses from the Philippines because of its U.S. style health care education programs.

Read the rest of the article at newamericamedia.org

Philippine Nursing Informatics Association pays courtesy call to Philippine Nurses Association
By Noel A. Bañez, R.N.

Manila, Philippines (June 29, 2010) — The Philippine Nursing Informatics Association (PNIA) took its first step to be recognized as a sub-specialty organization when it paid a courtesy call to the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) at the PNA National Headquarters in Malate yesterday.

“This is a very timely action,” lauded Dr. Teresita I. Barcelo, PNA national president, to the officers of PNIA on formally organizing an association specializing in the field of nursing informatics. “Nursing informatics is only of the emerging fields in nursing.”

The Philippine Nursing Informatics Association was established earlier this year with a vision of advancing nursing informatics in the Philippines through practice, education, research, and public awareness.

“We wanted to formally introduce PNIA as an organization to PNA,” expressed PNIA president Kristian R. Sumabat. “PNIA acknowledges the Philippine Nurses Association as the mother-organization of nurses in the country which provides guidance and direction to the future of Filipino nurses here and abroad.”

Founded in 1922, the Philippine Nurses Association is the only accredited professional organization recognized by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

“We also intend to know and understand the recognition process of a sub-specialty organization and solicit words of advice on possible projects and activities that PNA can hold independently and in partnership with PNA.”

Dr. Barcelo welcomed PNIA as an organization and was keen to note that the officers are pursuing post-graduate degrees in health informatics and are working in the health informatics industry. She also encouraged the officers to finish their master’s degree, continuously gain more experience, and be part of the academe.

The interim officers of the Philippine Nursing Informatics Association are the following: Kristian R. Sumabat (President) and Mia Angelica Alcantara-Santiago (Vice President) are both Clinical Systems Analysts of St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global City and Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) students at the University of the Philippines in Manila; Pia Athena L. Pelayo (Secretary) is the Phil-ETB Manager Project Coordinator for the Information System for Tuberculosis at the Department of Health’s National Epidemiology Center (NEC) and a former telehealth nurse at the UP Manila – National Telehealth Center (UPM-NThC); Alexandra Belle S. Bernal (Assistant Secretary) is currently an OR nurse at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and also a former telehealth nurse at UPM-NThC; Isidor F. Cardenas (Treasurer) is the Coordinator for Telehealth Services (including eLearning, and eMedicine) at the UP-NThC; Noel A. Bañez (Auditor) works as the Coordinator for Primary Health Care Informatics and the Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS) at the UP-NThC; Sheryl M. Ochea (Public Relations Officer I) worked as a renal nurse and finished her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – Information System at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A., and Arturo M. Ongkeko Jr. (Public Relations Officer II) is the Coordinator for Knowledge Management at the UP-NThC.

Sumabat also presented a copy of PNIA’s Constitution and By-Laws; and organizational profile to Dr. Barcelo.

PNIA is also inviting nurses to sign up as founding members. “We welcome online members such as registered nurses or student nurses interested in nursing informatics to be part of this historic undertaking and enlist as Founding Members of PNIA,” Sumabat said. Interested individuals may sign-up at the PNIA Call for Founding Members Google spreadsheet.

PNIA meets PNA