Monday, January 26, 2009

Board Topnotcher to Nurses: Passion to Serve is a Must

07/26/08
By Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

“WHEN you decide to become a nurse, there should be a passion to serve and to care,” said Aira Therese Salamanca Javier of the University of Santo Tamos (UST), who topped the recent Board of Nursing exams of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) with a rating of 86 percent.


She said that going abroad should not be the primary motivation to pursue a career in nursing.


Asked to comment on the controversial leakage of the nursing board exams in the past, she stressed that nurses should always stand for integrity and honesty because they’re dealing with people’s lives.


Javier topped the board exams out of 64,459 students who took it. She was a UST scholar for four years.




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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

20,746 Filipino nurses sought US jobs

INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- Despite the global economic meltdown that has hit the United States hard, with some 2.6 million Americans losing their jobs in the last 12 months, 20,746 Filipino nurses took the US licensure examination for the first time last year, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said Saturday.


In a statement, former Senator and TUCP secretary general Ernesto Herrera said the 20,746 represents a decline of 3.5 percent, or 753 fewer compared to the 21,499 Filipino nurses that took the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) administered by the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. (USNCSBN) for the first time in 2007.


The 20,746 also brought to 66,597 the total number of Filipino nurses that indicated their desire to enter the US nursing profession by taking the NCLEX for the first time since 2005, according to Herrera, former chairman of the Senate labor, employment and human resources development committee.


Citing USNCSBN statistics, Herrera said a total of 9,181 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX for the first time in 2005; 15,171 in 2006; and 21,499 in 2007.


Herrera said the slight decrease in the number of Filipino nurses that took the NCLEX for the first time in 2008 "does not necessarily suggest a trend."


"It is too early to say whether there is a downtrend, considering the drop was marginal, and came after huge increases of 65 percent in 2006 and 42 percent in 2007," he pointed out.


"Based on the initial feedback that we got from the NCLEX testing center here in Manila, which opened only in August 2007, there is a long waiting period before nurses can actually take the test. This is because so many have already lined up to take the test, and the center can only accommodate so many takers at a time," Herrera added.


Herrera earlier said only the healthcare and education sectors in the US are actually creating new jobs, and that the rest of that country's economic segments are either reducing personnel, or have ceased hiring.


But on Friday, even one of the world's largest pharmaceutical firms, New York City-based Pfizer Inc., said it was laying off a third of its 8,000 sales staff in the US, and eliminating 800 research positions.


Herrera, meanwhile, urged Filipino nurses that have been recruited by American employers or their Philippine agencies to get hold of the "Voluntary Code for the Recruitment of Foreign-Educated Nurses to the United States."


"The document, available online, is a must-read for every Filipino nurse planning to work in America," he said.


Herrera said the code essentially binds subscribers, including recruiters and employers, to minimum ethical standards in order to discourage abuses and to prevent the exploitation and discrimination of Filipino and other foreign-educated nurses in the US.

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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Top Nursing Schools in the Philippines in 2004

Based on Board Exam passing rates for 2000-2004 only 12 of the 175 Nursing schools had passing rates of 90% or higher. RANK SCHOOL OVERALL % Passing Rate

1 UP-Manila 100%
2 St. Paul College-Iloilo 99.57%
3 Silliman University - Dumaguete City 98.39
4 West Visayas State University 97.06%
5 University of Santo Tomas Manila 96.67%
6 Saint Louis University - Baguio City 95.05
7 Mindanao State University Marawi City 95.0%
8 St. Paul College-Dumaguete City 93.38
9 Pamantasan ng Lunsod ng Maynila 92.53%
10 SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY - Bayombong 91.02%
11 St. Paul College-Manila 90.81%
12 University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Center 90.57%

source: PRC



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Saturday, January 3, 2009

PRC November 2008 Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE) Results

Update: On an Inq7.net report, BON member Marco Antonio Sto. Tomas said, "With this volume of examinees, we might have the results next year already, in January or February(2009)." "It depends on how fast the machines will help us in the checking," he added.

Backtrack: The results of the December 2007 NLE Exam was released on February 21, 2008. Read More...

Nursing leakage controversy timeline

June 11-12, 2006: The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) conducted the nationwide Nursing Licensure Examination. Days later, reports that a leakage of actual test questions circulated.

June 21, 2006: A group of Nursing Board examinees filed a complaint against members of the Board of Nursing (BON) and Ray Gapuz, owner of the Gapuz Review Center. The PRC created an independent fact-finding committee to inquire into the alleged controversy.

After conducting its investigation, the committee found that a nursing exam leakage did occur. The test question manuscripts of BON members Virginia Madeja and Anesia Dionisio for Test III and Test V were copied and distributed to the reviewees of the Gapuz Review Center and INRESS before the actual examination dates.

July 17, 2006: The BON adopted Resolution No. 31 invalidating 20 items of Test III and re-computing the scores in Test V. As such, those who took the June 2006 examination would no longer be required to retake parts of the exam.

July 26, 2006: In an open letter, UST College of Nursing Faculty Association president Rene Luis Tadle's group filed an open letter, requested the PRC to defer the oathtaking of those who passed the nursing exams.

August 15, 2006: PRC and BON announced that they will proceed with the oathtaking of examinees who passed based on the recomputed scheme.

August 16, 2006: Tadle et al. asked the Court of Appeals to stop the PRC from implementing Resolution No. 31 and from allowing those who passed the June 2006 examinations based on the recomputed scores to take their oaths as nurses.

August 18, 2006: The Court of Appeals issued a temporary restraining order, preventing the PRC from enforcing Resolution No. 31 and proceeding with the oathtaking scheduled on August 22, 2006.

August 23, 2006: The Presidential Task Force on National Licensure Examination chaired by Dante Ang filed a petition in intervention, asking for a retake of Test III and Test V.

August 28, 2006: President Arroyo ordered the PRC to implement a revamp of the six-member Board of Nursing in view of the nursing exam leakage controversy.

September 27, 2006: In a press conference, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita disclosed that President Arroyo favors a nursing exam retake, but that she is leaving it up to the Department of Labor and Employment and the PRC to figure out how to proceed with it.

October 13, 2006: The Court of Appeals declared Resolution No. 31 null and void and ordered the PRC to conduct a selective retake of the nursing licensure exam among those whose names have were merely added to the list of successful examinees. CA also ruled that the successful examinees may take their oaths and get their licenses.

October 26, 2006: The Court of Appeals ruled that there was "no legal impediment" for the successful examinees of the June 2006 nursing exam to be sworn in.

February 14, 2007: The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) announced on its website that it has decided to deny VisaScreen certificates for Filipino nurses who obtained licensure on the basis of passing the June 2006 nursing licensure examination.

CGFNS said it is unable to certify that the licensure is comparable to a US license.

CGFNS however noted that the June 2006 passers can overcome this bar and qualify for a VisaScreen certificate by taking and passing the equivalent of Tests 3 and 5 on a future licensing examination administered by PRC.

February 16, 2007: President Macapagal Arroyo ordered the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to appeal the CGFNS decision.

February 19, 2007: A government-private sector task force was formed to make an appeal to CGFNS. The task force, headed by PRC chairwoman Leonor Rosero, was formed after a meeting between the PRC and nursing groups in Manila.

February 24, 2007: In a statement posted on the DOLE website, he said DOLE will offer the voluntary retake of Test 3 and 5 of the June 2006 Nursing Exam.

February 25, 2007: Labor Secretary Arturo Brion told said the CGFNS talked to him Rosero, telling them that no appeal will work in favor of the nursing graduates.

February 26, 2007: Brion said the labor department has started talks with deans of Centers of Excellence to conduct reviews for passers of the leakage-tainted June 2006 nursing licensure exams who are willing to re-take the equivalent of the controversial test modules. Meanwhile, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol said Malacanang does not need to issue an executive order to pave the way for a re-take. He said Brion just have to coordinate with the PRC and set the date for the re-take.

February 27, 2006: President Arroyo refused to make a categorical statement on the recommendation of the DOLE for a retake of the leakage-tainted licensure exam to accommodate Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentebella's request for more time for a last-ditch appeal.

March 4, 2007: A team of government officials and representatives of nursing graduates left for the US to appeal with the CGFNS the case of Filipino nurses. The team was composed of Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentebella, PRC Chair Rosero, Remigia Nathanielz, Fatima University official and Renato Aquino, president of the nursing batch of 2006.

March 5, 2007: In a statement posted on its website March 5, CGFNS stood firm on its February 14 decision to deny VisaScreen Certification to the June 2006 passers of the Philippine nursing licensure exam.

June 1, 2007: Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez ordered filing of criminal charges against two members of the Board of Nursing for the examination leakage.

courtesy of www.pinoyrn.blogspot.com Read More...

Best Places for Nurses in the USA

courtesy of www.nursingherald.blogspot.com
FULL STORY: READ

Minority Nurse recently announced a list of top ten cities and regions in the US that offer the highest salaries and the most number of opportunities for nurses.

Among the top ten include (in alphabtical order) Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Oakland, CA; Phoenix and Meza, AZ; Tampa and St. Petersburg, FL; and West Palm Beach, FL.

Summary:

Atlanta, GA
Annual Mean Salary for RNs: $53,360
Cost of Living Index: 97.7 (Lower is better)
Future Trends: Demand for nurses in Georgia will increase an estimated 51% from the year 2000 to 2020.

Baltimore, MD
Annual Mean Salary for RNs: $70,100
Cost of Living Index: 119.5
Future Trends: Demand for nurses in Maryland will increase an estimated 36% from the year 2000 to 2020.






Boston, MA
Annual Mean Salary for RNs: $70,460
Cost of Living Index: 136.4
Future Trends: Demand for nurses in Massachusetts will increase an estimated 29% from the year 2000 to 2020.






Charlotte, NC

Annual Mean Salary for RNs: $54,740
Cost of Living Index: 90.3
Future Trends: Demand for nurses in North Carolina will increase an estimated 51% from the year 2000 to 2020.






Houston, TX

Annual Mean Salary for RNs: $58,720
Cost of Living Index: 88.1
Future Trends: Demand for nurses in Texas will increase an estimated 57% from the year 2000 to 2020.





Las Vegas, NV
Annual Mean Salary for RNs: $59,470
Cost of Living Index: 107.6
Future Trends: Demand for nurses in Nevada will increase an estimated 59% from the year 2000 to the year 2020.






Oakland, CA

Annual Mean Salary for RNs: $80,270
Cost of Living Index: 143.9
Future Trends:
Demand for nurses in California will increase an estimated 58% from the year 2000 to 2020.

Phoenix and Mesa AZ

Annual Mean Salary for RNs: $56,960
Cost of Living Index: 100.4
Future Trends: Demand for nurses in Arizona will increase an estimated 61% from the year 2000 to 2020.




Tampa and St. Petersburg, FL
Annual Mean Salary for RNs: $52,960
Cost of Living Index: 98.8
Future Trends: Demand for nurses in Florida will increase an estimated 63% from the year 2000 to 2020.






West Palm Beach, FL

Annual Mean Salary for RNs: $57,930
Cost of Living Index: 118.9
Future Trends: The percentage of elderly citizens in West Palm Beach will continue to grow at a rate that outpaces the rest of the country. Read More...