Some 40 percent of Filipino nurses in the United States have undesirable work habits, which could likely be the cause for the slump in the demand for Pinoy nurses, an educator said Friday.
An article in Sun-Star Cebu quoted Henry Seno, president of the American Dream Review Institute Inc. (Amdream) as saying that the decline in the demand for Filipino nurses abroad is caused more by a change in work attitude of the latest batch of nursing professionals rather than the June 2006 nursing board exam cheating controversy.
Amdream's website said it is an affiliate of a Los Angeles-based company with operations in the Philippines that serves as a springboard for Asian operations. It was conceptualized for the purpose of assisting nurses to pass the different US immigration requirements. The Philippines is a haven for medical professionals. However, the dilemma is, only a handful passes the test required for migration to the US.
“Nurses in the Philippines now are no longer of the same quality as the nurses five to 10 years back," Seno said.
He said 40 percent of Filipino nurses in the United States, despite receiving an average salary of $8,000 to $10,000 a month, “do not show up for work (and) literally do not report to the hospitals, especially those with immigrant status (while) those who report act as if they are not there because they’re busy doing other things."
Seno also hits the growing number of nursing schools in the country, churning out nursing graduates who are lacking in hands-on experience and a good grasp of educational background.
“There are more nursing schools now and so many nursing graduates. These schools have become mere diploma mills," Seno said.
This negative scenario, he said, has caused hospitals and clinics in the United States to recruit more nurses from India, Korea and China compared to those they hire from Philippines as these institutions have become apprehensive in their choice of nursing imports.
Seno also blames local recruitment agencies for taking advantage of the need for nurses in the US by “duping" hospitals and health institutions to hire Pinoy nurses who are not qualified for nursing jobs.
Source
Showing posts with label Nursing News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nursing News. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Filipino nurses still in demand
MANILA – Contrary to the claims of a group of Filipino nurses, the Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) maintained that the global demand for locally-trained medical practitioners remains high especially in Western countries with an aging population.
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said the global demand for Filipino nurses is high but the lack of adequate and necessary experience prevents many of them from finding overseas employment.
“(The only question) is how acceptable they would be given their experience,” Roque was quoted by GMAnews.tv as saying.
The Labor chief rebuked the claims of the Philippine Nursing Association (PNA) earlier this month that an oversupply of Filipino nurses has resulted from the declining demand for nurses in the United States and United Kingdom.
Roque asserted that Saudi Arabia alone is “in need of 10,000 nurses for their public hospitals” and they are looking for Filipino nurses to fill in these vacancies.
He said there is also a growing demand for Filipino nurses in Canada as well as Australia.
While he admitted that the US is putting a cap on the entry of Filipino nurses, Roque said this should not prevent Filipinos from looking at other possible market for capable nurses.
“We are preventing the demand because we don’t want them to leave in fear that the supply will run out. But there are (other) markets for them,” Roque said.
Earlier, Dr. Leah Samaco-Paquiz, president of the PNA, said the demand for Filipino nurses had “plateaued” in the US since 2006 because of the “visa retrogression” there.
“In the US, the quota for visas has been filled up resulting in delayed processing of visas with current efforts focused on 2006 accepted applicants,” Paquiz said.
She added that “many licensed nurses are now underemployed or unemployed as a result of changes of policy in destination countries, the current situation of oversupply and quality problems, among others.”
Despite this situation, Dean Leonora Reyes, vice president of Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing, said they could not discourage people from taking up nursing.
“We cannot tell people not to enroll but they should choose the reputable program (nursing schools) that can deliver. They must go to reputable institution, (the ones that are) accredited because priority is given to those coming to these schools,” Reyes said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Marilyn Lorenzo, director of University of the Philippines’ Institute of Health Policy and Development Studies, recalled that the demand for Filipino nurses begun to rise in 1999 but slowed down in 2006.
The demand for nurses abroad had led to the rise in nursing schools and graduates in the Philippines.
In 1999, the number of nursing graduates was only 5,672 while in 2004 and 2005, the number of graduates increased to 14,383 and 34,589, respectively.
But experts believed that the boom in nursing would again happen after 10 years.
Source
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said the global demand for Filipino nurses is high but the lack of adequate and necessary experience prevents many of them from finding overseas employment.
“(The only question) is how acceptable they would be given their experience,” Roque was quoted by GMAnews.tv as saying.
The Labor chief rebuked the claims of the Philippine Nursing Association (PNA) earlier this month that an oversupply of Filipino nurses has resulted from the declining demand for nurses in the United States and United Kingdom.
Roque asserted that Saudi Arabia alone is “in need of 10,000 nurses for their public hospitals” and they are looking for Filipino nurses to fill in these vacancies.
He said there is also a growing demand for Filipino nurses in Canada as well as Australia.
While he admitted that the US is putting a cap on the entry of Filipino nurses, Roque said this should not prevent Filipinos from looking at other possible market for capable nurses.
“We are preventing the demand because we don’t want them to leave in fear that the supply will run out. But there are (other) markets for them,” Roque said.
Earlier, Dr. Leah Samaco-Paquiz, president of the PNA, said the demand for Filipino nurses had “plateaued” in the US since 2006 because of the “visa retrogression” there.
“In the US, the quota for visas has been filled up resulting in delayed processing of visas with current efforts focused on 2006 accepted applicants,” Paquiz said.
She added that “many licensed nurses are now underemployed or unemployed as a result of changes of policy in destination countries, the current situation of oversupply and quality problems, among others.”
Despite this situation, Dean Leonora Reyes, vice president of Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing, said they could not discourage people from taking up nursing.
“We cannot tell people not to enroll but they should choose the reputable program (nursing schools) that can deliver. They must go to reputable institution, (the ones that are) accredited because priority is given to those coming to these schools,” Reyes said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Marilyn Lorenzo, director of University of the Philippines’ Institute of Health Policy and Development Studies, recalled that the demand for Filipino nurses begun to rise in 1999 but slowed down in 2006.
The demand for nurses abroad had led to the rise in nursing schools and graduates in the Philippines.
In 1999, the number of nursing graduates was only 5,672 while in 2004 and 2005, the number of graduates increased to 14,383 and 34,589, respectively.
But experts believed that the boom in nursing would again happen after 10 years.
Source
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Oversupply of Nurses?
Jul 10, 2008
Could it be that the
A report from the University of the Philippines Dean of the College of Nursing revealed that indeed our country has so many nurses that new nursing graduates are finding it hard to find jobs. The competition among nursing grduates is so stiff that local hospitals can now afford to hire nurses for free.
Another proof that we have too many nurses is a report from the President of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), Leah Paquiz, that the quota requirement for migrant workers in America for this year had been reached.
This is not the first time that the Philippines had experienced an oversupply of professionals of a particular field. There was a time when demand for Physical Therapists (PT) abroad made the course very popular among Filipino students only to find out later that the supply becomes greater than the demand and many PT graduates found themselves jobless or if employed, in a job that offer very little or no monetary pay.
The cliché that history repeats itself seems to be true in this case as it seems to be happening again with the nurses. In spite of the obvious oversupply of nurses, nursing schools continues to proliferate and offer nursing courses to hopeful students; almost all of them wishing to land a job overseas.
What’s worse is that many of these new nursing schools are mere diploma mills adding more number of nurses every year. The government program that “ladderizes” nursing education allowing students to be practical nurses also adds to the oversupply problem.
The impending future of too many nurses posed a serious problem for the country that should not be ignored. Paquiz of PNA said, “There is no local demand or positions for practical nurses within the Philippine Health Care Delivery system particularly in the light of the oversupply of nurses and subsequent unemployment of graduate nurses.”
The PNA are calling the attention of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to monitor and be strict against new nursing schools and even on courses that offer two-year practical nursing program. Paquiz said that foreign employers still prefer the four-year college-degree nurses who passed the Licensure Board Exams.
A PNA statement said, The PNA “strongly objects to the institution of the Practical Nursing program and vehemently rejects the proposed ladderization of the nursing curriculum,” a PNA statement said.
The PNA also want to emphasize that more than the quantity, the Philippines should focus more on producing quality nurses and not to view nursing as a surefire way out of poverty .
source
Friday, May 23, 2008
Group opposes implementation of new nursing curriculum
The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (Cocopea) voiced strong opposition against the new nursing curriculum that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) wants to implement this June.
The group said, under the new curriculum, it would take a student five years to finish the course from the current four years because of additional subjects.
Additional subjects mean parents would have to shell out more money for tuition, lab fees and books.
"Do not overburden the students. Wala na nga silang oras sa sarili. What kind of graduates would we be producing?" said Fr. Antonio Samson, president of Ateneo de Zamboanga.
School officials expressed concern that pending tuition increase would affect the number of students interested to take up nursing.
"Kung dati 1,000 baba yun kasi hindi sila handa sa dagdag gastos," said Dr. Amelou Reyes, president Philippine Women's University.
Under the new curriculum, students would have to spend an additional 561 hours in their required learning experience or hospital hours.
Cocopea said under the old curriculum, students are already having difficulty finding suitable hospitals. It added that the additional hours would only exacerbate the logistical problem of schools.
The group warned it will ask for a temporary restraining order with the Supreme Court if CHED continues to turn a blind eye on the repercussions of the new curriculum.
CHED, meanwhile, defended the proposed curriculum. It said that it already compromised with school officials that they would be given a year to implement the new curriculum.
"The commission en banc has decided that nursing schools that are ready to adopt and implement the new curriculum can, those who cannot they are given one year," said Dr. William Medrano, CHED Chief Operating Officer.
The commission asserted that changing the curriculum is their way of further improving the quality of nursing education in the country.
"The technical committee only wants to enhance the skills of our nurses and to improve further the quality of nursing education," said Medrano.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
December 2007 Nurse Licensure Examination (UPDATE) 43% of 67,000 pass nursing board
MANILA, Philippines -- At least 43 percent of the 67,000 examinees who took the nursing board in December 2007 have passed, Leonor Rosero-Tripon, chairman of the Professional Regulation Commission told INQUIRER.net Thursday.
Tripon said the 43.42 percent passing mark was “within the usual range.”
She said among the nursing graduates who took the exam were those who were required by the Court of Appeals and the United States' Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools after the June 2006 leakage of some test questions.
The controversial exam resulted in new procedures for testing and checking of tests.
A radio report said graduates from the St. Louie University, Xavier University, Siliman University, Trinity, Mindanao State University, and Palawan State University were among the top 10.
Monday, February 11, 2008
US Immigration Visa Legislation for Nurses Awaited
by Bong Reblando
GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The US Congress would likely pass immigration visa legislation for foreign nurses, including Filipinos, only after the US presidential election in Nov. 4 this year, a New Jersey executive nurse said.
"A law on immigration visa may be passed next year since US Congress is too busy now in the presidential campaign, a sagging economy, and the war in Iraq," Darlene Dilangalen Borromeo, associate director of Nursing at Bergen Medical Center in New Jersey, said.
She explained that the absence of immigration visas has stalled processing of applications of Filipino nurses, particularly those who have already passed the Nursing Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX).
Borromeo disclosed since the quota for Filipino nurses has already been consummed and only the US Congress is empowered by law to allocate new quotas for foreign workers including Filipinos wanting to work in the US, the US embassy in Manila has no visa to issue.
But the Philippine-born American nurse emphasized that the US Congress would prioritize the law on immigration visas since healthcare is one of the primary issues in the US presidential campaign.
"Certainly, a law on granting immigrant visas for foreign nurses and health workers is an immediate concern of the US Congress, the same way with economy and the war in Iraq," Borromeo said.
She said the US needs 1.2 million nurses in the next 10 years to cope with the country’s healthcare program as most nurses now are retiring, with their average age ranging between 45 to 65 years old.
On top of this, Borromeo also disclosed the need for more nurses in the US as many existing hospitals in the US are expanding and several others having been newly constructed.
A native of Barangay Lagao here, Borromeo made the remarks during the recent "Nursing Leaders Night" hosted by the Beta Nu Delta Nursing Society headed by Prof. Jerome Babate at the city’s downtown Family Country Hotel Convention Center.
The immediate president of the Philippine Nurses’ Association (PNA) in New Jersey, Borromeo attended the three-day International Nursing Conference in historic Manila Hotel last Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, along with her three nursing student scholars.
Borromeo is an honorary member of the Beta Nu Delta Nursing Society, which was founded by nurses and nursing students of Notre Dame Marbel University and Notre Dame of Dadiangas University in 1973. The Beta Nu Delta Nursing Society, which now accepts nursing students from Brokenshire Nursing College in the city, has conferred Borromeo as an honorary member, wherein she opened the Darlene Dilangalen Borromeo Nursing Leadership Program.
Read full article hereTuesday, January 29, 2008
So you want to be a Nurse in the US
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - A Filipino nurse quit his job and sold all his belongings, all for the promise of a lucrative job at an American hospital. Little did he know that the recruiter wouldn’t show up and would run away with his money. This nurse had settle for another job in Saudi Arabia, a far cry from his American dream.
A fellow nurse had better luck and was even promoted supervisor in another hospital. But his salary was much lower than that received by American nurses under him, a difference of almost $10 in a workplace where every penny counts.
Several other Pinoy nurses hired under recruitment agencies were treated as second-class citizens. “They assume that Filipinos don’t have lives,” one of them complained, citing instances when they would be plucked out of precious “off” days for another round of hard labor. To think that they were chronically paid less than other agency nurses.
So, do you still want to be a nurse in the United States?
Groundbreaking report, “a crucial first step”
These sad stories and more of the same are revealed in a groundbreaking report by a US-based policy research group on the “burgeoning”—but largely uncharted—American nursing industry.
The study by AcademyHealth zeroes in on unethical practices of recruitment of foreign educated nurses (FENs), particularly Filipinos.
The 41-page report released last November identified at least 25 problems reported by FENs interviewed for the study. Many of these abuses allegedly came at the hands of “staffing” agencies for which many FENs end up working at a much lower salary besides finding themselves in substandard living conditions.
Many of the nurses interviewed were Filipinos, who, according to a 2007 survey of the American Hospitals Association, were working in 84 percent of US hospitals hiring FENs.
Former Health Secretary Jaime Galvez Tan, who furnished the Inquirer a copy of the study, said the report was a crucial first step in addressing unethical recruitment practices in the US.
He said all eyes were on the Philippines because it was the biggest supplier of nurses worldwide. AcademyHealth said it “remains the most important source-country for the United States,” which, according to its study, would have a demand for around 800,000 nurses by 2010.
RP is test case
“The US is finally taking notice,” Galvez Tan told the Inquirer in an interview ...
Read full story HERE
Thursday, January 24, 2008
100,000 Nursing Graduates expected to take June board
What nursing shortage?
As many as 100,000 Filipino nursing graduates are expected to take the licensure examination this June, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced yesterday.
PRC chair Leonor Rosero said between 80,000 to 100,000 nursing students graduating in March are projected to take the eligibility test set on June 1 and 2.
Rosero urged examinees to file their application and all the necessary requirements early to avoid overcrowding at designated PRC filing centers.
According to Rosero, nursing students graduating this school year can take the licensure examination provided they were able to submit all the necessary documentary requirements.
Examinees may file their applications at the PRC central office or regional offices in the cities of Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Lucena, Tacloban, Legaspi, Tuguegarao and Zamboanga.
Rosero said applicants have until April 18 to file their application forms.
Those who are unable to take the June examination may take the eligibility test on Nov. 29 and 30.
PRC has recorded an increasing trend in the number of examinees, as more Filipinos are opting to take up nursing so they could work overseas.
Filipino nurses are highly in demand and highly paid abroad, prompting even Filipino doctors to take up nursing courses.
But based on PRC data, only half of the nursing examinees pass the licensure examination. The low passing rate is partly to blame for the reported growing shortage of nurses in the country.The Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Health are now drafting measures to address the shortage brought about by the continuing exodus of Filipino nurses.Government officials said measures have to be taken to protect the domestic requirement for nurses and prevent the possible paralysis of the country’s health system.
Meanwhile, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion urged countries hiring Filipino workers to help the Philippines replenish the supply of Filipino manpower.
Brion said foreign employers must share the burden in the training and education of Filipino workers to ensure sufficient supply of skilled workers.
By Mayen Jaymalin
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Philippine Star
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