Professional Regulation Commission Philippine Board of Nursing Results for December 2007

Finally, the most awaited results for the December 2007 Nursing Board Exam is out. The most awaited moment for thousands of hopefuls. Check out the official results at the Professional Regulation Commission website itself.

My colleagues told me I passed but I can't access the PRC site while I'm writing this.

I have refrained from updating this blog until I passed the board, believing that blogging about Filipino nurses is a privilege of those who have taken the oath and wears the badge. If, indeed, I have passed, expect a lot of changes in this blog for the better.

To all those who passed the board last December 2007, congratulations!

Proud to be Pinoy! Prouder to be a Filipino Nurse!

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Criminal Charges Filed Against the Perpetrators of the Nursing Board Scandal

It's been nearly a week since the news came out that criminal charges in violation of Republic Act No. 8981 or the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Modernization Act of 2000 and Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act will be filed against former Board of Nursing members Anesia Dionisio and Virginia Madeja by the Ombudsman. The two are said to be the sources of the leaked notes that found their way into review centers at Baguio City and Manila City, later culminating into the infamous Philippine Nursing Board scandal of June 2006.

By the time of this posting, a number of the 17,000 strong June 2006 board passers who were ordered to retake test 3 and 5 may have already shaded that last square in their questionnaires. The announcement that criminal charges will be filed against the culprits will by no means erase the anxiety and hardship they went through the past months. However, I do hope that it'll somehow return what the scandal has taken away from them.

A classmate of mine, and a second courser like me, sent my wife a text message last Saturday to pray for him because he was taking test 3 and 5. I was genuinely surprised because I thought guy was already studying for the NCLEX in the United States. He was already working in the U.S. before he decided to come home and earn a nursing degree. Looked like he wanted a clean sheet.

His message reminded me of another classmate of ours, an accountant before he became a nurse and the top notcher in our school's pre-board, who personally returned his license to the local PRC office after news of the scandal broke out. He took the board again without being required to do so last December of 2006 and passed, again. I learned last summer that, initially, it was announced that he failed so he hired a lawyer to check on his questionnaires. Turned out he passed, by a wide margin. I can't help but think, "Atta boy, atan! You showed those people again!"

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Nurse Shortage: A Myth

I'm not referring to western countries but the Philippines, where politicians has drafted a resolution that will require all recent nursing graduates and board passers a compulsory three-year service due to the perceived shortage of nurses in hospitals across the country, especially government ones. I wonder where they got their record of the supposed shortages of nurses. I knew there were more than 15,000 new nurses who passed the board last December 2006. If we think about all those new nurses every June and December, we get an idea of the general numbers especially since not even a quarter of them gets the chance to be hired abroad.

So why is there a nursing shortage? Some estimate the nurse-patient ratio from 1:10 to 1:50 and I've affiliated in government hospitals where 20 medical-surgical patients were cared for by only one nurse and a nursing aide. The answer, clearly, is not in the general number of nurses in the country.

It won't take a rocket scientist to get a real look at the situation. Hospitals are short of nurses because there are no decent jobs available. Whatever jobs there are, the pay is not even enough for nurses to get a semblance of dignity. Consider the cost and effort of becoming a nurse. Seven thousand dollars ($7,000.00) for four years of one of the most rigid training in any known course is a conservative estimate. Cheap by international standards, but not so for an average Filipino family. How about the entry level pay? Less than $150.00 per month, $1,800 in a year, nearly four years to recoup the cost of a nursing education.

How about if nurses do it for God, people, and country? Fine. Except that even volunteer jobs are hard to come by. Worse, some enterprising hospitals are charging new nurses an affiliate fee for the privilege of working with them. Nursing indeed has become the milking cow in the Philippines. It's no wonder that new nurses are instead opting to work for call centers where they receive decent pay and a nice working environment.

Government hospitals do not have many nursing positions available and most of them have been filled-up. Obviously, before any law is passed requiring new Filipino nurses to serve their country for three years, the politicians should first work to provide the necessary jobs for them. They will see, the nurses will naturally gravitate to them without need of any law.

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The Business of Nursing Review Centers

I came across some articles on internet marketing that teaches novices to exploit the dreams and fears of a target market. I guess it's true for all types of marketing, just look at all those products promising youth and beauty. However, it is sad to note that Philippine review centers are using the same strategy.

I recently attended a pre-selling seminar by a local review center. Before we went into the details of attending a review in one of their classes, the participants were treated to a brief show of possible scenarios if we fail to take the board exams or if we failed the board exams, in humorous context. It was quite entertaining except for the fact that all the funny shots depicted life in the Philippines. The recruiters were implying that there is no bright future for nurses in our country.

I’m not a hero but do we really have to rub it in? Is it amusing if one chooses to share their skills with their compatriots even for a short time before seeking greener pastures? Is it the height idiocy to serve those who need our services? For some, Nursing is a business, for us, it is a vocation.

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Initiative or the Lack of It

I recently attended a seminar in nursing whose resource person is one of the Philippine pillar in reviews for nursing examinations. My memory is like a sieve so most of what was uttered by the speaker went in one ear and out the other except for this statement: Filipino nurses, compared to their foreign counterparts, are less inclined to express themselves. The statement was rather ambiguous so I assumed he meant that Filipino nurses are less likely to take the initiative. That ruffled my feathers a bit but upon further reflection, I saw the issue through his eyes.

The truth in his statement is a result of the training most of us received in nursing school. There we were indoctrinated to follow orders and do everything by the book. We were given a lot of things to memorize and seldom given a chance to explain our views of them. We learned by rote, not reason.

Even the word creativity takes on a convoluted meaning. When we were told to be creative in our presentations, it almost always meant role-playing. A lot of nursing schools don’t have organizations for nursing students, where we can practice such skills as leadership and independent-thinking. We were not encouraged to think out of the box.

Authorities may contend that a good nurse is one who can follow orders consistently. However, we know nursing as it is today because Florence Nightingale dared to think and act differently than what was the common perception during her day. Nursing became a modern and dynamic vocation because its ranks sprouted theorists and doers that probed beyond its known boundaries.

Nursing’s basic knowledge base has its purpose but I doubt if mastering them will make us excellent care givers. My few favorite professors, members of the old guard, were fond of saying that Nursing is an art. From what I know about it, art knows no limitations.

*"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited; Imagination encircles the world." - Albert Einstein

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Choosing THAT Nursing School

Another school year looms less than three (3) months away. Starry-eyed youths full of hope and expectations would again be beating a path to nursing colleges across the nation. They will come from varied backgrounds but will be united by the dream of a brighter future for themselves and their families.

If you are a nursing hopeful or the parent of one, getting your money’s worth in education is a primary concern. It pays to make informed decisions about where to get that diploma. With the surfeit of nursing schools, there are a lot of options to choose from and money traps to be aware of. Narrow your alternatives with the following points:

1. Government Nursing Schools

Try to get into government nursing schools. The entrance exams are tougher but they are worth it if you pass. You get high quality education subsidized by taxpayers. In addition, such schools are not under pressure to take in more students to help pay for the overhead cost or rake in profits.

2. Private Nursing Schools

Private nursing schools are so pervasive that you can usually find one or two in most major cities. Don’t just go and enroll in the nearest one or those with fancy buildings and billboards. Get some information on the following first:

a. Related Learning Experience (RLE) Affiliation.

Some schools have private hospitals but they won’t do nursing students any good if they don’t have any patients to attend to. Public hospitals are where students' skills get honed. Due to the huge number of nursing students taken in by some schools, some of their affiliate hospitals are already located two to five cities away. You need to factor in the lodging and bus fare to the total cost of education. In addition, psychiatric affiliations are not created equal, students may need USD600.00 to USD1,400.00 for the fee depending on the location of the psychiatric hospital their schools are affiliated with.

b. Teachers and Clinical Instructors.

Modern buildings, high tech equipment, and comfortable classrooms contribute to a better learning experience but the basic building block of any educational system is still the instructor. Inquire from higher nursing students and nursing graduates regarding the quality of their teachers and Clinical Instructors. You want somebody who is attuned to the needs of the students, not people who are embroiled in their own frustrations or focused on getting that coveted job. Nothing is perfect so choose schools with 50% or more of their instructors considered as good. That way, you’ll have a 50% chance of getting a good education.

c. Books

Some schools require new books every semester while others don’t. Ask yourself if you really need new books every year. If you are into IT and computers I’d advise you to get updated every month but nothing happens that fast in the world of nursing. So if the school you are considering forces new books down your throat, maybe you need to step back and take a broader view of things. It’s always cheaper to cajole or borrow from friends and family your reading and reference materials.

Getting a nursing degree is an expensive and time-consuming process. The cheapest way is usually not the best but you can still find quality nursing education at a bargain if you look and try hard enough. If you must pay then at least get what you are paying for and some more.

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Of Scandals, Hope, and Injustice

We thought that the decision to make NCLEX available to examinees right in Manila have relegated the June 2006 Philippine Nursing Licensure Board Examination scandal to the dark recesses of our memories. Yet the recent announcement of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) that passers of the June 2006 Board Exam who did not opt for a re-take are not eligible for a VisaScreen Certificate is a grim reminder to the almost 17,000 board passers that their predicament is not over yet.

It’s bad enough that they have been dumped together as cheaters and is having a hard time finding jobs in their home country. Now, their hope of making a better tomorrow for themselves and their families was nipped in the bud. To think that the great majority of them do not even have anything to do with the scandal but only happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The best those nurses can do is take the board again, at their expense. I had classmates who did just that, they passed the June 2006 examination and took it again last December to clear their names. Of course, they passed that one too. However, the injustice of the whole exercise is unmistakable. Especially since the investigation on the perpetrators, who have possibly reaped millions for their nefarious act, has already fell silent.

Wherever Filipino nurses go, we are going to take with us that indelible mark. In a profession where the cost of a single mistake can be the loss of a life, the pressure is on us to prove ourselves capable before we can earn the trusts of our colleagues. The least our government can do is quickly bring those responsible for the scandal to unadulterated justice to uphold our integrity.

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The Milking Cow is White

March is less than a month away. Soon, innumerable colleges and universities will be churning out hordes of nursing graduates. Even before those new nurses are out of their togas, signs and ads are sure to mushroom and announce the opening of another school year. Each extolling the virtues, imagined or otherwise, of each college to try and lure the most number of nursing hopefuls.

Nursing is a HUGE business. Nowadays, you can only become a nurse in two (2) ways: you got to have brains or your parents can cough-up money, copious amounts of it. If you’ve got both brains and money, then you are made for nursing, that is, if the thought even crosses your mind.

If you are fortunate enough to make it to the upper percentile of your class, there are always scholarships available or you can try one of the government nursing schools. Those schools have real entrance examinations and I personally know a few whose cut-off score is 90% for their nursing colleges.

If you are like me and belongs to the average or lazier pool then be ready to part with your dough. Nursing colleges will try to squeeze out every drop of the color green (as in money) out of your pockets. These are just a few ways nursing students are made into milking cows:

1. Entrance examinations

Be thankful for colleges who conduct real entrance examinations. I paid around USD7.00 for mine and was given 10 sheets of questionnaire to fill up. I answered them carefully and was the one of the last to submit my papers. By afternoon the results were in, we all passed but I didn’t get to see my scores. I guess the test was just for show, what they really want was my money.

2. Reservation fee

This one is really creative. After passing the entrance exam and submitting the necessary papers, some colleges requires nursing aspirants a “reservation” fee so they get a chance to enroll the necessary subjects. Why would they accept students in the first place if they are not sure the enrollees will have a class to attend?

3. Books

We all know this one, new books every year. There was even an instructor of mine who required us another book since the one sold by the college is not up to his standards. My sister has books from 1991 that I still use as references. Nothing much has changed between them and the newer ones, like hand washing is still done with water and soap. In addition, I find the older books easier to read and understand.

4. Uniforms

We love smart uniforms and we will love them even more if nursing colleges does not change them too often. Nursing uniforms are often sold by some colleges at exorbitant prices so parents and students naturally look for less costly alternatives, which private seamstresses and tailors gleefully provide. These colleges counter the enterprising activities by coming up with new uniforms using exclusive cloths, colors, and patterns that are not available in most cloth shops.

5. Laboratory fees

Laboratory fees are supposed to cover the chemicals, materials, and equipment we use. That certainly is fine except that when we are fortunate to see the insides of a laboratory, we often brought own chemicals and materials and use antiquated equipment. How many students have to share one microscope?

6. Affiliation fee

Related Learning Experiences (RLE) is the backbone of any nursing course. We are ready and willing to pay our affiliation fees to get the precious experiences we need. There was this college, not the one I’m graduating from, where I get to see a hospital only twice for one whole semester. Ward classes in our college building were what we mostly did and all those nursing procedures and terminologies were already oozing out of my ears. What I needed was to see or do those procedures for them to get stuck in my mind.

7. Miscellaneous fee

Being a nursing student is like living in a rarefied world separate from the ordinary humdrum of life. Nursing colleges has got everything covered with fees, except maybe for a tax on farting. Yet there is still this substantial amount on our pay slip marked miscellaneous fees. Nobody could explain what it was for. It became such a big deal on that former college of mine that a nursing student, who is also a lawyer, was expelled for insisting that school authorities provide a list of the items covered by miscellaneous fees. Maybe it is a politically correct term for a tax on farting.

So what is the average Juan, Pedro, and Maria dreaming of becoming a nurse has to do? Be wise and make informed decisions BEFORE enrolling in a nursing school. But that’s another story…

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NCLEX in the Philippines

With the Nursing Board scandal of June 2007 still fresh, we hope that stigma will be erased with the news that the National Council of State Boards of Nursing is considering putting up an NCLEX testing center in Manila. It is only fitting since the Philippines is one of the largest source of skilled nurses for the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world

xxxxxThis development is most welcome since the nearest testing center is in Hong Kong and a nurse usually needs around $200 for the fare alone to take the test. It will make available an unprecedented opportunity to a lot of world-class Filipino nurses. Let’s cross our fingers and hope that the greedy vultures will keep their dirty fingers away from it and that the government will guard the test’s integrity zealously.

At the moment, NCLEX can be taken outside of the United States in the following locations:

1. London, England;
2. Seoul, South Korea;
3. Hong Kong;
4. Sydney, Australia;
5. Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, Canada;
6. Frankfurt, Germany;
7. Mumbai, New Delhi,
8. Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai, India;
9. Mexico City, Mexico;
10. Taipei, Taiwan; and
11. Chiyoda-ku and Yokohama, Japan.

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In defense of the uniform

An article in the on-line edition of the Manila Standard caught my eye. The headline said “Puno restricts use of nurse’s uniform.” I laud his directive to restrict the use of the white nursing uniform to professional health care workers only.

I’ve seen how the white uniform has been debased by being worn by waitresses and club attendants in skimpier reincarnations as an obvious ploy of business owners to lure customers. I have nothing against women engage in those professions or businesses trying to turn a hefty profit but I have suffered and toiled through three (3) years of nursing school to earn the privilege of wearing white. I did not went through hell just to see our identity corrupted for the sake of money.

The white uniform is more than a piece of clothing. It symbolizes pride, dignity, authority, and professionalism. It separates nurses from the rest of humanity as those willing and able to care of the sick and dying. I believe that it should only be donned with honor and respect in service for others.

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