The number of Filipino nurses who applied for work in the United States declined in the first three months of 2008, compared to the same period last year.
Data provided by Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago indicated that only 4,686 Filipino nurses took a US-administered exam from January to March 2008, lower than the 5,076 who also took the test the previous year. The number decreased by 390, or 7 percent.
In 2007, a total of 21,499 Filipino nurses took the said test—the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)—for the first time, excluding repeaters. This showed an increase of 42 percent compared to the 15,171 Filipino nurses who took the exam in 2006.
The NCLEX is administered by the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. (NCSBSN).
Santiago, who has been pushing for reforms to build up Philippine nursing education, said the 2007 figures “translate to a daily average of around 60 Filipino nurses seeking to practice in the US alone.”
Besides demanding the closure of substandard Philippine nursing schools, the Catanduanes representative also earlier publicized a list of institutions that have performed below par.
He also expressed support for a Commission on Higher Education (CHED) directive compelling each independent Philippine nursing licensure examination review center to affiliate with an accredited college promptly or face closure.
The senior lawmaker said this move would ensure the scholastic accountability of review centers and check the spread of deficient ones, including fly-by-night operators whose number had increased due to the high demand for nurses.
Nursing is now the preferred course by a growing number of college enrollees.
The CHED’s Office of Policy, Planning, Research and Information sees almost half a million or 497,000 students taking up nursing in the school year 2008 to 2009.
