Group endorses stronger BSN program, wants practical nursing courses halted

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Nursing Association (PNA) on Tuesday endorsed the government’s move to strengthen the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program but opposed plans to institutionalize practical nursing programs. In an interview, PNA national president Leah Primitiva Samaco-Paquiz said the group said that if school implement the curriculum embodied in Commission on Higher Education (Ched) memorandum order No. 5, which provides for an additional load of 43 units and related learning experience (RLE) for the BSN program, students may no longer need the services of review centers. The RLE is the internship or hands-on learning education of all nursing students prior to graduation. “With the competency appraisal 1 and 2, these institutions can now assess their students before they can graduate. These subjects are included in the curriculum so that right before graduation, students can decide whether they need help from review centers or not," Paquiz explained. Paquiz stressed that nursing students “really don’t need review centers," saying that it is their school’s priority to mold their students in time for the examinations. “During our time, we didn’t have these review centers. All the students needed to take the exam was stock knowledge and what the school taught them.. Now, it is the obligation of the schools to ensure that they are qualified, and this is the role of the CMO 5," Paquiz said. Paquiz said that the implementation of the memorandum is meant to ensure the improvement of the national passing rate of students taking the nursing board exams and to produce quality nurses. Earlier, Ched Commissioner Nona Ricafort warned that schools who fail to implement the revised nursing curriculum next school year risk having their license to operate revoked. Ricafort, citing reports indicating a 30 percent compliance of all nursing schools across the country, said the remaining institutions have only until June 2009 to comply. The Commission admitted that the low rate of compliance was due to an appeal to Malacanang by the influential Coordinating Council of Private Education Associations (Cocopea), a consortium of private education institution in the country with more than 2,500 member schools including five major school associations. The Cocopea wanted the Ched memorandum nullified. Ricafort said Malacanang has directed Ched technical panel to submit its position paper refuting issues raised by Cocopea in objecting to the implementation of the revised curriculum. Practical nursing On the other hand, the PNA wants a moratorium on the operation of existing practical nursing (PN) programs and that serious review of the program be undertaken in consultation with stakeholders. Paquiz said the group is opposing the institutionalization of PN based on three points: • there are no local demands or positions for practical nurses within the Philippine health care delivery system; • there is no global demand for foreign-trained PN, only for professional nurses; and • there is no licensure of PN provided for in the Philippine Nursing Act. “We deplore the moves of the government and other sectors to impose upon the nursing profession, critical proposals like PN program that gravely impact our profession already saddled with a host of serious problems that need immediate meaningful intervention," Paquiz said, noting that there is already an oversupply of health workers in the country - with nurses comprising the largest portion. “We are convinced that the proposal to introduce the PN may be ill-advised economic strategy that will not lead to the creation of more jobs but to more exploitation by unscrupulous businessmen who will see this as another income opportunity," she added. Paquiz noted that there were about 65, 000 newly registered nurses in 2007 and that the agency is expecting some 100, 000 new hopefuls in the coming years. “This number will be from the 460 nursing schools in the country, many of which will be unemployed. This does not even consider the vast number who do not pass the board exams," Paquiz said. The government's efforts to institutionalize PN programs are “not harmonized" with the development philosophy of the Human Resource for Health (HRH). “There is definitely a global demand for professional nurses, (but) not for practical nurses," Paquiz said. “Many countries like the USA, Canada, and UK are currently considering adopting a single standardized nursing program. In this view, introducing PN program is a global trend regression and untenable... Institutionalizing PN is a step backward in progress, not forward," she added. Hiring slowdown Paquiz noted, however, that the demand for licensed nurses in the global market flat-lined in 2006 due to US visa retrogression and UK policy change, which signaled the shift of home grown health workers instead of recruiting from overseas. Worse, she said, the domestic demand is not also increasing. “In the US alone, the quota for visas has been filled up resulting in delayed processing of visas with current efforts focused on 2006 accepted applicants. While the domestic market is now oversaturated with nursing pools in major hospitals as high as 1500 and with employment waiting times ranging from six to 12 months," she explained. Nursing pools refer to those considered qualified by hospital employers but waiting to be formally employed. In St. Luke’s Medical Center alone, an average of 20 applicants per day applied as walk-in and 10 per day applied through e-mail. SLMC has a pool of 300 nurses who finished a three-month pre-hire training, but the vacancy is only 6-10 persons per month since October 2007. In the Philippine Heart Center, hiring has slowed down because the turnover rate decreased to 10 percent since 2006. In 2007, turnover rates remained with nursing pool of 1,500. The Philippine General Hospital has a waiting time of 10-12 months with a nursing pool of 200-250. There are 100 applicants per exam conducted every 2 months, with only about 20-25 percent passing. PGH, however, had a high turnover rate of .83 percent last year. Paquiz said that the current nursing employment market is “a buyer’s market", which allows current employers to be highly selective and quality job seekers are closely scrutinized. - GMANews.TV