by Andrew Jonathan Bagaoisan and Mark Angelo Ching
VERA Files
Nursing schools all over the country will be opening their doors this week to thousands of students with the great white cap dream—getting a nursing degree, working in a hospital abroad and earning a comfortable living.
But not all these schools are qualified to offer the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. In fact, some of them were supposed to have been shut down years ago for failing to meet the requirements of the Commission on Higher Education, while some new ones were not supposed to have opened at all.
The fact is, many students are spending their parents’ hard-earned money on substandard nursing education because CHED has been unable to weed out the poorly performing nursing schools.
Click here (VERA Files) for the full two-part article.
Without offense to RP nurses and those who are taking this course, frankly I won’t risk my life on these unqualified RNs who came from some illegal schools. I believe some were already able to work abroad. But they should now be aware of the fact that other countries like the US and Canada now know the questionable credentials of some nursing graduates. It’s now getting more difficult to work abroad. Why these fake schools flourish is because the country remains to have a fake President.
the demand for healthcare workers may continue due to the increasing population of the babyboomers generation but the demand is not in our country’s policy control but from the policy of the other countries thru sanctions, visa quotas. their educational system and its production of students and their own immigration laws.
According to my college friend who did not leave the country as a nurse, there were 11 sections for the first year nursing student last year. Now, there are only four sections. She said, there are about 100 of them who are nursing clinical instructors. Looking at this data, in the next 3 years, the demand for nursing instructors will then decrease. I ask my friend, what would she do if her expertise will no longer be in demand. She said, she will pray to God. I told her, study commerce, law and business now and become an instructor/educator/professor not only for nursing but for the other industry. She said , she will. Thanks God 🙂
My point, the government with the coordination of our executive education department should provide data and statistics for our incoming college students on what industry will be in demand in the next 3-10 years. This way, if students are well educated , their parents will not waste money on education that has no potential for employment in the long run.
I think, our youth must be better informed prior to choosing their field of profession on what’s out here and there globally. It’s a competitive world. To compete, this country must produce quality graduates. Or else, we will get plenty of criticism from the likes of Cheap Tsao, Baldwin and Desperate Housewife.
Very well said, asiandelight.
The secrecy has led to the suspicion “that the moratorium is not actually being fully implemented,” wails a head of a nursing school. Anytime a government agency operates in a clandestine manner is an invitation to graft and corrupt practices, or worse, designed for that purpose. Even matters involving national security must be opened to scrutiny by Congressional oversight to obviate funding abuse.
CHED funds for granting scholarships, like the pork barrel, is a magnet to politicos for self aggrandizement.
The demand for nursing jobs abroad is mainly the USA whose citizens look down upon an arduous work with so-so pay. The forecast is that the shortage of doctors and nurses will balloon into the millions by 2020. The current U.S. recession has dampened recruiting overseas but will resume with a vengeance when the economy recovers as early as next year, and so will the sprouting of Pinoy nursing schools, moratorium or no moratorium.
“Lorenzo said the technical committee eagerly pursued reforms in nursing education by keeping under tight watch the underperforming and substandard nursing schools. It also moved to extend the nursing curriculum to five years, which the commission opposed.” This is officialese hogwash. To counter the greed, CHED should publish a list of all nursing schools with their percentage of graduates passing the PRC exams, and let the parents of prospective school applicants decide. Increasing the nursing course to five years will NOT enhance the IQ of the students, but WILL drain parents pockets for sure. The prevailing passing average of the PRC nursing exam is about 45%, compared to the 20-25% in the Bar exam.
Whatever happened sa case nung baklang head ng PCHS and yung Gapuz Review Center (Baguio Branch) na naging two separate causes nung scandalous Nursing Board Exam leakage last June 2006?
Mukhang nabayaran na nila yung mga kinauukulan kaya tuloy pa rin sila sa mga kabuktutan nila.
Kawawa ang mga nurses natin.
Just sharing: A Meal to Die For
> http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4632991n?source=mostpop_video
>
> Feast your eyes on this video!
I can’t understand the mentality as a matter of fact, the mentality of majority of Filipinos that the only salvation for them from poverty is to leave their country.
Worse is when they enter a foreign country illegally, and then, claim rights they forfeit under the law they break, and make their own children face TV cameras and say, “I do not want to go back to the Philippines, because it is dirty, etc.!”
Sa totoo lang nakakasuka!
Gloria Dorobo should be condemned for pimping Filipinos here and there! She’s coming to Japan, and I understand she is giving a speech somewhere she can brag about the so-called “caregivers” her deputy bugaws pimped to Japan through JPEPA.
Kawawang bansa!
Hmmmmm… Does anyone have a lists of this unqualified nursing schools? Why can’t CHED just release this listings out to the public? for pete’s sake,kawawa naman ang mga nagbabayad na nga ng tuition, may kasama pang false hope…
Unless CHED can use this for their advantage, like bribe all this unqualified schools for an approval? We are now open for business!!! 🙂
The US demand for foreign nurses is going down. Cyclical naman yan eh. This is the 3rd time in 40+ years na nangyari yang shortage. Mabilis naman napunan kasi US nursing enrollment increased, many American nurses who were working sa labas ng hospital or outside the profession ay bumalik sa hospitals, at nam-pirate sila ng nurses from many countries, di lang Philippines. Dati-rati ang bilis makakuha ng US visa ang nurses; ngayon 2 years mahigit ang hintay ng karamihan.
Ang mas malaking opportunity ngayon ay yong mga countries na pinagkuhanan ng US ng nurses kasi sila na ang may shortage, katulad ng Canada, UK, Scandinavian countries, Italy, at kahit South Africa.
The US shortage being cyclical, expect na madarama na naman ang shortage around 2015 at posibleng magpeak ito mga 2018.
In the meantime, mag-aagawan ang ating oversupply ng mga nursing graduates ng puwesto sa hospitals para makakuha ng experience. Yong ibang new nurses nga, handang walang tangapin o kahit magbayad pa para makapasok lang. Dagdag gastos na naman yan sa mga magulang nila. Pero paano mo idiscourage sila para wag nang pakunin ng nursing ang anak nila?
CHED should function like the Bangko Sentral, managing the supply of graduates per field of expertise in the same way that BSP influences the supply of money in circulation.
tagairaya said and I quote “CHED should function like the Bangko Sentral, managing the supply of graduates per field of expertise in the same way that BSP influences the supply of money in circulation.”
Or better still, let each profession regulate itself, so they can work out with the CHED or the Education Ministry which Professions or Trade Skills needed to be Produced by the countries colleges and universities, and that can be done by giving the prospective professionals of tradepersons incentives to take up training that will most give the better opportunity of utilizing after completion. I have yet to know a failing Nursing Graduates or a Physicians or Lawyers for accreditation (or membership) for their Profession or Trades here…And the same Regulating Bodies can have a uniform programs for each field, no matter which institution they may take them…
sampip,
Tama ka, negosyong malaki ng mga taga deped ang lagayan kaya di sila maglalabas ng listahan. Karamihan sa kanila ay malakas sa administrasyon. Wala silang pakialam ano man ang mangyari sa mga estudiyante basta kumita sila, tulad ng mga recruitment companies na illegal pero di mahuli.
Me araw din sila sa mata ng Diyos!!!
Pati health and welfare ng sangkatauhan ay nininegosyo ng administrasyon ni Gloria Arroyo!
Kahit nga sa New Zealand ay mas gusto pa nila ang nurses from Papua New Guinea kesa sa Pinas dahil sa bumababang kalidad ng Pinoy nurse.
Chi,
May punto ang mga kritiko about the quality of our education especially itong Nursing in particular, but based on my experience and pakikihalobilo sa mga nurses natin e talagang saludo ako sa kanilang kabayanihan.
In my 23 years in Healthcare services e saludo ako sa mga nurses natin sa abroad, bakit ka mo…sila ang backbone ng mga hospital dito sa middle east at talagang iba ang kanilang kalibre.
Walang sinabi ang mga western and other asians, sa sipag at ang gagaling ng logic sa actual application ng kanilang exposure sa patient services.
Kaya yong bad comment ng New Zealand e di ako pabor at i challenge them about the caliber of our nurses…almost majority ng Nurses natin na nagwowork dito sa middle east e talagang de kalibre sapagka’t high tech ang halos gamit ng bawat hospitals and nursing procedures na sinusunod nila.
Ang problema lang e diyan sa Pinas except some good hospitals, kasi nga mostly obsolete na ang kanilang mga gamit lalo na ang Bio-Medical Equipment or other related matters.
Sa US or UK nga daw e di hamak ang advance ng mga gamit sa middle east according to some of my family friends na nagwowork sa nasabing bansa.
Kaya kung exposure ang pag-uusapan e di hamak ang gagaling ng Pinoy/Pinay nurses natin kumpara sa mga banyaga. Ang kaso ang problema nating Pilipino e yong pasaporte natin hawak walang quality.
But kung ang pag-uusapan e yong talino, sipag at tiyaga ng Pilipino e wala silang sinabi. Ang naka boost lang morale nating Pilipino working abroad e yong sipag at pakikisama kaya kahit papaano e ang laki ng tiwala ng mga foreign employers ng Filipino, except some nation na ang lakas ng diskriminasyon pero di nila kayang sindakin ang Pinoy.
What i’m saying now e ikarangal natin ang ating mga Nurses either working abroad or sa Pinas…ang laki nang kanilang contributions sa ating bansa at sa pamilya.
I just watched it in CNN early tonight where this report about the shortage of doctors and health workers in the US that will set back Obama’s ambitious health care program by at least 3 years.
Ano ba ang totoo, walang shortage o meron?
It’s not actually shortage. The number of nurses are enough.
The problem is the growing demand for health care workers. Many long time workers are retiring and people are getting older.
E di may shortage nga.
Hehehe! May shortage nga.
Anyway, iyan nga ang balita, Tongue. My state gov’t has been encouraging the students to take up careers in medicine and health/welfare even during the Bush’s presidency. Ngayon, idinagdag na ang profession na teacher. Aside from the military service, dyan lang sa areas na yan walang recession dito sa amin.
The only thing I know about shortage is the Evil Bitch.
tongue
Yes ,the demand will always be there. However, majority of the hospitals accept government insurance, the delays and untimely release of payments reduces their current receivables which directly affect the cash flow to pay labor expenses. To balance the deficit, many hospitals and other healthcare facilities are laying off other personnels. Some areas in california and New York are already experiencing some pay cut about 5%. With Obama’s healthcare plan, this could get worst because the focus of this plan is to cut FEES on many medical codes. ( ICD codes for billing purposes) For example, in Physical Therapy services, there are about 15 codes that most insurance will pay. With Obama’s proposal , it will either pay 10 of those codes or pay less of each code.
ICD Codes are attached to each treatment for example. In Physical Therapy, common treatments are:
1. gait training
2. Therapeutic exercise
3. Ultra sound
4. Electrical stim
5. Functional Training
6. Community Integration
7. Myofascial Release.
8. Hot Packs
9. Neromuscular Reeducation
10. Physical Therapy Evaluation
11. Physical Therapy Re-evaluation
12. Cryotherapy
13. Traction
14. Balance and Vestibular
In a visit, a PT can charge 4 of any of those. Over 4 , can be considered overbilling or fraudulent charge.
Worst, many insurance will only pay 10 visits per year. On the nursing sides and other medical professions, each has its own medical codes for billing purposes and the same budget strategy will apply.
OF course, the demand will continue but quality and salary can be a sacrifice.
The right to get educated belongs to the person and it is also his right to choose the venue. Its not the school that is incompetent. Its the culture of the person that may qualify him or disqualify him. Many didnt go to the right schools we think of or what the CHED thoughtof yet made it good. Our authorities dont mind it anyway. What is important is to issue passports free and send off anyone to find their luck elsewhere with or without the formality of education.
READ: JOBS
For as long as the government is not able to provide jobs to fresh graduates, we cannot blame the students to even risk their parents hard earned money on these schools.
Sa English: “Kapit sa patalim”
There is a new vocation that will be in demand in the immediate future or even Now…the Early Childhood Education…it is now required in most day care centres and the Province of Ontario will be introducing starting next year the integration of Junior and Senior Kin with day care and if it will be accepted by the Teachers union, (toaccept the other professions in their turf) and the parents it will be Province Wide and other Provinces who do not have such program may emulate the Provinces..it is Big Budget programs..for Children Development..our Future…
vic, this is probably in the same sense. previously here in norway, elementary education starts at 7 but for some years now they start at 6 because the programs in the day care centers had improved so much. in fact there is a lot of competition to get good teachers at day care centers that their salaries are higher than elementary and high school teachers.
norpil: in Ontario, junior kin starts at 4 and it is only 2 1/2 hours of classes and the parents has to pick or wait for the child and shuttle him or her to a day care…some of the school boards are already offering the whole day “day care” after their classes but it charges $27 a day, subsidy for low income parent is applicable…but when it is integrated, it will be all funded under the Universal Education system..the initial budget for the Pilot project alone is a $1 billion for two years and if it is province wide it will be many folds and the Province is planning to expand it to older ages..this was the main platform of the Liberal Government and it won its RE-election and has to implement it otherwise they can kiss their luck next election. it was very successful in reducing the number of class to 20 or less pupils or students.
leytenian,
Thanks for the heads-up. I know you are a former therapist and I would love to be your first patient if you feel like doing it again. I was also being pushed by my aunt to pursue PT in college and she said she will sponsor me if I did but I declined kasi yung titulo parang pangit: The rapist?
Kumuha na lang ako ng Medicine…sa cabinet.