UK envoy: Employ RP nurses at home first

More Thousands of Filipinos take nursing as an easy ticket for high-paying overseas jobs. But without sufficient job experience, many are jobless after graduation. GMANews.TV file photoBefore the Philippines could start sending out Filipino health care workers in droves abroad, it should first begin populating its hospitals with nurses.

The current surplus in Filipino nurses should be used by the government to care for its own people, said newly installed British Ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie.

“You have a lot of nurses in the Philippines but there are some parts of the Philippines that do not have nurses," Lillie said on Thursday.

Although the British government is proud that its health care system has Filipino nurses, Lillie said the UK would eventually want to be self-sustaining. Posting from this link http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173054/uk-envoy-employ-rp-nurses-at-home-first

Summer of Work Exposes Medical Students to System’s Ills

SEATTLE — This summer, medical students from the University of Washington took a long look under the hood of the health care system they are about to inherit, and many returned to campus last week with their eyes wide open and their idealism tempered.

Jacob R. Opfer shadowed a pediatrician in Gillette, Wyo., who sometimes saw 45 patients a day, allowing little more than five minutes a visit. Amanda I. Messinger worked with a family practitioner in Kodiak, Alaska, who eschewed electronic medical records, leaving staff members to decipher histories from illegible script. Jens N. Olsgaard manned a community health center in Butte, Mont., where four of five patients had no insurance, and treatment was often structured around ability to pay.

The students learned not only to deliver babies and suture wounds, but also to order unnecessary tests as protection against lawsuits, to hector specialists into seeing Medicaid patients, to match patients with prescriptions on Wal-Mart’s $4 list. And they saw firsthand what Mr. Olsgaard called “a tidal wave of chronic disease” — diabetes, hypertension, obesity, depression — that left many questioning how much any one physician could really accomplish.

“I often wondered what we were actually doing to help people,” Mr. Olsgaard said.
Not surprisingly, many concluded that it was critical to reorient a reimbursement system that had profoundly devalued primary care and prevention. Click this link to read the original posting
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/health/policy/09medschool.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

English skills remain a plus for Cebuanos

CEBU, Philippines - The English proficiency of Filipinos, particularly the Cebuanos, is one good advantage emphasized by a company engaged in inviting more investors to the city.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=504213&publicationSubCategoryId=108

Physical Therapist Needed USA

Physical Therapist Job for USA Maryland on H1B visa

Physical Therapist Job Description
Physical therapists (PTs) help patients, including accident victims and individuals with disabling conditions such as low-back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, and cerebral palsy, by providing services that restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities. They restore, maintain, and promote overall fitness and health.

Immediate vacancy, apply immediately Email jayjuanich@yahoo.com with resume

AMID 400,000 JOBLESS NURSING GRADUATES BPO Company offers nurses alternative to leaving RP

FILIPINO nurses may opt to stay in the country to work as “digital medical butlers” for a medical knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) firm that will put up training facilities and a contact center to service clients abroad.

In a briefing on Wednesday, Wei Siang Yu, Fly Free for Health Group of Companies founder and chief executive officer, said the company’s Philippine subsidiary, Life Stage Communication, will put up facilities in Manila and Davao in the next six months, through which registered Filipino nurses can assist patients online.

“Instead of nurses leaving the Philippines to work in a hospital outside the country, Filipino nurses can now stay here and still tap the global, borderless healthcare and medical tourism market,” Wei said. http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/sept/10/yehey/business/20090910bus1.html

Nurses can now serve foreign patients via the Internet
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=503752&publicationSubCategoryId=66

RN Nurses New Zealand

Position: RN Nurses
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Vacancies: 100

Principal: Auckland Hospitals Home Care Facilities
Qualifications:
Male or Female
22 to 50 years old
College graduate
One year work or volunteer experience preferably in hospitals, or 6 months if presently employed.
All 7 band scores in IELTS but can be achieved in succession of sittings. Those reviewing for IELTS are also welcome to apply.
R.A. Tomo International Manpower Services
POEA: 159-LB-080207-R
3/F Unit D Redmaples Bldg,#411 N.S. Amoranto St., Brgy. St. Lourdes Quezon City, Metro Manila
Telephone:632-3871208; 632- 4115771; 632-4163897
Mobile: 0919 822 3876
Email: tomo@yahoo.com
http://filipino-jobs.com/work-abroad-in-malaysia-new-zealand-and-cyprus/

UP-Manila to offer health science courses in South Cotabato

The University of the Philippines (UP) Manila is finally pushing through with its planned expansion in South Cotabato by opening a health sciences campus in Koronadal City next year.

South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said Tuesday that UP Manila’s board of administrators recently approved the establishment of the UP School of Health Sciences in the area, several months after shelving the plan supposedly due to security concerns. Read the original link here
http://www.mindanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6952&Itemid=149

Just By Being There: Nursing Beyond Limits’ In A Time Of Crisis

Consider: a nursing graduate who lands a job in a small private hospital would be “lucky” to get a salary of P10,000 a month. The usual entry level is P8,000. Recently, as a result of the enactment of the amended salary standardization law, nurses in government hospitals are now entitled to a salary range of between P14,000 and P18,000; better but far below starting rates for Filipino nurses who make it to the US, the UK, Canada or, heaven forbid, the Middle East.

Little wonder that most nursing administrators are reeling from the fast turnover of newly trained nurses; no sooner have nursing administrators finished training one batch than another foreign-based recruiter poaches them.

Ironically, even as more and more nurses are being graduated, trained, and then recruited abroad, most hospitals—private and public—have the same complaint about not having enough qualified nurses. In short, we seem to have an oversupply of under-trained nurses. So we have too many “nurses” in quotes and too few nurses without quotes to go around. Many of the good ones are poached by foreigners. Click this link to read the original complete article here http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15352:just-by-being-there-nursing-beyond-limits-in-a-time-of-crisis&catid=34:perspective&Itemid=62

Generic Drugstores in the Philippines

Generic drugs are always less expensive, it cost about thirty percent to eighty percent less than the brand name drug. Generic drugs mean more cost-savings to the consumers. Its use can save patients and even insurance companies thousands of dollars without compromising the quality of health care. According to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, generic drugs save consumers an estimated $8 to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies. Even more billions are saved when hospitals use generics.
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So if your on a budget, the generics stores maybe a solution.

The following is a list of several Generic drugstores in the Philippines and some full service drugstores as well. Add others you know of here in the Philippines and their websites in the comments section
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THEGENERICSPHARMACY

The company ventured into selling generic medicines. In 2001, the retail pharmacy operations was successfully launched. By the end of 2008, 150 stores will be operating NATIONWIDE. To keep the momentum, they started to franchise their retail stores and became the first generics retail pharmacy to franchise in the Philippines.

Main Branch: THEGENERICSPHARMACY Banawe, Quezon City Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 8:30am to 5:30pm Address: 459 Quezon Avenue corner Banawe, QUEZON CITY E-mail: comments@thegenericspharmacy.com

They are opening a number of stores all over the Philippines and have a number in Cebu already.

check out the links below to see the locations all over the Philippines including cebu
http://www.thegenericspharmacy.com/contact.php

Cebu has already about 30 stores
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Generika Generics

Mostly Manila branches now http://generika.com.ph/branches/

There is also a blog report that there is a chain of drug stores all over the RP named Generic Drug Store. What a coincidence ! heehee They sell generic Plavic and all other drugs for a LOT less. My Enalapril is cheap enough for me here in Tacloban that I do not buy from USA or from Internet pharmacies. Try both Generic Drug Store and Alpha Pharmacies, another generic chain of drug stores in the RP. Alpha is usually even less expensive than is Generic. I was unable to find them online so they must not have websites or google is not searching for them correctly.

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My Botika” Distributor of Quality Generic and Branded Medicines and Medical Supplies “ Your One-Stop Shop !! online ordering. Their website says Are you looking for cheap generic drugs?? We all have it thru our online pharmacy. We offer shipping nationwide. We do have paracetamol. mefenamic acid, decongestants, multivitamins, antibiotics and other over-the-counter drugs. If you’re looking for a particular medicine that needs prescription, you just have to show it to us first before we begin transaction.

We also cater to wholesale order from other pharmacy nationwide. We offer big discount to bulk orders. QUALITY GUARANTEED !!

http://www.mybotika.webs.com/

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Another online drugstore generic in the Philippines is CNN Generics
http://www.cnn-generics.com/cnn/more_cat.php

Are you looking for cheap generic drugs?? We all have it thru our online pharmacy. We offer shipping nationwide. We do have paracetamol. mefenamic acid, decongestants, multivitamins, antibiotics and other over-the-counter drugs. If you’re looking for a particular medicine that needs prescription, you just have to show it to us first before we begin transaction.
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Sulit advertiser Generic and branded drugs here
http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/1206598/Cheap+Generic+Drugs,+Branded+Medicines+and+Medical+Supplies+Online

Drug Prices have been reduced up to 50 percent

Medicines that have been reduced due to the new Philippine drug act, just click the link

http://drugprices.wordpress.com/

Price cuts for 99 medicines Philippines

The five essential drugs under the MDRP are as follows: Amlodipine for hypertension; Atorvastatin for anti-cholesterol; Azithromycin as antibiotic/antibacterial; Cytarabine and Doxorubicin and all its salt form both for anti-neoplastics/anti-cancer.

There are additional 16 medicines dubbed as Government Mediated Access Price (GMAP) namely ; Telmisartan and Irbesartan for hypertension; Clopidorel for anti-thrombotic; Gliclazide for anti-diabetic/antihypoglycemic; Piperacillin plus Tazobactam and all its salt form; Metronidazole and all its salt form, Ciprofloxacin, Co-Amoxiclav (Amoxicillin plus Clavulanic acid) for antibiotic/antibacterial; Bieomycin and all its salt form, Carboplatin, Cisplatin, Cyclophosphamide, Etoposide, Mercaptopurine, Methotrexate and Mesna for anti-neoplastic.

Cabotaje said as high as 50 percent price reduction of these medicines could be availed of with the implementation of such order. She said drugstores are required to post in their respective establishments the list of medicines with their corresponding prices and dosages adding that they can go below the prescribed prices but not over.

According to a leading drugstore, aside from the 50 percent reduced price of Norvasc brand Amlodipine, a 20 percent discount could still be availed of if registered as Sulit Card member.

Some of the categorized drugs fall under anti-hypertensive, anti-cholesterol, anti-thrombotic, anti-diabetics, anti-biotics and anti-cancer drugs.

Eight pharmaceutical companies have agreed to also apply voluntary price reduction to 22 other molecules or 31 more products that were not in the MDRP list, bringing the total number to 38 drug molecules (or 72 products).

These medicines are indicated against hypertension, diabetes, influenza, hypercholesterolemia, cancer, arthritis, goiter, allergies and infections.

The list of the five medicines and their corresponding MDRP were:

ANTI-HYPERTENSIVE

Amlodipin 2.5 mg (P9.60); 5mg (P22.85); and 10mg (P38.50).

ANTI-CHOLESTEROL

Atorvastatin 10mg film-coated tablet (P34.45); 20mg film-coated (P39.13); 40mg film-coated (P50.50); 80mg film-coated (P50.63);

Amlodipine besilate 5mg + Atorvastatin calcium 10mg tablet (P45.75);

Amlodipine besilate 5mg + Atorvastatin calcium 20mg tablet (P66.25);

Amlodipine besilate 5mg + Atorvastatin calcium 40mg tablet (P84.42);

Amlodipine besilate 5mg + Atorvastatin calcium 80mg tablet (P89.99);

Amlodipine besilate 10mg + Atorvastatin calcium 10mg tablet (P51.13);

Amlodipine besilate 10mg + Atorvastatin calcium 20mg tablet (P73.25);

Amlodipine besilate 10mg + Atorvastatin calcium 40mg tablet (P91.79);

Amlodipine besilate 10mg + Atorvastatin calcium 80mg tablet (P91.79);

ANTIBIOTIC/ANTIBACTERIAL

Azithromycin and all its salt form:

250mg tablet (P108.50);

200mg/5ml powder for suspension (15ml), P427.50;

200mg/5ml powder for suspension (22.5ml), P638;

500mg tablet, P151.43;

500mg vial for injection, P992.50; and

2-gram granules, P468.

ANTI-NEOPLASTICS/ ANTI-CANCER

Cytarabine:

100mg/ml ampul/vial (IV/SC), P240;

100mg/ml ampul/vial (IV/SC) (5ml) or 500mg vial, P900;

100mg/ml ampul/vial (IV/SC) (10ml) or 1-gram vial, P1,800; and

20mg/ml (5ml) ampul/vial for injection, P1,980.

Doxorubicin and all its salt form:

10mg powder vial for injection, P1,465.75; and

50mg powder vial for injection, P2,265.74.

The ruling on the new rates will take effect on August 15. (PND)

See the complete list of the 5 above and the 22 others voluntary price reductions here
http://drugprices.wordpress.com/

http://www.allbusiness.com/medicine-health/diseases-disorders-cardiovascular/12595043-1.html

Tips for US-Bound Filipina Nurses

Danny Fernandez of OFWGuide Forum shares useful information for Filipina nurses about to go to US to work for the first time.

Get Your Social Security Number (SSN): It is important to apply for SSN upon arriving in the US at the Social Security Office near your place of deployment. You may seek the help of the Human Resource Department of the hospital where you will work. Most State Boards requires the SSN to get your permanent nurse license, be a registered rurse and practice your profession. Without the SSN, you may not be able to secure your license and will not be allowed to work. Securing SSN takes between 10 to 30 working days while the processing for the RN License takes 30 to 90 days.

Don’t Overspend:
The contract you signed in the Philippines may include a clause stating that for the first 90 days of your stay in US, the hiring hospital will provide for your needs and you will receive an allowance or stipend. The usual stipend is USD 1500 to USD 2000.
The stipend may seem like a large amount but the truth is, it will barely cover your expenses. Normally, the accommodation they provide is a one-room apartment with free water and electricity. It has a stove, ref, sofa, TV, and a bed. You need to buy your utensils, plates, spoon, fork, bed sheets, food, and other personal items. Some hospitals have these things included in the package but some do not. It is a must to inquire about these matter to your agency. You need to spend frugally until you earn your first paycheck. Until then, you have to live with the stipend unless you brought some pocket money before leaving the Philippines.

Learn to Drive in the Philippines:
If you can, you need to learn to drive and secure a driving license in the Philippines. Knowing how to drive in the US is not a luxury but a necessity. There are public transport facilities available but it is very time consuming and inconvenient to wait for buses, and taxis at times. When you have a Philippine driver?s license, some State allows you to drive for one year as long as your license is valid. Another thing is, if you provide a Philippine driver?s license when you apply for a driver?s License in the US, you are exempted to take the drug test. On top of these, you will also have a big edge in passing the driving test. It is also lot easier and less expensive to learn to drive in the Philippines than learning it in the US.

Learn about the US Hospital Environment:
The Philippine Hospital environment is totally different from those in the US, from the way they treat their patients, the patients themselves, the equipment used, and the procedures. Don’t be fooled of the patient-nurse ratio of five patients to one nurse in the US against forty patients to one nurse in the Philippines. The procedure necessary for you to handle five patients in the US exceeds the procedure in handling forty patients in the Philippines. The documentations alone consumes so much time. You need to be ready for this. Orientation period is usually six weeks (on the floor) after the classroom orientation. You need focus and alertness on the work floor. It appears that it is during the orientation that you will experience difficulty but will soon get use to it in no time.

Practice Talking and Listening in English:
You need to be adept in English comprehension. This should be easy because Filipinos are very good in English. However, the way Americans speak English is different from the way we do in terms of pronunciation and accent. Many foreign nurses find it difficult to understand doctor?s orders. The key solution is practice. The more you practice, the easier it would be for you. Click the following link to read the complete original article

Taken from: http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/772965/Tips+for+US-Bound+Filipino+Nurses#ixzz0PTe5MmO8

Nurses only needed during boom?

Edmonton Canada JournalAugust 29, 2009

Alberta nurses could be forgiven for feeling like they're stuck in the revolving doors of a hospital these days, unsure whether to walk in or out.

First, 5,000 of them were laid off during sweeping government health-care cuts in the 1990s. Then, as recently as a year ago, some were lured back to work with recruitment drives and offers of free refresher courses to upgrade their skills. Now, they may be offered early retirement as part of the government's cost-cutting measures.

Economic times have changed in those intervening years; first for the better--then, for the worse. The health-care system now faces a$1.3-billion deficit, and 70 per cent of its budget is spent on human resources.

The fact that health-care savings can be realized by eliminating health-care workers' jobs is simple mathematics. What is less easily understood is the rationale that led the provincial government to say mere months ago that it was still facing a shortage of nurses, and to now say it is seeking to eliminate some of those nursing jobs as part of its plan to save $315 million. Click the following link to read the complete original article
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Nurses+only+needed+during+boom/1941841/story.html

Practical Nurses Jobs Abroad For Filipinos FINLAND

Practical Nurses Jobs Abroad For Filipinos

Position: Practical Nurses

Vacancies: 31
Principal: Opteam Yhtiot Oy
Location: Helsinki, Finland

Qualifications:

• Male/Female
• With or without exp
• Registered Nurse
• With related experienced as volunteer/trainee nurse, staff nurse
• At least 21 years of age
• With good inter-personal skills
• Willing to learn the Finnish language a must.

Direct all applications and inquiries to the job agency found by clicking this website:
http://pilipinojobs.com/work-abroad-in-uae-finland-usa-uk-and-singapore/ »

15 Vizcaya nurses bound for Spain

An initial batch of 15 nurses from this landlocked province is bound for employment in northern Spain’s Bizkaia (Vizcaya) province as a result of a sisterhood agreement signed between this province and its Spanish namesake. Read the complete article by clicking the headline above

US quota for Filipino nurses filled up, say recruiters

MANILA, Philippines - Employment opportunities in the United States for Filipino nurses aspiring to work there appear to be drying up.

The recruitment industry reported yesterday that the US quota of employment-based immigrant visa for foreign workers, including Filipino nurses have all been filled up.

“Based on the US department data, the June 2009 the employment-based immigrant visa 3rd preference category (EB3) where Filipino registered nurses are usually petitioned under, have been exhausted and are now unavailable,” recruitment officials said.

Recruitment leaders said visa bulletins in the next months are expected to reflect the same information.

New legislation specifically aimed at ending visa retrogression for registered nurses has been introduced in the US Congress. Read the complete article here http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=493666&publicationSubCategoryId=201

Nurses to poor rural areas program receives support

A MULTINATIONAL pharmaceutical firm will deploy 100 nurses to 20 poor municipalities under the government-run Project NARS (Nurses Assigned in Rural Services).

In a statement, the Palace yesterday said Labor Secretary Marianito D. Roque and GlaxoSmithKline Foundation (GSKF) President Roberto C. Taboada have signed the memorandum of agreement that calls for GSKF to provide each participating nurses with stipend of P8,000.

Over 5,000 previously unemployed nurses have been assigned to the countryside under the program that was started in February. 8/21/09 Business World online http://www.bworldonline.com/BW082109/content.php?id=072

It takes 43 muscles to frown and only 17 to smile
http://anatomynotes.blogspot.com/2006/01/muscles-to-smile-muscles-to-frown.html

Skilled workers desert Philippines

Michael Duque is a nurse in the accident and emergency department at a London hospital. Six years ago he left his home in the Philippines to seek his fortune abroad.

Michael Duque left his home and family to work abroad

As a nurse in Britain he earns about £24,000 (US $47,000) a year; doing a similar job in one of the top hospitals in Manila, the Philippines capital, he would be earning just £1,800 ($3,500).
He is one of some eight million Filipinos living and working overseas.

The money they send back in "remittances" – about $15bn in 2006 – is vital to the Philippines economy.

But there’s a substantial cost involved as well, for Philippine society and for the individuals involved.
The personal cost lies in long-distance family separation, something familiar to generations of Filipinos.

It makes her crazy and stressed; she gets jealous

Every month Michael sends up to £600 home to his family: wife Glenda, daughter Ella, aged 7, and son CG, aged 4. They live well on it, in a house in Manila’s suburbs.

Glenda, who trained as a nurse herself, is now a full-time mother. And Michael, like many exiled Filipinos, is paying not only to support his family but to educate the next generation of overseas workers: Ella goes to a local private school.

But Michael has worked abroad ever since his daughter was born, originally in the Gulf and for the past four years in the UK.

He keeps in touch by phone and e-mail and via the videophone on the computer and he gets home perhaps once a year to see the children.

But he misses his kids growing up and he misses being a father to them, he said.
His absence puts a strain on his relationship with his wife as well: "It makes her crazy and stressed; she gets jealous," he said.

Familiar story
The children miss their father too. "Sometimes they say: ‘I want my Dad,’" Glenda told me when I interviewed her in the front room of their house, as Ella conscientiously did her homework on the sofa beside her. "Especially her, because she is the favourite of her father."

Glenda looks after children as husband Michael works abroad
Ella is a solemn child: in the two hours we were in the family’s home I didn’t see her smile once and she scarcely said a word.

I didn’t see her younger brother at all: he threw a tantrum and stayed upstairs, screaming and slamming doors as soon as we arrived. Click this link to read the original complete blog
http://tropicalpenpals.com/blog/?p=2708

Pinoy nurses vs consultancy firms’ misleading claims

Marilyn” and “Martha”, not their real names, spoke with ABS CBN Europe News Bureau to warn nurses in the Philippines to be wary of consultancy firms that offer services to facilitate the application of student visas for nurses who want to work in the United Kingdom.

The nurses did not want to reveal their identities because they don’t want to make their families back home worry about them. While other victims of similar scam preferred to be tight-lipped about the mounting rise of victims of consultancy firms with misleading claims on the nature of their work in the UK, the two bravely faced ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau to shed light on the anomaly through their story.

The UK is not recruiting general nurses and as part of its exclusive elite membership to the EU, has prioritized applicants from the European Economic Zone for job vacancies in the health sector.

Back in the Philippines Marilyn and Martha knew the only way to enter the UK would be to get a student visa. Some of their friends entered the UK via the same route and were able to work in nursing homes. So they thought there was no harm trying their luck. After all, they have relatives who were willing to sponsor them. They spent almost P300,000 each to be able to get their student visas sorted.

No job, accommodation
Once in the UK, their dreams crumbled. They were led to believe by the consultancy firm they hired that as soon as they land the UK, they will work.

“Pagdating namin dito wala kaming trabaho. We got only 500 pounds pocket money. So paano yan? Yung transporation dito ang mahal, yung pagkain (din) dito. Ang sabi ng school I don’t know what your agency is talking about. We are just a school here. Yes, we guide the students but we don’t provide the work for you. You have to look for a job on your own,” explained Marilyn.

They were also promised that the school will help them locate a decent accommodation for their stay in London. But the amount of the monthly rent for rooms was not what they told.

“Sabi nila mayroon kaming pwedeng tirahan na mas affordable. Hindi naman pala affordable napakamahal. Imagine, we have to pay 625 pounds a month each,” said Marlyn.

With only 500 pounds as pocket money and no job to help them get by, they both got depressed. Thankfully, fellow Filipinos lent them support.

They were also informed that once in the UK they can have a full-time work as a nurse. But the UK only allows 20 hours of work per week during term-time for international students. It’s only during term break that they can work full time.

“We don’t know the place, we don’t know where to start. Talagang nahirapan talaga kami. Kasi hindi sila nagsasabi ng totoo. Sana sinabi nila na pagdating sa UK wala kayong trabaho. Kaya ang maghahanap sana nakundisyon namin ang sarili namin at naging much prepared kami. Fully-equipped kami pagpunta namin dito,” she said.

Many universities in the UK have NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) training Centers where the colleges help with formalities such as opening bank accounts, applying for travel discounts and accommodation. The consultancy firms in the Philippines come in as partners of the universities here to help applicants in their student visa application.

Embassy begins dialogue
The Philippine Embassy in the UK has already started a dialogue with the UK Home Office to look into this problem. It has been receiving similar complaints from nurses who came to the UK with student visas.

“Yung mangilan-ngilang kaso na umaabot sa amin sa embahada ay siguro patunay na rin na dapat tingnan din ng mga awtoridad hindi lang sa Pilipinas kundi maging sa UK. Nagkaroon na po ng ilang pagpupulong sa parte ng embahada at UK Home Office dahil na rin po sa paghingi ng tulong ng embahada sa awtoridad dito sa UK na kung maari ay suriing mabuti ang sistema at implementasyon ng tinawag na tier 4 or student visa issuance,” said Consul General Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega.

De Vega advises those who want to enter the UK with student visa: “Ang maipapayo po ng embahada sa lahat ng gustong magpunta dito sa UK para makahanap ng trabaho, una suriing mabuti kung ano ang papasukin nila.”

‘You have to be really careful’
Six months after their arrival in the UK, Marilyn and Martha are now both working in a London nursing home as carers with no intention of attending classes at the university. They both claimed that there is no point going to university because they are both nurses and don’t need the theoretical aspect of the courses at the university.

“Dapat mag-ingat kayo at you have to be really careful at huwag kayong magtiwala sa pangako nila. Dapat tingnan nyo muna yung kontrata. Kung may binigay silang pangalan, i-search n’yo sa internet kung nag-i- exist ba yung company na yun. For nurses naman, this is a wrong stepping stone. Kasi it is out of your field. Kasi pagdating mo dito hindi ka talaga nurse. carer ka, it’s out of your line. Yung experience at skills mo ma-waste lang lahat. Hindi ka dapat talaga student visa kasi hindi ka estudyante, professional ka,” explained Marlyn and Martha gave her nod of support for the statement. Click this link to read the original article http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/08/12/09/pinoy-nurses-vs-consultancy-firms%E2%80%99-misleading-claims

MORE countries now want their citizens to learn English.

Associate professor Phyllis Chew of Nanyang University in Singapore made the observation during the Cebu International ESL (English as a Second Language) Conference at Diplomat Hotel, Cebu City last Saturday.

She said that the trend is the result of the change in the status of women in society, increase in migration and transmigration, knowledge explosion and information technology, the writing revolution, and the rise of a global language.

“Teachers need to know these changes. English, it seems, has raced ahead of its competitors. For the last 20 years, so many want to learn it,” she said.

Chew said Singapore, for one, is attracting many Koreans who want to learn to speak English.
The Philippines, India and Malaysia are among the Asian nations that are known as good English teachers because they have been using the language as their medium of instruction, she noted.
“The fast way of mastering English now is through content. And speed is crucial in the process. Many learn English quickly because this has been used as a medium of instruction when they started school. They have been immersed in an English acquisition-rich environment since they were young,” Chew said.

Being known as a nation with a pool of good English speakers, she added, will boost the influx of international students who want to learn English.

The Koreans made up 27.83 percent of Cebu’s tourist market from January to June 2009. According to the Department of Tourism, most of them come to Cebu to study English.
Meanwhile, the knowledge explosion and information technology (IT) across the globe also signaled the need for teachers to incorporate IT in their methodology for learners, especially the young, to easily cope and “survive” in their studies, Chew said.

The IT aspect of learning is characterized by digitization of learning materials, production of e-books (electronic books) and creation of Ebraries (electronic libraries), she said.
“Integration of IT also makes online education possible and enables learners to do many things (while on the Internet),” said Chew.

She pointed out that a good method of teaching English will depend on existing variables—such as time, type of students, place and culture—that teachers have to assess before conducting their lessons. Tuesday, August 11, 2009 http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/more-nations-want-english-language-skills

US quota for Filipino nurses filled up, say recruiters

MANILA, Philippines - Employment opportunities in the United States for Filipino nurses aspiring to work there appear to be drying up.

The recruitment industry reported yesterday that the US quota of employment-based immigrant visa for foreign workers, including Filipino nurses have all been filled up.
“Based on the US department data, the June 2009 the employment-based immigrant visa 3rd preference category (EB3) where Filipino registered nurses are usually petitioned under, have been exhausted and are now unavailable,” recruitment officials said.
Recruitment leaders said visa bulletins in the next months are expected to reflect the same information.

New legislation specifically aimed at ending visa retrogression for registered nurses has been introduced in the US Congress. 8/7/09 Read the original article here http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=493666&publicationSubCategoryId=201

More nurses prefer MidEast to US

FEWER Filipino nurses now want to work in the United States, because of the global recession, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said yesterday.

In a statement, TUCP secretary-general and former Senator Ernesto Herrera said this could be gleaned from a drop in the number of nurses who took the US NCLEX, or National Council Licensure Examinations for registered and practical nurses, during the first months of the year.
This was the first time that such a decline had been noted, Herrera stressed.
“The deepening recession in America has clearly diminished the desire of some Filipino nurses to seek employment there,” said Herrera, the former chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development.

He noted that a growing number of Filipino nurses now prefer to work in labor markets outside the US, particularly the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

The 8,272 Filipino nurses who took the NCLEX—which qualifies someone who would pass to work in the US—reflect a decline of 1,565 from 9,837 in the six months to June 2007, the TUCP said.
Filipinos accounted for 37 percent of the 22,500 nurses—educated outside the US—who took the NCLEX during the first six months of the year, according to the TUCP.

For the whole of 2008, 20,746 Filipinos took the NCLEX as non-repeaters compared to 21,299 in 2007. That was a drop of 3.5 percent, Herrera said.

The number of nurses from India, Korea, Canada and Cuba seeking jobs in the US has also dropped, according to him. These countries are among the top suppliers of foreign nurses to the US.
Nurses from India who took the NCLEX in the first semester dropped by 56 percent to 750 from 1,715, Herrera said.

TUCP records also showed that NCLEX takers from Southcash Korea were down 35 percent to 613 from 934; from Canada, down 36 percent to 314 from 494; and from Cuba, down 38 percent to 192 from 309.

There are now some Filipino 600,000 nurses actively looking for jobs here and abroad, and many of them are forced to seek work outside their profession, according to Herrera. They include the 99,837 who passed the nursing licensure examinations from July 2008 to July 2009.

To help ease the problem, the government has engaged 10,000 of them under the Nurses Assigned in Rural Service program. The project allows nurses to serve in the country’s depressed municipalities for six months in return for a monthly allowance of P8,000. Click this link to read the complete original news item http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics3_aug1_2009

Filipino Nurses: Carers of the World

WHAT MAKES US FILIPINOS (aka PINOY) DIFFERENT from the rest of the lovely people around the world? Well, the quick answer is that – every Pinoy has a relative who is working as a NURSE, either in the Philippines or abroad. Whether a sister or a brother, maybe a cousin, nephew and niece, or an aunt and uncle, even a neighbour – we have it all. It runs in our big and extended families!

DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PINOY NURSES WORKING ABROAD? Thanks to google search engine and I was able to find it for you. According to a news article published in PhilStar.Com that between 12,000 and 15,000 nurses and other medical professionals leave the Philippines annually for better-paying jobs abroad. Majority of them end up in the US, UK, and the Middle East. Despite the drop in Sterling pound and US dollars, it is still lucrative to work abroad. It is estimated that nurses can work 12 hours a day, three days a week, earning between $45,000 and $50,000 annually - 10 to 15 times they will receive back in the Philippines.

The FilipinoNursesNews.com also reported that the opportunities for Pinoy nurses to work abroad are getting slimmer every year. The decline is due to the changes in “policy in destination countries, the oversupply and quality problems on our nurses.” For example, UK is one now limiting Filipino nurses by passing strict immigration policy, allowing local new graduates as priority pool than recruiting from overseas. This is a reality check for our aspiring graduates to get a job abroad after passing the licensure examination. Consequently, it will affect the nursing and health/medical education in the Philippines, and future graduates do not get an assurance to work overseas.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THOSE NURSES WHO ARE NOW WORKING AND LIVING HAPPILY ABROAD are fortunate enough to harvest their hardwork and generosity. One of them is my younger sister who did her best to get a job in Dubai. Im very proud of her after so many years of encouragement, even hiring her as my office secretary for the time being that she was looking for a proper position in a hospital/clinic back in Manila. It took 10 years for her dream to become a reality. I remembered that she took this job in Makati paying here soooo low, just to complete her Dialysis training program in Ortigas for a year as part of the employer requirements abroad. At the end, she managed to get a long-term contract in Dubai since 2006.

FEW MONTHS AGO, SHE ASKED ME IF I COULD WRITE A POEM to be entered in a local competition. Guided by the theme, “what nursing means to me”, I was able to write this poetic piece, thinking about my sister’s dedication to be one of our “carers of the world”. Having said that, I will take this opportunity to share and dedicate this poem to all the Filipino nurses around the globe, my simple way of saluting them for being the ”ambassadors” of the Philippines.
FINALLY, to my shy but generous and trusted sister BHEA, thank you and advance happy birthday!
blogger remos 7/30/09 Business World Read the original article here
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW073009/content.php?id=044

Top nursing schools based on June 2009 Nursing Board Exam Results

100 and more examinees See if your school is listed and if not you should ask your college why it is not!!!!

RankNursing SchoolTotal Number of ExamineesTotal Number of PassedPercentage Passed
1SAINT PAUL UNIVERSITY-DUMAGUETE112112100%
2CHINESE GENERAL HOSPITAL COLLEGE OF NURSING & LIBERAL ARTS19819699%
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY30329999%
TRINITY UNIVERSITY OF ASIA (TRINITY-QC)39339099%
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS47947299%
WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY-LA PAZ15014999%
3UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST RAMON MAGSAYSAY MEM. MEDICAL CTR.31931398%


30 to 99 examinees
RankNursing SchoolTotal Number of ExamineesTotal Number of PassedPercentage Passed
1UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-MANILA6161100%
2PHILIPPINE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY-MANILA363289%
SAINT PAUL UNIVERSITY-QUEZON CITY595186%


View the results: June 2009 Nursing Board Exam Results
View the top ten placers: Top 10 June 2009 Nurse Board Passers

from this link http://www.boardexamresultsph.com/top-nursing-schools-june-2009

Apply For The Nursing Board Exam Qualifications for Examinations.

- In order to be admitted to the examination for nurses, an applicant must, at the time of filing his or her application, establish to the satisfaction of the Board of Nursing that:

He or she is a citizen of the Philippines, or a citizen or subject of a country which permits Filipino nurses to practice within its territorial limits on the same basis as the subject or citizen of such country: Provided, That the requirements for the registration or licensing or nurses in said country are substantially the same as those prescribed in this Act;
He or she is at least eighteen (18) years of age: Provided, That any underage applicant who successfully passes the examination shall not be permitted or licensed to practice nursing until he or she shall have reached the age of majority;
He or she is in good health and is of good moral character; and
He or she is a holder of a bachelors- degree in nursing from a college or university duly recognized by the proper government agency.
Educational Qualification / Training / Experience:
B.S. in Nursing

Summary of Related Learning Experience (RLE)
Operating Room
Major Scrubs - 5
Minor Scrubs – 5
Delivery Room
Handled - 5
Assisted - 5
Cord Dressing - 5
Licensure Examination. - The licensure examination for the practice of nursing in the Philippines shall be given by the Board not earlier than one (1) month but not later than two (2) months after the closing of the semester prescribed by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. The examination shall be held in the City of Manila or in such places as may be decided by the Board subject to the approval of the Professional Regulation Commission.

Scope of Examination. - The scope of the examination for the practice of nursing in the Philippines shall be determined by the Board. The Board shall take into consideration the objectives of the nursing curriculum, the broad areas of nursing, and other related disciplines and competencies in determining the subjects of examinations.

Rating in the Examination. - In order to pass the examination, an examinee must obtain a general average rating of at least seventy-five percent (75%) with a rating of not below sixty percent (60%) in any subject. An examinee who obtains an average rating of seventy-five percent (75%) or higher but gets a rating below sixty percent (60%) in any given subject must take the examination again, but only in the subject or subjects where he or she rated below sixty percent (60%). In order to pass the succeeding examination, an examinee must obtain a rating of at least seventy-five percent (75%) in the subject or subjects repeated. An examinee who despite the third examination fails to obtain at least seventy-five percent (75%) in the subject or subjects repeated shall no longer be allowed to take the examination, unless he proves to the satisfaction of the Board that he/ she has undergone a refresher course consisting in enrollment and passing in the regular fourth year subjects in a recognized nursing school.

Issuance of Certificates. - A certificate of registration as nurse shall be issued to any applicant who passes the examination upon payment of the prescribed fees. Every certificate of registration shall show the full name of the registrant; the serial number, the signature of the members of the Board, and the official seal of the Board.

Fees for Examination and Registration. - Applicants for licensure examination and for registration shall pay the prescribed fees set by the Professional Regulation Commission.

Registration by Reciprocity. - Certificates of registration may be issued without examination to nurses registered under the laws of any foreign state or country: Provided, That the requirements for the registration or licensing of nurses in said country are substantially the same as those prescribed under this Act: Provided, further, That the laws of such state or country grant the same privileges to registered nurses of the Philippines on the same basis as the subject or citizens of such foreign state or country.

Non-issuance of Certificates in Certain Cases. - No person convicted by final judgment of any criminal offense involving moral turpitude or any person guilty of immoral or dishonorable conduct shall be issued a certificate of registration. The Board shall furnish the applicant a written statement setting forth the reasons for its actions which shall be incorporated in the records of the Board.

Revocation and Suspension of Certificates. - The Board shall have the power to revoke or suspend the certificate of registration of a nurse upon any of the following grounds:

For any of the causes mentioned in the preceding section;
For unprofessional and unethical conduct;
For gross incompetence and serious ignorance;
For malpractice or negligence in the practice of nursing; or
For the use of fraud, deceit, or false statements in obtaining a certificate of registration.
Re issuance of Revoked Certificates and Replacement of Lost Certificates. - The Board may, for reasons of equity and justice or when the cause for revocation has disappeared or has been cured and corrected, upon proper application therefor and the payment of the required fees, issue another copy of the certificate of registration.

source: Read this article link for more detail
http://www.prc.gov.ph/portal_articles.asp?pid=63&sid=344&aid=1711

Cebu tops June 2009 Nurse Licensure Examination; 32,717 passed

A total of 32,617 passed the June 2009 Nursing Licensure Examination
MANILA, Philippines-(UPDATE) A total of 32,617 out of 77,901 passed the Nurse Licensure Examination, the Professional Regulation announced Saturday.

The Board of Nursing conducted the test last June in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, Sulu, Pagadian and Zamboanga.
The oath-taking ceremony for the successful examinees as well as those who passed previous exams but have not taken their oath will be held before the nursing board on August 18 and 19 at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City.

7/25/09 Philippine Inquirer Click this link to read the original article
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090725-217189/32617-pass-nursing-board-exam

See a list of all passing exam here http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/examresults/NURSE/20090725/

Filipino nurses eye UK, Middle East markets

Filipino nurses are reportedly choosing other countries over the United States for employment. “The deepening recession in America has clearly diminished the desire of some Filipino nurses to seek employment there,” said former senator Ernesto Herrera, secretary general of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

Herrera said that a total of 8,272 Filipino nurses sought to practice their profession in the US by taking the National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX for the first time from January to June.
The figure, according to Herrera, was 1,565 fewer compared to the 9,837 who took the exam in the same six-month period in 2008.

Pinoy nurses are reportedly trying out other foreign labor markets particularly the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

“Actually, fewer nurses from India, Korea, Canada and Cuba are seeking US jobs as well,” Herrera said.

Nurses from India who took the NCLEX for the first time in the first semester were down 56 percent (to 750 from 1,715). Those from South Korea were down 35 percent (to 613 from 934); from Canada down 36 percent (to 314 from 494); and from Cuba down 38 percent (to 192 from 309).
The TUCP said that the four countries are the other top suppliers of foreign nurses to America.
In the whole of 2008, there were a total of 20,746 Filipino nurses who took the NCLEX for the first time or down 3.5 percent compared to the 21,299 Pinoy nurses that took the test for the first time in 2007.

Filipino accounted for 37 percent of the 22,500 foreign-educated nurses who took the NCLEX for the first time in the first semester, according to Herrera.

The Philippines now has some 600,000 nurses actively looking for jobs here and abroad, or forced to perform work outside their profession. They include the 99,837 who passed the local nursing licensure examinations from July 2008 to July 2009.

The government tapped 10,000 of the Filipino nurses and deployed them under the Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (NARS). It allows nurses to serve in the country’s depressed municipalities for six months in return for a monthly allowance of P8,000 Click the following link to read the original article here http://philnurse.com/?p=767

Are There Enough Nursing Jobs For New Filipino Nurses?

The Philippine Board Exam Result has just came out a day ago, and there are at least 39,455 new Filipino Registered Nurses here in the country, but the question is, are there Jobs available for Filipino Nurses?

Yeah we know that Nursing is not that affected by the world financial crisis, but the thing is there is an oversupply of Nurses here in Philippines, 39,455 new Nurses and a hundred thousand more beyond that who are either underemployed and worst unemployed.

The Philippine Government have had the NARS Program, but it is not enough to support the new Nurses here in our country. The NARS program is limited to only 10000 Nursing Jobs which is not merely enough to support the new nurses that had recently passed the Nursing Board Examination.
With the current situation of the whole world, even nurses who wanted to travel to other countries such as USA have been somehow limited since the guarantee for a stable job abroad has been diminished.

Travel Nursing Jobs had been in boom since around 3-4 years ago, but the Global Financial Crisis had affected every countries so much that the dream of a Nurse traveling abroad back around 3-4 years before was somehow a dream that was made to be shattered if not cracked.
Even if the number of Nurses looking for a Job continues to grow, there is no reason to give up. Nurses and Filipinos in particular needs to be flexible in these kinds of times.

There are still ways that you can make money, you just need to know where to look may it be Online of offline. Click to read the original article here http://www.ljdiaz.com/are-there-enough-nursing-jobs-for-new-filipino-nurses/2009/02/22/

Spain needs more nurses, DFA reports

Spain, despite suffering from the global economic crisis, was still in need of foreign nurses including Filipinos, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Wednesday.
The Foreign Affairs department made the announcement shortly after the arrival of 27 Filipino nurses in Bilbao who will be deployed in northern Spain. Their deployment is the result of the Memorandum of Understanding on Migration Flows that the Philippines and Spain signed in June 2006.

Under the memorandum, nurses and other highly skilled Filipino workers are to be allowed into Spain and afforded the same protection enjoyed by Spanish workers.
7/23/09 Manila Times http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/july/23/yehey/top_stories/20090723top7.html

Writing your employment letter hints:

1. Write a comprehensive introductory letter that clearly explains why you are qualified for the job. Don’t just put in a resume, especially one that looks like it was edited three years ago.

2. Spell check! It gives a very bad impression to have wrong spelling or grammar in your application.

3. Be careful when putting attachments that cannot be opened. Case in point: Be careful not to save it in Microsoft Word 2007 format as this is a new format and cannot be opened by companies that are still using Word 2003 or Word 2000.

4. Don’t use an e-mail address with a weird or goofy name.

5. Don’t ask a friend to send or e-mail your application.

6. Specify the job you are applying for. Don’t make the company evaluate what job suits you best.

Good English the ticket to lucrative jobs—Gullas, Cebu

“Around 20 to 30 years ago, even our taxi drivers could speak straight English. Now, many of them have a problem speaking the language clearly,” Gullas said.

Gullas pointed out that in India’s recent economic boom, their citizens with English skills were the ones who benefitted from it. “This is because they are the ones cornering the good-paying jobs,” noted the educator-turned-lawmaker. He said those without the skills were left behind. “Without access to gainful employment, they remain mired in poverty, amid the economic boom there,” he further stated.

Congressman Gullas, Cebu

Demand for nurses down, technical jobs surge - DOLE

MANILA, Philippines - The demand for nurses abroad has started to decline, while opportunities for graduates of technical courses like engineering are on the rise, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

“There are 125,000 jobs for engineers in Qatar as of now but we only supplied 26,000 because we don’t have enough engineering graduates to qualify for the jobs,” Labor Secretary Marianito Roque told reporters after attending a congressional hearing on the accomplishments of President Arroyo from the time she delivered her State of the Nation Address last year.

Roque said engineers face job opportunities with the same competitive salaries offered to medical staff.
He said the DOLE could hardly meet the demand for Filipino engineers, information technology experts and other jobs requiring technical skills in Qatar for construction, oil and gas fields.
With this in mind, he advised students to enroll in technical courses.
7/14/09 Philippine Star Click title above to read complete article

42 accused in scheme to use unlicensed nurses for home care

Some parents and patients became suspicious of the nurses when they noticed their lack of skills.

"In one case, a 'nurse' was unable to replace a tracheotomy tube that had fallen out of a young patient's neck. In another case, an impostor nurse simply fled a medical situation when she apparently was unable to provide assistance," according to the statement.

Some of the unlicensed nurses had foreign training, but never passed a U.S. qualifying nursing exam, the attorney's office said, while others had no medical training at all.
7/9/09 CNN click this link to read the complete article

Bright prospect for nurses in USA

India and the Philippines are currently leading in the export of trained nursing manpower to the USA. The two countries sent over there around 50,000 nurses between 2005 and 2007.
Nursing is considered a highly skilled profession. A nurse can earn $4,000 to $10,000 per month, which few professionals can earn, she said.

"There are other potential markets for nurses. Europe, especially the Scandinavian countries, has a huge demand for professional nurses," said Shaheen, who is a US citizen and has worked there as a doctor for 15 years.

The Middle East can also be a big destination for Bangladeshi nurses, she added.
News Reports 7/10/09 click this link to read the complete article

Saudi raises RP nurses’ salary to 40%

With the economic crisis still without end in sight, Filipino nurses working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly those hired effective July 1, 2009, will have a fatter take home pay as the Ministry of Health headed by Minister Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rabeeah raised their salary to 40 percent from the old basic rate of Saudi riyal (SR) 2,550.
This increases the affected newly hired Filipino nurses’ monthly pay from SR2,550 to SR3,570, approximately P45,774.54 in today’s exchange rate (SR1=P12.8220), the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Recruitment Office (SRO) Manila headed by Fahad S. Al-Msaibeeh, employment attaché, said.

7/4/09 Manila Bulletin click this link to read the complete article (http://www.mb.com.ph)

Improving patient safety in The Philippines

As well as annually celebrating National Patient Safety Day, doctors in the Philippine Alliance for Patient Safety are currently working on legislation that would improve patient safety

Two years ago, the Philippines was one of eight countries that piloted a safe surgery checklist spearheaded by the World Alliance for Patient Safety and implemented by the Harvard School of Public Health. Funding came from the World Health Organization. Done at the Philippine General Hospital, the pilot showed that surgical complications dropped from 10.1 percent to 9.7 percent after the 19-point checklist was implemented; and deaths dropped from 3.6 percent to 1.7 percent. Since then, the country has widened the pilot to cover non-surgical programmes and 28 hospitals nationwide

7/4/09 Treatment Abroad click this link to read the complete article

Different Nurse positions needed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Technician, Pain Palliation, Adult Oncology, Pedia ICU, Adult ICU, Home Care Service, Labor and Delivery Assistant, Preventive Medicine, Burn Unit, ER, Recovery Room — these are just some of the different nurse positions needed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia as posted in the Skills International Company Incorporated website, a private employment agency. Click on the link to know more about the qualifications and more details plus how to APPLY ONLINE through their website. You can also find there the different nurse positions needed in Madina, Riyadh and Dammam, all in Saudi Arabia as well.

7/04/09 Philippine Nursing click this link to read the complete article

Local firm gears up to grab US nursing jobs

A local healthcare professional recruiting firm has set a target to grab at least 10 percent market share of nurses in the US in the next 10 years.

As part of the firm's export plan, the first batch of 20 nurses will sit for US nursing board examination and an English test at the end of this year.
“We will be able to send nurses to the US from early next year,” said Shaheen Faruque, president and chief executive officer of Momtaz Memorial Medical Services Bangladesh, a US-Bangladesh partnership.

She said they have been developing and training 20 nurses under a pilot project since 2007. The next batch has already been selected for training, she added.
7/8/09 Bangladesh Daily Star click this link to read the complete article

Nursing schools have until 2009 to follow new curriculum

THE Commission on Higher Education (CHED) yesterday said it might be constrained to revoke the licenses of nursing schools that would fail to implement the revised nursing curriculum by next school.

CHED Commissioner Nona Ricafort said all local nursing schools have until June 2009 to implement the expanded nursing curriculum drawn up by CHED. She said reports received at the office indicate that only 30 percent of the 263 nursing schools nationwide have implemented the new curriculum.

Click here to read the complete article 6/26/09 gophilippines blog http://www.gophilippines.net/news/article.php?s=Education&s_id=15&article_id=51434

Nursing blogs

http://www.scrubsmag.com/?utm_source=B\SCRUB the nurses guide to good living
http://www.scrubsmag.com/content/how-to-deal/?utm_source=b

Young and Restless Nurse
http://katiebeern.blogspot.com/

about a nurse Nursing and Health News
http://aboutanurse.com/

Head Nurse
http://head-nurse.blogspot.com/

Vital Signs – The News for Nurses Blog from Scrubs Magazine
http://vitalsignsblog.com/

Nurses Jobs For Malta

Qualifications:
Male or Female
No requirement for age
College Graduate
One year experience as a staff nurse in a hospital or medical institution performing main duties as a nurse
With IELTS band score of 7
Preferred with NLEX but not necessarily

To know where to send your application or inquiry-click this site:
http://pilipinojobs.com/nurses-jobs-in-malta-and-usa/

Hospital puts safe health care first

Among the other preventive measures that St. Luke’s implements are: compliance to isolation precaution, multi-drug resistant organisms monitoring, environmental care, equipment sterilization and disinfection, antibiotic use, education and update, monitoring and control of emerging infections, outbreaks, water and food safety, engineering safety, renovation and construction safety and surveillance.

Along with the promotion of patient safety, the center also ensures that safe medication practices are being implemented.

"A medication error is any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer," said Dr. Oscar Naidas of the medication safety team.

As such, the center campaigns to raise staff awareness about banned abbreviations, illegible handwriting of doctors, and sound-alike/look-alike drugs, all of which could potentially cause medical error.

St. Luke’s has also pioneered the prohibition of using neckties, white gowns and nurse’s cap due to a study, which showed that these garments are fertile areas for bacteria growth.
Even the pillows used by patients harbor bacteria, which is why they now provide personal pillows to each patient.

To read the complete article click here 6/26/09 Business World

Proposed program wants barangay health workers trained as nurses, doctors

Citing the continued exodus of Filipino doctors and nurses for jobs abroad, two lawmakers are proposing a program that would train barangay volunteers as health professionals.

Philippines is the leading primary source country for nurses internationally.
Step ladder' training
Philippines is the leading primary source country for nurses internationally.
Step ladder' training

As proposed, the Bibong BHW Program will follow the “step ladder" training program the University of the Philippines has initiated.

The first step is a mandatory basic training on community health care delivery, while the second step is a more comprehensive training on community health care where they could specialize in midwifery, occupational therapy, pharmacology and so on.

The next two steps are more rigorous and specialized. The third step allows BHWs to take courses required in becoming a licensed nurse.

After finishing the 15-month program, volunteers will be eligible to take the Nursing Licensure Board Examination.
To read the complete article click here 6/24/09 GMA News

The Philippines is the leading primary source country for nurses internationally by design and with the support of the government.

The 2001–2004 Medium Term Philippines Development plan views overseas employment as a key source of economic growth.16 Filipino nurses are in great demand because they are primarily educated in college-degree programs and communicate well in English, and because governments have deemed the Philippines to be an ethical source of nurses. A motivator for the Philippines to produce nurses for export is remittance income sent home by nurses working in other countries. In 1993 Bruce Lindquist reported that Filipinos working abroad sent home more than $800 million in remittance income.17 No other country produces many more nurses than are needed in their own health care systems at a level of education that meets the requirements of developed countries.

However, the Philippines may be reaching a natural limit in its ability to provide enough nurses for escalating worldwide demand. An estimated 85 percent of employed Filipino nurses (more than 150,000) are working internationally. About one-fourth of the total number of nurses employed in Philippine hospitals (some 13,500) reportedly left for work elsewhere in 2001.18 There has been recent debate that the growing global demand for Filipino nurses is so great that emigration of nurses could be threatening the country’s health care quality.19 It is estimated there are more than 30,000 unfilled nursing positions in the Philippines.20 In 2001 the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Singapore, and United States were the most common destinations for Filipino nurses.21

To read the complete article click here 6/23/09 blog

Nursing shortage to end in 2012 in Trinidad and Tobago

Narace explained that because of the shortage to fulfill the needs of the health sector, Government has been actively recruiting foreign nurses to fill the gap. In 2007, 138 nurses were recruited from Cuba, and 200 were recruited from the Philippines.
Government, he said was currently recruiting on contract 450 nurses from Cuba, the Philippines, Panama, Costa Rica and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Narace was hopeful that some of the Cuban nurses would arrive in the country within the next 30 days. In addition, he said the Regional Health Authorities were taking steps to attract and retain trained nurses.

To read the complete article click here 6/22/09 Newsday

USA Immigration: More Foreign Nurses Needed?

The U.S. nurse shortage is getting worse, but are more visas the answer—or would improved training capacity, working conditions, and pay do the trick?

For more than a decade, the U.S. has faced a shortage of nurses to staff hospitals and nursing homes. While the current recession has encouraged some who had left the profession to return, about 100,000 positions remain unfilled. Experts say that if more is not done to entice people to enter the field—and to expand the U.S.'s nurse-training capacity—that number could triple or quadruple by 2025. President Barack Obama's goal of expanding health coverage to millions of the uninsured could also face additional hurdles if the supply of nurses can't meet the demand.

Some lawmakers are looking to the immigration pipeline as one means to raise staffing levels. In May, Representative Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) introduced a bill that would allow 20,000 additional nurses to enter the U.S. each year for the next three years as a temporary measure to fill the gap. If the bill doesn't pass on its own, lawmakers may include it in a comprehensive immigration reform package. Obama is slated to meet with congressional leaders on June 25 to discuss reforming U.S. immigration laws.

To read the complete article click here 6/19/09 Business Week

Saudi needs 1,000 Filipina nurses—POEA Also for small number of architects, engineers

MANILA, Philippines—The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in urgent need of female nurses to fill up some 1,000 positions in its government hospitals, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administrator said.

To read the complete article click here 6/19/09 Philippine Inquirer

More than 100 nursing schools open despite government ban

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 (CHED), 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 the commission has been unable to weed out the poorly performing nursing schools. A total of 459 nursing schools operate in the country today.

Thus, legislators with an axe to grind with the Commission are able to get their point across to the commission. In the case of nursing schools, such members of Congress usually have financial stakes in them or have constituents or supporters who own these schools.

“If you don’t give in to them, at the next budget hearing you’re dead,” Puno said in Filipino. “They‘ll mock you, humiliate you, postpone the approval of your budget, schedule your hearing at 10 in the morning and call you about it at midnight.”

To read the complete article click here 6/15/09 Manila Times

Recession hits immigrants in health care industry

The health care industry is considered relatively recession proof, but not for everyone; In Los Angeles, many Asian immigrants are struggling to keep their health care jobs.

Many immigrants come to the United States in search of economic opportunity, and American employers usually have lots of opportunity to offer. Just not during a recession. The economic downturn is affecting Asian immigrants working in the health care industry. Click this link to read full article blog 6/5/09

576 nurses hired in Kuwait

KUWAIT CITY, May 5, (KUNA): Ministry of Health said it appointed 576 male and female nurses from inside Kuwait to honor growing needs of nurses. Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Services Dr. Yusuf Al-Nesf said in a statement said out of 1,480 applicants, only 576 managed to pass tests and personal interviews.

The new nurses will help the ministry in the establishment of new medical clinics and the operation of evening clinics.
Al-Nesf said former health minister Roudhan Al-Roudhan ordered the provision of 2,000 jobs for new nurses. Al-Nesf, meanwhile, said the ministry formed teams to hire nurses from Egypt and the Philippines to work in operation theaters, ICUs, newborns and heart surgeries.

The ministry of health has some 13,000 nurses from different nationalities, 10 percent of them are Kuwaitis. Click this link to read full article Arab Times 5/9/09

78,574 to take nursing board exam in June

MANILA, Philippines—A total of 78,574 nursing graduates are scheduled to take the board exam on June 6 and 7, Board of Nursing member Dean Marco Sto. Tomas told INQUIRER.net Thursday.
He said that as part of their procedure to safeguard the integrity of the exams, board members will go on quarantine from May 27 to June 8.

According to Sto. Tomas, Manila has the biggest number of examinees at 42,338, followed by Baguio at 11,336, then Cebu at 6,948. Click this link to read full article 05/21/2009 Philippine Inquirer

Japan Recruits Foreign Nurses to Care for Elderly

Japan faces a nursing shortage. The nation has the world's oldest population but not enough young people to help care for them. Now Japan is loosening up its immigration policies and turning to foreign nurses to help make up for that deficit. Click this link to read full article 4/30/09 VOA News

Filipino nurses, skilled workers in demand despite global recession Palace creates employment task force

President Gloria Arroyo created the Presidential Task Force on Emergency Employment to thwart the effects of the global economic crisis in the country’s economy. 2000 construction workers Guam needed. Click this link to read full article Manila Times 5/8/09

Military offers temporary jobs to jobless

Torres said that the AFP required nurses, psychologists, construction workers, auto mechanics, administrative clerks, utility personnel, computer programmers and data encoders, among others. He said the AFP expects to hire the people that they need by June. Click this link to read full article Philippine Inquirer 4/3/09

Green card logjam keeps international nurses out of U.S.

By now, Kenneth Hegna should be working as an operating room nurse at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in West Tennessee, where he was offered a job nearly two years ago.

But a massive backlog among international nurses applying for permanent resident cards means he and his family can't leave the Philippines. "It's frustrating," Hegna, 35, said in a long-distance telephone call from his home country in Southeast Asia. "I want to provide a good future for my family."

While he waits, the husband and father has been working as a registered nurse at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City in the Philippines. Hegna is among 700 nurses whom Franklin-based Health Care Corporation of America International is primed to bring to U.S. hospitals but can't because of a government slowdown in processing green cards. Green cards allow internationals to set up permanent residence here through employment or as a family member of another legal resident or citizen. Click this link to read full article 4/26/09 TENNESSEAN

With dreams dying, Filipino nurses ponder options, set new directions

Sadly, after spending hundreds of thousands of pesos for their education and countless moments of difficulties, their hopes and dreams are either dying or in need of immediate resuscitation or better still, drastic redirection. Scores are considering setting aside for the long-term, if not totally abandoning, their plans of working in local hospitals due to the terrible lack of employment opportunities amid the ironic reported increasing global demand for their services. Thousands of registered nurses have joined under-board engineers, accountants, and architects who have flocked to call centers, aside from those who have opted to become medical transcriptionists or managers of fast-food chains or run family business. Read complete article here Phiippine Star

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