Update on VisaScreen Renewal Applications

The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) has updated the Application for VisaScreen® renewal. The updated form is available for download at this link and at the Pinoy R.N. Application Forms Section.

Healthcare professionals who have been previously issued VisaScreen® Certificates but have not adjusted their status or obtained a permanent U.S. visa are still required to renew their certificates within five years of the date it was issued.

Renewal applications must be done six months before the expiration of the VisaScreen® Certificate.

The cost for renewal is $250.

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4. All other supporting documents

As part of the application process you are required to be available for interview and take the special exam were results will be the basis of the scholarship grants.

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Gov't Seeks to Address Oversupply of Pinoy Nurses

In the wake of recent reports about the increasing number of unemployed filipino registered nurses, two separate government agencies are looking at two different approaches in addressing the issue.

In a report by GMANews.TV, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is said to be looking at the suggestion of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters (FAME) that an apprenticeship scheme be adopted. Under the proposal, new nurses would train as 'nurse interns' or ' nurse apprentice' at hospitals in Singapore and Saudi Arabia. Jackson Gan, FAME vice president, said this would provide new nurses the relevant clinical experience needed for working abroad.

Meanwhile, The Philippine Star reports that the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) is considering the imposition of a limit on the number of nursing schools and new nursing students admitted in nursing schools as a means to curb the growing number of unemployed nurses.

Representatives of different government agencies and educational institutions recently met to discuss possible measures in abating the increasing number of unemployed nurses in the country.

PRC-BoN Advisory to November 2008 Nurse Licensure Examination Applicants

Applicants for the Nurse Licensure Examination (NLE) are advised to follow a new scheme in the processing of their applications.

The issuance of the pre-numbered Nurses Application Forms (NAFs) is coursed through the deans of the colleges of nursing. The applicants may secure a copy from their respective colleges. This procedure will assist the applicants to have time to read and properly accomplish the NAF, prepare the requirements and minimize the long queue and congestion in the filing areas as observed during the filing period.

Likewise, the students may correctly enter their respective school codes to assist the PRC and the Board of Nursing in the accurate recording and reporting of the performance of the colleges of nursing in the Nurse Licensure Examinations.

As a control measure in the issuance of the NAF, the deans of the colleges of nursing shall submit the following to the Application Division of PRC central or regional offices:

• Letter of request signed by the Dean of the College of Nursing
• List of graduates taking the NLE
• Commitment letter stating that NO fee shall be charged to the applicant for the issuance of the NAF

Filing of the NAF and the accompanying requirements shall be undertaken personally by the applicant. The PRC Central Office and any of the Regional Offices will not accept and/or process application unless personally filed by the applicant.

The PRC Application Division is now accepting applications for the November 29-30, 2008 Nurse Licensure Examination. The deadline for the submission of application complete with all requirements is on October 17, 2008. Graduates are enjoined to start submission or application early.

U.S. Congress Return to Session on Wednesday; House Judiciary Committee Set to Mark Up Key Visa Recapture Bills

RETROGRESSION UPDATE

The House Judiciary Committee will convene on September 10, 2008, Wednesday when the United States Congress return for a short session before going into recess again for the U.S. elections.

Listed in the agenda is the mark up of several visa recapture bills including HR 5924 and HR 5882. Both bills will have a major impact in the backlog reduction, if not, effective lifting of the lingering visa retrogression should it get through the committee level as it ushers the possibility of the entire congress acting on the bills before they go into recess again.

Immigration experts, however, doubt if any real progress can be achieved considering the limited time left.

Meanwhile, some sectors are keeping a positive outlook while quietly gathering support for the pending legislations.

PNA Slams Hospitals for Requiring Nurses to Pay Training Fees; Cayetano Wants These Hospitals Shut Down

In a report by GMA's 24 Oras, Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) President Lea Paquiz said that several government and private hospitals have been exploiting nurses by not filling in vacant positions instead hiring unpaid nursing trainees/volunteers and charging them at the same time.

Alarmed by this exploitative practice of hospitals, Senate health and demography committee chairperson Senator Pia Cayetano has called on the Department of Health (DOH) to shut down public and goverment hospitals found to be engaged in this 'training-for-fee' scheme.

Pressed for comment, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque II turned a blind eye on the issue saying that these so-called 'training-for-fee' scheme is not practiced in government hospitals and even called the PNA statement reckless.

The secretary went on to justify these fees saying that hospitals need budget for specialized training courses that are created specifically to accept nurse trainees.

Meanwhile, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAP) said that it welcomes any investigation on the matter and is ready to mete out the necessary sanctions to erring hospitals.

Related Article:
Nursing Shortage in the Philippines: The Real Score

CGFNS Announces Price Adjustments to its Credentials Evaluation Service (CES)

Effective October 1, 2008, the following changes will be made to the CGFNS International Credentials Evaluation Service (CES):

The Reissue of a CES Report Service, where an official copy of a previously issued CES report is sent to an official recipient, will now become a Re-Evaluation Report Service with the following pricing:

Re-Evaluation of a Full Education Course-by-Course Report $238.00

Re-Evaluation of a Healthcare Profession and Science Report $188.00

Applicants who need to upgrade from a Healthcare Profession and Science Report to a Full Education Course-By-Course Report must apply for a CES Full Education Course-By-Course Report.

The pricing for the CES Full Education Course-By-Course Report and Healthcare Profession and Science Report remains unchanged at $378 and $328, respectively.

CES Reports do not have an expiration date, but additional CES services may be required based on official recipient requirements, or the submission of additional applicant credentials.

Source: CGFNS International