CGFNS Exam Goes Online

CGFNS International recently announced that effective March 2011, examinations for its Certification Program will be internet-based.

“The CGFNS Qualifying Exam®, which has been given in paper-and-pencil format to over 500,000 foreign-educated nurses during the past 30 years, continues with the same testing rigor and remains a psychometrically sound and legally defensible examination. Moving to Internet-based testing expands our reach and strategic value to our global community,” said Dr. Barbara L. Nichols, CGFNS International CEO.

In related news, application fees for various CGFNS services will increase in 2011. The new fee schedule is listed here.

CGFNS International is an immigration-neutral nonprofit organization, globally recognized as an authority on credentials evaluation of the education, registration and licensure of nurses, health care and other professionals worldwide.

CGFNS is comprised of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, the International Commission on Healthcare Professions and the International Consultants of Delaware.

PRC to Go Online with eServices

Hours of waiting and long lines will soon be a thing of the past at the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) as the regulatory body will soon be utilizing an online system for most of its services.

The initiative is part of President Aquino's 22-point platform and policy pronouncement on labor and employment.

Once established, the public will have online access to the following PRC services:

• Online Verification of Academic Records (OVAR)
• Online Verification of Eligibility System (OVES)
• Online Verification of Room Assignments (OVERA)
• Professional Identification Card Availability Verification (PICAV)
• Online Verification of Registered Professionals (OVRP)
• Online Board Examination Application System (OBEAS)
• Online Renewal Application System (ORAS)
• Online Verification of Rating of Failed Examinee (OVRFE)

The PRC eServices initiative, once completed, will be available in all PRC Regional Offices nationwide.

Ways to Jumpstart Your Nursing Career

So you finished nursing school and passed the nursing board exams with flying colors. You certainly want to land a nursing job that's financially-rewarding as it is fulfilling. But you don't know where to begin.

True enough, having a rewarding nursing career doesn't automatically happen after obtaining a nursing degree and passing the boards. There are those who have worked as a nurse for years and still don't find their chosen career the least bit fulfilling.

The nursing profession may be one of the most stressful careers but it can be rewarding and fulfilling if you are able to make wise career choices. As an entry-level nurse, you have to jumpstart your nursing career, learn in-demand skill sets, get noticed, and make things happen for you so that you can grab the most rewarding nursing career opportunities. Here then are some tips on how you can jumpstart your nursing career.

• Research. Read on different nursing specialties so you will have an idea what specific area you want to practice eventually. Do you think you'll make it good as an OR nurse someday? Have you heard that travel nursing is fun and financially rewarding? Then research and ask around about these areas so you'll have a general feel if you've found a potential niche in the nursing profession.

• Learn, learn, and learn. If you want to be on top of the nursing career ladder someday, then you must get ahead by learning more by obtaining nursing certifications. You can also attend workshops or obtain an advanced nursing degree.

• Accept challenges. Whether you want an in-demand nursing job, or a raise or a promotion later in your career, remember that those who advance in any career are the ones who possess leadership skills and initiative. So if you want better career opportunities, accept challenges by volunteering for tasks or projects even if it may mean extra work for you.

• Build relationships. As nurses, we always collaborate with our colleagues and other medical professionals. Maintain a good relationship with your superiors and peers. It is also wise to choose a mentor within your nursing unit and learn from that colleague. 

• Use technology to your best advantage. If you want to be a globally competitive nurse, then you should be tech-savvy. Remember that technology has dramatically altered the ways in which we manage nursing problems and issues. In fact, technology has provided the solutions that enable us to enhance the practice of nursing. There's a wealth of information available on how you can become tech-savvy and you can start by learning or two about podcasts and mobile applications specifically made for nurses and other medical professionals.

Having that nursing career of your dreams will not happen overnight but if you're able to jumpstart your nursing career early and obtain the necessary skills set and have the right attitude, the climb up the nursing career ladder will be easier. And who knows, you might just be recognized as one of the trailblazers in the nursing profession someday.

CHED Issues Order Prohibiting New Schools of Nursing

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recently issued Memorandum Order 32 banning public and private higher education institutions from offering new undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing.

Programs covered under the ban are:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN);
• Master of Arts/Master of Science in Nursing (MAN/MSN); and
• Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhDN).

The order covers schools planning to offer new courses. Schools with existing nursing programs are not included.

It said that the proliferation of schools offering substandard nursing programs coupled with low passing rates in recent nurse licensure examination led to the ban.

Pinoy R.N. obtained a copy of the order and is posted below for reference:

CHED Memorandum Order 32 Series of 2010 - www.PinoyRN.co.nr

CHED Memorandum Order No. 32 also prohibits colleges and universities from offering new undergraduate and graduate programs in business administration, teacher education, hotel and restaurant management and information technology (IT).

Language Barrier Makes Entry of Filipino Nurses to Japan Difficult

Learning an entirely new language in six months continues to be the biggest hurdle  for Filipino Nurses seeking to enter the Japanese healthcare workforce with only one Filipino nurse passing the Japanese nurse licensure examination since the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement was signed between the two countries.

The Japanese nurse licensure examination is given entirely in Nihongo.

As such, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the  Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are set to hold a series of meeting to discuss ways to help foreign nurses, especially Filipinos, pass the Japanese nursing licensure examination.

Under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, Filipino nurses are given three chances to take and pass Japan’s nurse licensure examination.

Japan is currently looking to hire foreign nurses to tend to its aging population. It is also facing a looming nursing shortage.

Full Text of the Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill)

The debate on the reproductive health bill (RH Bill) continues to polarize our society.

The church and its flock are headstrong in preventing the passage of the RH bill into law arguing that the bill, in its current form, is anti-life as it purportedly legalizes abortion.

Reproductive health advocates, meanwhile, counter that the bill is, in fact, pro-life as it assures an enabling environment where women and couples have the freedom of informed choice on the mode of family planning (both natural and modern) they want to adopt based on their own needs, personal convictions and religious beliefs.

As nurses, it is our moral and professional responsibility to see through the bias and misinformation. As health educators, we have to be equipped with the correct information in promoting the welfare of clients.

Does the RH bill really legalize abortion? Find out for yourself and you be the judge.

RH Bill 2010 (Full Text) - SB 2378 - www.PinoyRN.co.nr

Don't have the time to read through the entire bill? Know the salient features of the RH bill in this article.

Podcasts for Nurses and Student Nurses

A number of months ago, Pinoy R.N. published the article, 10 Free Nursing Apps for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. We recommended iOS-based applications like Medscape, Epocrates RX, Black Bag, Eponyms (for students), WebMD Mobile, Skyscape Medical Resources and Medical Encyclopedia so that you can access a wealth of medical information while on the go.

Those who have tried the iPhone and iPod Touch applications we recommended can vouch for the usefulness of the apps listed especially during clinicals. But Pinoy R.N. and Ward Class are going to take things a notch higher by rounding up the best nursing podcasts available.

Nursing podcasts, already popular in the U.S., are new learning tools designed to reinforce what nurses already know. It is also  useful in augmenting textbook and classroom learnings by offering great and fun ways to study for nursing exams and review on different nursing concepts and procedures.

With the help of your mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch, Zunes, Android phones, or any other MP3 device, nurses can download podcasts produced by nursing professionals and/or medical institutions and listen to them briefly at work, during study period, during a long commute, or when you're bored at home.

We searched the world wide web for the most useful ones available and here are some of the better produced nursing podcasts so far:

The Nursing Show. Hosted by medical educator Jamie Davies, this podcast has over a hundred episodes and offers timely updates on nursing news and a wealth of tips and information for nurses and student nurses. Click here for The Nursing Show's podcast.

Geriatric Nursing. Produced by the Darthmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, this podcast provides a series of lectures for nurses and student nurses interested in Geriatric Nursing. You can subscribe to the Geriatric Nursing podcast here.

Mayo Clinic - All Audio Podcast. The Mayo Clinic All Audio Podcast provides audio lectures on men's health, women's health, children's health, cancer updates as well as segments of Medical Edge Radio. Get the Mayo Clinic All Audio Podcast  here.

Johns Hopkins PodMed. The Johns Hopkins PodMed is a weekly health news podcast providing lively discussions on the latest news on health and medicine. Subscribe to Johns Hopkins PodMEd here.

Insights in Nursing. Insights in Nursing is a podcast that lets you listen to a panel of nurse leaders while they discuss nursing issues and other issues related to health care. Currently on its 17th episode, Insights in Nursing provides weekly updates to RNs, LPNs, student nurses, and even nursing educators. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Nursing podcasts are great ways of enhancing nursing education as we move towards global competitiveness. 

If you already subscribe to nursing podcasts providing well-produced and informative series of lectures and insights, drop us a line (or link) in the comments section and we'll be happy to include your picks in our list.

Nurses to Gather at Manila Hotel for Nurses Week and Founding Anniversary Celebrations

Nurses from all over the country will converge next week at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel for the 88th Anniversary of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), 53rd Nurses Week Celebration, and National Annual Convention.

As nursing stakeholders and policy-makers convene, Filipino nurses are hopeful that  issues and concerns affecting the nursing profession will be tackled specifically the unabated exploitation of volunteer nurses, the urgent need in improving the quality of the nursing education and practice, and the chronic shortage of local nursing jobs.

The PNA is the professional organization of nurses in the Philippines.

Founded on September 2, 1922 as the Filipino Nurses Association (FNA), it was conceived by Anastacia Giron-Tupas with the aim of unifying all Filipino nurses and promote and professionalize the nursing profession in the country. 

The FNA became a member of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) during the council’s congress in Montreal, Canada on July 1929.  In 1966, the organization was renamed Philippine Nurses Association (PNA).

Since then, several milestones have marked the history of nursing in the Philippines which include:

• President Carlos P. Garcia, through Presidential Proclamation No. 539, declared the last week of October as "Nurses Week.’’
• In 1997, President Fidel V. Ramos issued Presidential Proclamation No. 1060 declaring the year as "Nurses Diamond Jubilee Year.’’ 
• Congress passed Republic Act 7164, the Philippine Nursing Act of 1991 mandating the government to protect and improve the nursing profession in the country to promote a dignified existence for nurses as a guarantee for the delivery of quality health services throughout the nation.

This year's convention, scheduled on October 26-28,  focuses on the nurses' role in serving the community with the theme, “Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: The Challenge for Filipino Nurses Leading Chronic Care.”