PRC Room Assignment for December 2010 Nursing Board Exam (LEGAZPI)

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces the availability of the Room Assignments for the December 19-20, 2010 Nurse Licensure Examination for nursing board examinees in Legazpi City.

To quickly find an examinee, type his/her name in the search box in the lower-right corner of the embedded document.

NLE 2010 Room Assignment - Legazpi Examinees

December 2010 Nursing Board Exam Room Assigments for Manila, Cebu, Davao, and other areas will also be posted here as soon as it is made available by the PRC.

December 2010 Nursing Board Exam Room Assignments - BAGUIO

The PRC School and Room Assignments for nursing board examinees in Baguio, La Union, Dagupan, Vigan, and Cabanatuan was released by the Professional Regulation Commission - Baguio Regional Office recently and is available below for reference.

NLE 12-2010 Room Assignment (5 Testing Centers)

December 2010 Nursing Board Exam Room Assigments for Manila, Cebu, Davao, and other areas will also be posted here as soon as it is made available by the PRC.

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.