I didn't know Labor Secretary Arturo Brion could crack a joke, not until I read the news from gmanews.tv about his proposal to give practical nursing licenses to those who would fail the recent June 2007 nursing licensure exams.
If I were a practical nurse, I'd be insulted. At least in the US, they have separate exams for nurses and practical nurses. I hope Brion is not even half-serious about his proposal to turn the practical nursing profession into a basketcase of nurse flunkers.
In the first place, what is Brion thinking? I suppose he wants to make practical nurses out of all flunkers, not just those who are with the June 2006 batch who re-took the exams, since he says only half of the 78,000 who sat for the test are expected to make the cut. The June 2006 batch have a different set of hurdles that they should overcome, but first-timers and non-June 2006 examinees don't need Brion's condescension.
Whether or not a nursing applicant from the Philippines gets a local license, he's still eligible to apply for a nursing registration in the US. Other countries, such as Australia, Canada, and Middle East states, among others, do require local registration, but if you're hoping to work in the US, then a local license is not a prerequisite in most US states. Provided visas are available again, nurse applicants only need to pass the NCLEX-RN and get a Visascreen to get a shot at the US labor market.
More significantly, there seems to be no practical nursing course being offered locally that's recognized by US authorities. So even if you make practical nurses out of the flunkers, it wouldn't enhance their employability a bit.
Suppose, God forbid, an examinee flunks the June 2007 exam, he doesn't need to sulk and become a practical nurse instead, just like what Brion wants. My grade school teacher definitely had better motivation skills that our country's labor chief. "If you want a chocolate--and you don't get it in your first try--don't settle for just any other candy," I remember being told when I was nine and my teacher was giving out chocolates for perfect quiz scores.
I personally know some people who flunked at their first crack of the nursing exams but came out topnotchers in their second try. Flunkers don't need to be mis-directed from their goals of becoming nurses, they need to be motivated to surpass their own efforts. So, if you really want the chocolate, don't settle for Brion's offer of a candy.
If I were a practical nurse, I'd be insulted. At least in the US, they have separate exams for nurses and practical nurses. I hope Brion is not even half-serious about his proposal to turn the practical nursing profession into a basketcase of nurse flunkers.
In the first place, what is Brion thinking? I suppose he wants to make practical nurses out of all flunkers, not just those who are with the June 2006 batch who re-took the exams, since he says only half of the 78,000 who sat for the test are expected to make the cut. The June 2006 batch have a different set of hurdles that they should overcome, but first-timers and non-June 2006 examinees don't need Brion's condescension.
Whether or not a nursing applicant from the Philippines gets a local license, he's still eligible to apply for a nursing registration in the US. Other countries, such as Australia, Canada, and Middle East states, among others, do require local registration, but if you're hoping to work in the US, then a local license is not a prerequisite in most US states. Provided visas are available again, nurse applicants only need to pass the NCLEX-RN and get a Visascreen to get a shot at the US labor market.
More significantly, there seems to be no practical nursing course being offered locally that's recognized by US authorities. So even if you make practical nurses out of the flunkers, it wouldn't enhance their employability a bit.
Suppose, God forbid, an examinee flunks the June 2007 exam, he doesn't need to sulk and become a practical nurse instead, just like what Brion wants. My grade school teacher definitely had better motivation skills that our country's labor chief. "If you want a chocolate--and you don't get it in your first try--don't settle for just any other candy," I remember being told when I was nine and my teacher was giving out chocolates for perfect quiz scores.
I personally know some people who flunked at their first crack of the nursing exams but came out topnotchers in their second try. Flunkers don't need to be mis-directed from their goals of becoming nurses, they need to be motivated to surpass their own efforts. So, if you really want the chocolate, don't settle for Brion's offer of a candy.
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