Filipino Nursing Herald

Every year, thousands of Filipino nurses aspire to migrate and become a licensed nurse in the US. Here's a practical guide intended to help Pinoy nurses achieve this dream. Because the application process requires several steps and there are ongoing issues related to foreign nurse employment in the US, we've broken down this feature article into a series. Read Part 1 of the Filipino Nursing Herald's Guide to Becoming a US RN by clicking here . There are different methods for sending payments for the nursing registration application in the U.S.. Each board of nursing will have its own preferred method of payment. Going to the BON payment office is the best way to guarantee that your payment will be received, but if you're so many thousand kilometers away like in the Philippines, there are payment methods that you can use. The most convenient payment method is using a credit card. Most BON will have a payment form attached to the application form. Simply fill out this for...

Here's a list of hotels and other accommodation providers near the Pearson Vue test center in Makati City. I'll try to add a couple more later on. I advise those who are interested to avail of accommodations to book as early as possible. I'm only providing a list of the places I know which are close to the test center, however, please try to get more feedback from other people about rates and the quality of service they provide. If you can, call the hotel instead of booking online. Online booking rates are usually higher, and sometimes, promo rates are not posted fast enough. City Garden Hotel Makati - http://www.citygardenhotels.com/makati/main.html Salcedo Suites - http://www.salcedosuites-makati.com Fersall Inn - http://www.fersalinn.com.ph/makati/index.php Makati Prime Tower Suites - http://www.makatiprimetowersuites.com Oxford Suites - http://www.oxfordsuites-makati.com/ Sunnete Tower - http://www.sunette.com.ph/index.php Mandarin Oriental Manila - http://www.mandarino...

Click here for the results

Click here for the results

Click here for results. Congratulations to all who passed the June 2007 Philippine nurse licensure exam.

I feel sorry for those who were not allowed to take their NCLEX because they forgot to sign their passports. International NCLEX test-takers, including those who will take the test in the Philippines, are required to present their Authorization to Test (ATT) and their passports as proof of identification. The passport is the only form of identification accepted by Pearson Vue, which administers the NCLEX, from international applicants. Sadly, some have been barred from taking the exam on their test date because they forgot to affix their signature on their passports. This is a very simple matter, actually. Signing your name on any ID is a very basic rule that that requires the smallest of efforts. Unfortunately, some still fall into trouble because they forget to sign their name before presenting their passport to the receptionist at the Pearson Vue test center. We received a report that said some were turned away from the Pearson Vue test center in Manila because of the lack of signat...

Those waiting for the June 2007 nurse licensure exam can sleep well tonight. With the first day of the NCLEX in Manila tomorrow, the PRC won't announce the results of the local board exams just yet, according to my source.

Tomorrow, Aug. 23 is a big day for Filipino nurses as the first batch of Pinoy applicants take the NCLEX right here in Manila. Pearson Vue, the authorized test administrator of the NCLEX which is developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) in the US, began scheduling exams in the Manila center on July 13 this year and testing will finally begin tomorrow. Contact information: Pearson Professional Centers-Manila 27th Floor, Trident Tower 312 Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City, Manila 1227 Tel. +612-9478-5400 Extension 3 (Sydney office) Get a map to the testing center here and directions here .

Every year, thousands of Filipino nurses aspire to migrate and become a licensed nurse in the US. Here's a practical guide intended to help Pinoy nurses achieve this dream. Because the application process requires several steps and there are ongoing issues related to foreign nurse employment in the US, we've broken down this feature article into a series. This is Part 1 of the Filipino Nursing Herald's Guide to Becoming a US RN. What is the NCLEX-RN To be able to practice as a nurse in the US and its territories, you must be registered in the US state you wish to work in. Each state has a nursing board that regulates the registration process. A major requirement for registration is that applicants must pass an examination that "measures the competencies needed to perform safely and effectively as a newly licensed, entry-level registered nurse". The National Council of State Boards of Nursing ( NCSBN ) develops this examination, which is called the Nursing Counci...

I can emphatize with those waiting for the results of the June 2007 nurse licensure examination. I know how it feels to wait for something that you know would come out anytime soon but you don't know when exactly, so you anxiously wait up every night for the latest news updates, hoping to see your name among hundreds of other nurse applicants that passed the nursing board exams. It's a terrible feeling but you also know that the agony of waiting would be over soon and I hope that relieves you of some of the pressure and anxiety somehow. As always, this space will keep you posted of the latest updates once they're available.

We've known about the troubles faced by UK nurses in finding jobs in their own country for quite some time. As new nurses join the workforce, the dearth of available nursing jobs again hit the headlines. Although the UK still accepts foreign nurses WITH highly specialized skills (OR, ICU, etc.), it is very difficult to get an employer from there now and perhaps up to the near future.

The U.S. Department of State has released the Visa bulletin for Sept. As expected, the Employment-based category 3 is oversubscribed and the priority date is set at Aug. 1, 2002. This means that only applicants with priority dates earlier than that will be allocated a visa at this time. The Oct. Visa bulletin is expected to bring better news because the start of the agency's fiscal year usually offers new visa allocations.

A local recruitment firm and its Australian partner are discussing a proposal for the Australian firm to subsidize the cost of deploying Filipino workers Down Under. If this proposal pans out, Filipinos who are recruited to Australia would have less financial burdens to worry about. Read the news here .

Talking to my source again today, it seems that Aug. 21 might be too soon to expect the PRC to finish compiling the final list of passers. The BON was scheduled to convene starting today but it could take a few more days to prepare the final list. What's significant is that the PRC is in the final stages of releasing the results already and we would finally know who passed or not in a week or two. To all who took the June 2007 licensure exam, you're already in the homestretch of your wait. Goodluck to all!

Here's the latest update on the June 2007 Philippine nurse licensure examination. Got this information from a very reliable source. The BON will convene to deliberate on the results of the June 2007 board exams starting Aug. 16. I understand this will take about three days. Exam results COULD be announced on Aug. 21, or maybe even as early as Aug. 20. Of course, the PRC may still turn around and release the results much later than that up to Aug. 31, but at least we know they've already started the process of finalizing the results. I'm not sure about what goes on during the deliberations. From what I've gathered, officials perform some statistical treatment on the raw scores to determine the cut-off passing mark. From this, they can determine who passed or not. There's an unconfirmed RUMOR that initial reports showed only 29% passed the June boards, but, my source says the numbers are now higher and can only go higher once the deliberations are done. I'll post...

Here's a list of IVT training programs in Manila and nearby provinces for the month of Aug. and Sept. August 14-16 Lung Center of the Philippines 15-17 San Juan de Dios 16-18 Martinez Memorial Hospital 16-18 Ospital ng Maynila 26-28 Unciano Hospital Antipolo September 11-13 Bulacan Provincial Hospital 26-28 Angeles University Foundation 18-20 Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital

Test-takers of the NCLEX will sit for the exam for the first time right here in Manila starting Aug. 23. This is indeed a big relief for Filipino applicants and by extension, all other applicants from other neighboring ASEAN countries. Compared to Hong Kong, accommodations and the cost of basic goods is surely much cheaper in the Philippines. Earlier, we uploaded a map to locate the Pearson Professional Centers-Manila test center. If you're taking public transportation and need directions to the test center, here's a short guide to help you. Getting there: From Quezon City -- The fastest way is by riding the MRT. Get off Buendia station. Walk towards the Shell gas station, across it is a jeepney terminal. Get on any of the jeepneys plying the Buendia route and ask the driver to drop you off at RCBC Plaza. After you get off, cross the street and walk towards the Shell Maya gas station. Trident Tower is a building or two after the gas station. Another option is by taking...

Here's great news for Filipino nurses, caregivers and midwives in the UK: the British government has reversed its policy of denying work extensions to non-EU health workers and even raised salaries from €12,500 British pounds (P1.156 million) to €14,600 (P1.351 million) annually. Across the UK, health workers, called carers, working in nursing homes had faced deportation after the UK began denying work extensions to those who come from non-EU countries. This ensued because of a policy, drawn up earlier, that favors workers from EU-member states.

Just got back from a trip, so I haven't been able to update lately. I've got a whole chest-full of new ideas that I plan to write about and I think I just might have the extra time now to write more, so expect better things from this blog. In the meantime, I was surfing the Web for some relevant news that I missed while I was away and here are some of the noteworthy issues that you might also like to look up: Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) Sen. Aquilino Pimentel was quoted in the papers this week saying the controversial JPEPA might be ratified by our Senate. This legislation will, among other things, open up work opportunities for Filipino caregivers and nurses in Japan. Initially the number of workers have been limited to 400, but hopefully this would increase in the future. Australia needs nurses Raul V. Hernandez, honorary consul to Melbourne, said Australia would need 10,000 nurses in the next three years. Philippine doctors leaving as nurses Th...

The Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) says that the results of the June 2007 Philippine nurse licensure exam won't be available until Aug. 15 or onwards, so while waiting, here are some things you can do to relieve your stress and make the most out of this quiet period. 1. Go to a park, a beach, or a nature trail . If you haven't done so already, now is the time to breathe in some fresh air and take in the soothing effect of nature's healing charms. Forget the mall, you've been there every day after school or clinical duty. 2. Cook for your parents or your loved ones. If you don't regularly do this, now is the perfect time to show some appreciation for your parents. If you're the regular cook in the house, prepare something special--a dish you've never cooked before. Remember that a happy stomach is the source of all happiness. For guys who don't know how to cook, this is highly recommended because the effort already makes it extra special. 3. Br...