Filipino Nursing Herald

Hundreds of Filipino professionals, including doctors, lawyers, engineers, and accountants, among others, are going back to school to pursue a degree in nursing. Even Filipino immigrants in the US are going back to the country to enrol in schools here because of the tight competition for slots in community colleges and the high cost of private nursing colleges there. We've provided a list of Philippine nursing schools that accept second-degree enrollees to help would-be nursing students find the right school for them. This list is by no means an endorsement of any of the institutions included here. Before you enrol in any of the nursing programs, check with the Commission on Higher Education (www.ched.gov.ph) if the school you've chosen has full accreditation and that they are allowed to offer a nursing program up to the fourth year. Some schools are only licensed to offer the associate program (2 years), which means that if the schools has not received the full accreditation b...

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It's always good to know who to contact when you've hit a bump in your application. Here's a short list of people who could help sort out your concerns when applying for a license in Illinois: If you want to request for fingerprint cards or ask a question about applying for a nursing license in Illinois, you may get in touch with: Kittie D. West FPR.PRFGROUP09(at)illinois.gov Board Liaison, Health Services Section Division of Professional Regulation IL Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation When applying for Illinois, you send your application to Continental Testing Services. If you have concerns with your application, you could contact: Sue Zajda szajda(at)continentaltesting.net Continental Testing Services Fingerprinting is mandatory for most US states, including Illinois. There are several companies that can process your fingerprint cards, one of them is Integrated Biometric Technology. To ask for the current prices or other concerns you might have, you may conta...

Here's an FAQ from CGFNS for June 2006 passers: Does passage of the NCLEX or the CGFNS Exam make someone who passed only the June 2006 Exam eligible for a VisaScreen certificate? No. In order to become eligible for a VisaScreen Certificate, CGFNS has required that a June 2006 passer must first re-take and pass, with a score of 75 percent or better, the “special voluntary examination” covering the subject matter of Tests 3 and 5. Passage of the NCLEX or the CGFNS Examination by any passer of the compromised June 2006 PRC examination will not substitute for the requirement that he or she take the “special voluntary examination” authorized by Executive Order 609 issued by the Philippine Government on March 12, 2007. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Does the CGFNS decision have an effect on the validity of the Philippine nursing licensure? No. CGFNS recognizes the validity of the Philippine nursing license obtained by the June 2006 passer...

While US legislators continue to debate solutions to the nursing shortage, hospitals everywhere in the state go on hurting with inadequate nursing staff on their floors. Khou.com reports that the nursing shortage has hit Texas hospitals hard. See story here: Nurses needed, stat: Nursing shortage hits hospitals hard

Many Filipino nurses, including this author, continue to hope of finally being able to work in the US and start a new life there soon. Here's an article written for Basta Pinoy News by Vanessa Barcelona, a US immigration lawyer, about the steps needed to get papers processed and dreams fulfilled. http://www.bastapinoy.com/immigration_0203a.htm

The Japanese government is looking to introduce a new less-stringent license category for Filipino caregivers to allow an increased number of caregivers to work in the country. The Japan Times reports that the new scheme will enable Filipino caregivers to be employed despite failing Japan's national exam. The caregivers will be allowed to work under a practical license, which will likely have certain limitations compared to the regular license. Read the full story here .