Filipino Nursing Herald

An estimated 13,000 nurse examinees from the scandal-tainted June 2006 nursing board exam are set to retake Tests 3 and 5 today, joining around 70,000 other nursing graduates who will take Philippine licensure exam for the first time. Lawyers hired by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) today will observe the tests that will be conducted in selected testing centers across the country. Dr. Leonor Rosero, head of the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC), said in a TV interview this morning that the first day of the exam yesterday went smoothly. Yesterday's tests covered subjects from Nursing Fundamentals, Maternity and Pedia, Community Health, and Medical Surgical. The retakers today will take their exam about Medical Surgical and Psychology.

The American Nurses Association, an organization of registered nurses in the U.S., has eased its position on June 2006 exam retakers. In an e-mail, the ANA said it will abide by the decision of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) to accept a retake of test 3 and 5 of the compromised June nursing licensure exams. In the e-mail, posted in the nclex-rn.net/nclex forum , ANA said a successful score in Test 3 and 5 of the exams, along with the completion of other U.S. licensure requirements would be sufficient for any of the affected June board passers to work in the U.S. "The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools has agreed to accept tests 3 and 5 for purposes of the prescreening. Given this, you are only required to retake tests 3 and 5. While ANA would have preferred a different outcome, retaking tests 3 and 5, plus meeting the other licensure and visa requirements is all that you need to do to work in the United States as a registered nurse,...

Some 10,000 of the 17,000 passers of the controversy-ridden June 2006 nursing licensure exams have registered for a retake, based on data provided by the Philippine labor department. Of this number, 9,450 have already registered for the special review classes arranged for the retakers by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) in partnership with the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing (ADPCN). Today is the deadline for registration for the special review classes. Online registration is available at www.specialnursingreview.dole.gov.ph. Those filing for applications for the special voluntary re-take examination must submit the June 2006 Notice of Admission or NOA (if still available); photocopies of Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card, if issued already; photocopy of Transcript of Records; and photocopy of Birth Certificate. The examination fee for retakers of Tests III and V on June 11, 2007 has already been waived. The special exa...

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...

Registration for the special review classes for nurses who will retake Tests 3 & 5 of the local licensure exam will start on March 21 and end on April 4. However, slots are limited. Each review center would only accommodate up to 100 participants and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration can be done at this Web site: http://www.specialnursingreview.dole.gov.ph

The government has identified 29 nursing schools which will serve as the review centers for nurse who will retake Test 3 and 5 of the June nursing licensure exams. Among these schools are eight Centers of Excellence recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). These are the University of the Philippines-Manila (UP-Manila), University of Sto. Tomas in Manila, St. Paul University Philippines, St. Louis University in Baguio City, Silliman University in Dumaguete City, and San Pedro College in Davao, St. Paul University Iloilo, and Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro. Under a memorandum of agreement signed by the Department of Labor and Employment and the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing (ADPCN), each school will provide the physical facilities, and faculty for the review classes. The government is currently working on an online registration Web site (www.specialnursingreview.dole.gov.ph), although reviewees can also register with the participating schools...

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has allocated a P20-million budget for the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to administer a special voluntary examination this year for the nurses licensed pursuant to the June 2006 Board of Nursing examination. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita announced in his press briefing in Malacanang this afternoon that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Executive Order No. 609 on March 12 directing DOLE, acting through the Board of Nursing (BON) and utilizing the administrative processes of the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) to administer a special voluntary examination to the nurses who passed the controversy-laden June 2006 BON examination. The special voluntary examination maybe taken in the June 2007 and December 2007 BON examinations or once at either dates. "The examination shall be for the equivalent of Tests III and V of the June 2006 BON examination. The results of these tests shall not affect the validity of the license...

The test retake for nurses who took the June 2006 board exams would be held on June 11 and 12, the government announced this week. Although a retake is not mandatory for all nurses who took the scandal-ridden June exams, the Commission on Graduates Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) have pressured local authorities into conducting a retake of Part 3 and 5 of the local licensure test for nurses who took the June exams. The CGFNS in a recent ruling said it will not issue a Visascreen certificate, a screening process needed when applying for immigration status in the United States, to nurses that took the scandal-tainted exams if they fail to retake the test. Local authorities, meanwhile, are still weighing the decision of the American Nurses Association (ANA) which is calling for a full retake of the exams, not just parts 3 and 5. Although the ANA is not a regulatory body in the US unlike the CGFNS, the group is very influential among nursing employers in their country. The organization has...