CGFNS/ICHP's Official decision on Visa Screening for June 2006 NLE passers

[eivan]

CGFNS Denies VisaScreen® Certificates for Philippine Nurses Who Passed the Compromised June 2006 Philippine Licensure Examination

PHILADELPHIA, PA — FEBRUARY 14, 2007 — After careful consideration, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) has decided that those Philippine nurses who were sworn in as licensed nurses in the Philippines following their passing the compromised licensure exam of June 2006 are not eligible for a VisaScreen Certificate. CGFNS began investigating this issue soon after the first reports of irregularities were received and sent a fact-finding mission to the Philippines in September 2006. CGFNS has concluded that the licensure process for those who received their license as a result of passing the compromised June 2006 licensure examination raises significant questions about the accurate assessment of the competencies of many of those individuals.

Therefore, CGFNS is unable to certify that the licensure is comparable to a U.S. license. In this instance, applicable U.S. immigration law will not permit CGFNS to issue the VisaScreen Certificate required of internationally educated health care workers to those nurses who obtained Philippine licensure on the basis of passing the June 2006 nursing licensure examination. CGFNS notes, however, that the June 2006 passers are able to overcome this bar and qualify for a VisaScreen Certificate by taking the equivalent of Tests 3 and 5 on a future licensing examination administered by Philippine regulatory authorities and obtaining a passing score.

please verify at:

http://www.cgfns.org/sections/about/news/news/2007/02-14-07_philippines.shtml

For those that want to go to US...we need to take the board or certain parts of the board this June.

[kathykaye]

I hope they just retake tests 3 and 5..

much better if they retake the whole exam...

goodluck to june 2006 batch.. dont think of who to blame..just retake the exam and move on.. there is a reason for everything.. god bless...

[pink_20]

To all june06 batch, goodluck to all of us. I guess this is really it, we really need to retake,if thats the only way to solve the problem and be able to move on. Goodluck to us again!

[pinoy_guy]

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view_article.php?article_id=51405

prc bent on appealing cgfns decision on nurses' work visas

the professional regulatory commission will still appeal for a reconsideration of the decision of the us commission on graduates of foreign nursing schools to deny working visas to filipino nurses who took the tainted june 2006 licensure exams unless they retake portions of the test.

prc chairperson leonor tripon-rosero will head a team of government officials and private-sector representatives that will leave for the united states on monday to "explain" the situation to the cgfns, even though the commission has stated that its decision is final.

labor secretary arturo brion disclosed that cgfns head barbara nichols spoke by telephone on saturday with rosero and confirmed that the panel's decision on the retake was final.

"[color=sienna]we will try to make an appeal; we'll give them additional information in case they reconsider their decision," rosero said.

makes you wonder what "additional information" rosero has that can possibly sway the cgfns...

brion earlier called "the appeal delegation" unnecessary and unauthorized, highlighting the two officials' opposing stands on the leakage controversy.

dole insiders said rosero insisted on the appeal "because she obviously only wanted to protect the credibility of the prc and uphold the country's nursing licensure exams."

but rosero said her mission was prompted by the request of nursing graduates who would be made to retake the exams.

"of course as much as possible they don't want a retake because they have to prepare and review all over again," she said.

curiouser and curiouser...

considering that the retake is voluntary for those who want to work in the us...why is rosero still insisting on this course of action?

even after cgfns head barbara nichols told her on the telephone that the cgfns decision is final?

i wish there were more public accountability for the actions of "public servants".

[nxt777]

let the philippine officials do whatever appeal they want and lets see what will happen.......................................

for the june 2006 passers who wants to work in the us - its your decision to retake or wait for the result of the "appeal" by our officials..............

[kathykaye]

Labor dept says CGFNS will disregard appeal of nurses

02/25/2007 | 11:23 AM

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/31984/Labor-dept-says-CGFNS-will-disregard-appeal-of-nurses

[rus-t]

Retaking is an individual choice of a JUNE examinee, if someone choose not to retake nobody can force him/her because maybe they have their own reasons or plans, If your not one of us (June passers) you shouldnt be affected and there are no reason you should be, I am already preparing for this june retake because i know i can pass the NLE again and again. If mrs. Rosero wants to appeal its her decision not us passers, can someone here do something to stop her?... if none just wait and be quiet we already had more than enough of this mess. Everyone here has his own life then live yours. God bless!

[aNgeL_gaL]

These issue is not about RN's vs RN's(June06)...I think this mess will not end unless all of us will move on.We've been stressed for how many months, scrutinized, depressed.We deserve to be treated as passers too, not because were part of the issue...Hope everything will be fine and lets put an end to these..God Bless

[suzanne4, RN]

What this official fails to understand is that CGFNS cannot change their decision. They based it on the requirements of the US Government that they are under contract to.

If the nurse wishes to work in PI, then there is no issue. If they want to work in the US, then they must follow the US requirements. And the other thing is that the green card has very specific requirements and there are no other visas available.

They can try all that they want, but with this type of behavior, it will cause them to reconsider the NCLEX exam there. Remember that CGFNS issued their statement after the NCLEX exam was announced to being held there sometime in the future.

And the same centers that were at the middle of everything last summer are still open and still teaching. Wonder what they are really doing to investigate the situation? Does not look like they did one thing.

[Rep]

What this official fails to understand is that CGFNS cannot change their decision. They based it on the requirements of the US Government that they are under contract to.

.

Maybe she thinks CGFNS is like our GMA who alsways flip flops on her decisions.

[suzanne4, RN]

She has a lot to learn, the US government does not flip flop in things like this. Maybe it is good that she is still there, and not in the US.

[green_angel]

The June 2006 NLE was marred in controversy. That cheating took place and nothing have been done by Philippines authorities to meet certain standards which US would have done if it happened in the USA. The ICHP/CGFNS said that if in the US, a retake is the only option but PRC did the unusual thing that is recomputed all the tests and excluded the sections were cheating was done.

that's why the present chairman of PRC should resign. it's her fault.

[suzanne4, RN]

that's why the present chairman of PRC should resign. it's her fault.

Sorry, but one person cannot take the blame for everything going on there right now. Many more were involved. And the ones that were at the center of the cheating scandal still have their centers open and are in business. Wonder how that can be when the PRC told the Board that approved NCLEX there, that things were being investigated. And this is not going to be March this week, so much for things being speedy.

And as long as they are still open and the cheating goes on, what is going to happen in your country when the NCLEX is offered? Sorry, but at this point with all of the things that I have seen in the past few weeks, with nurses from there lying to the US government, and also working illegally in the US without a care about it, what is going to happen then? Very scary thought.