NCSBN rules out Philippines as NCLEX site

[pinoy_guy]

just a sad update to other filipinos.

american nurses' boards won't accredit rp grads

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news5_oct26_2006

the american national council of state boards of nursing has rejected president gloria macapagal arroyo's request to include the philippines as an accredited venue of the united states licensure exam for foreign nurses.

mrs. arroyo met with the council's president, faith fields, and associate executive director dr. casey marks yesterday to brief them on what was being done to address the leak of test questions during the june board exams for nurses.

but they told the president that the philippines--up for consideration as a venue before the scandal--would have to wait "some time" before its application could be taken up again.

"some time needs to pass, and that is definitely after a final decision is made clear," fields said in an interview after the meeting.

"i think the entire nursing world is looking at what your action will be. we are very interested to see how you handle the crisis... you don't want to waste opportunity to make your own system better."

commission on filipinos overseas chairman dante ang said the president was told that some 14 states in the us did not want to reconsider the philippines' application as an accredited testing center after the june test leaks.

this post is not meant to incite arguments, but to inform.

the leakage issue had, and is continuing to have, an international effect.

i want this as a call to action & prayers.

the ncsbn heads have spoken.

i hope we have the will to do what is right.

[Rep]

while they dance around the issue, the examinees suffer.

You said it right!

[pinoy_guy]

entire nursing board changed

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/nov/01/yehey/top_stories/20061101top5.html

wednesday, november 1, 2006

reacting to the manila times story that the commission on graduates of foreign nursing schools (cgfns) would screen filipino nurses who passed the june board exam, ermita said the government was as eager as the new batch of filipino nurses to have the controversy finally end.

"we would like to see the problem on this licensure examination for nursing come to an end because the next examination will be december 2 and 3, hardly a month away. second, please note that the court of appeals had already ordered that the remaining nurses who passed could take their oath, and they have been taking their oath," he said.

. . .

the cgfns on monday warned that filipino nurses who belong to this year's batch of examinees could be denied when applying for visascreen application.

. . .

"we cannot fault the cgfns for taking such a position, because if they think that is the correct thing to do in order to remove any doubt about the competence of the newly passed nurses, then that is the call of the cgfns," ermita said.

he promised to push the nbi into coming up with its final report that would identify the nurses who took classes in review centers such as the gapuz, ingress and pentagon review centers, and who among the reviewees would retake the test.

"we are hoping that all these will help fine-tune the validity and eligibility of those who passed the examination, so we could persuade the cgfns that the government's effort to redeem the integrity of the nursing profession is genuine," he said.

nbi director nestor mantaring has said the report on the leakage is being delayed by the tedious process of going over the names of reviewees to determine who benefited from the leak.

labor secretary arturo brion said there were glaring disparities in the manner the prc recomputed the grades of the examinees.

"i am not ready at this point to come out with specifics but i can generally tell you that we have found a lot of aberrations," brion told reporters tuesday.

so we learn that the philippine government will respect whatever decision cgfns makes regarding this batch, just as cgfns respects how the philippine government will handle the problem. but as suzanne pointed out, respecting the decision and accepting the nurses are two different things.

they can respect each other's decisions, and cgfns may not accept the nurses from this batch.

sacrificial lambs.

the second question is the alleged difficulty of getting the list of reviewees. from last month's news reports, the nbi had the list of reviewees at that time...they had at least a month to go over the list. the lists are alphabetical, so it should be easy to just take the names of the involved people. and yeah, everything is computerized: from the prc to gapuz to pentagon. i think inress also. they have the names in electronic form, should be easy to get the names.

i think the sheer number of the reviewees in these review centers is the big factor.

friends estimate thousands of reviewees for gapuz and pentagon alone, at least 10,000. that's almost 1/4 of the examinees. if this fact comes out, the entire exam is as good as voided, because the leak reached a lot of the examinees. this is why the prc "could not find a pattern of cheating." the pattern, or abnormal spikes, will be so diluted that it can be interpreted as a general upward trend. the victims are the people who did not get a copy of the leak.

the other problem is that thousands will have to retake (as ordered by the court of appeals), not only the 1,000+ mentioned. another round of lawsuits.

feeding frenzy for the lawyers...

i really feel sorry for this batch, especially my students.

sigh.

personally, i think the prc should allow passers of this batch to retake the entire exam, all 5 tests...as if they never took the june 2006 nle.

start with a clean slate.

all these lawsuits and contemplated lawsuits will hang like damocles' sword over their heads for the next few years.

[pinoy_guy]

retired teacher, 4 others are 'acting' nursing board execs

http://www.gmanews.tv/nation.php?id=19361&sec=5

5 named bon members "acting" only.

five days after the court of appeals paved the way for the oath-taking of new nurses, malacañang on tuesday announced the appointment of an "outstanding" but retired academician as chairperson, and four other persons as members, of the board of nursing (bon) -- all in acting capacity only.

. . .

named acting bon chair was carmencita abaquin, "outstanding professional in nursing" awardee of the university of the philippines college of nursing (upcn) last june.

abaquin had taught both in the undergraduate and graduate programs of the upcn and retired last june after 41 years of service. she continues to serve as a lecturer at the college.

. . .

merritt was a former president of the upcn alumni association inc.

. . .

sto. tomas is vice president of the association of deans of the philippine colleges of nursing.

. . .

ermita directed the anti-fraud and computer crimes division of the national bureau of investigation to finish "soon" its investigation into the scandal.

he said the nbi probe should be completed before the scheduled retake.

the nbi has yet to reconcile the names of the students who took review classes at the inress, gapuz and pentagon review centers, whose enrollees allegedly benefited from the leaked questions.

additional students would likely have to retake the exams once the nbi has established the identities of those who had enrolled with the three review centers.

ermita said malacañang could not blame the commission on graduates of foreign nursing schools (cgfns) if the group remains skeptical of nursing students who took their oaths and obtained their licenses on the basis of the june 2006 nursing examinations.

he insisted, though, that the government has done everything it could to restore the integrity of the nursing profession.

2 acting bon members from university of the philippines college of nursing.

one is the vice president of the association of deans of the philippine colleges of nursing.

i hope they can make the december 2006 nle questions in time.

again, the mention of additional students who are likely to retake the exams.

i think the e. coli will hit le ventileteur when (if?) they finally release this list. revocation of licenses and retaking the 2 tests.

will these examinees, whose only "fault" was to attend the final coaching at the involved 3 review centers, accept the revocation of their licenses after the much-publicized oath-taking? ouch. will these examinees willingly retake the tests 3 & 5 before december 2?

at least mr. ermita is realistic and acknowledged that the philippine government cannot force cgfns to accept the nurses.

[arys1075]

i feel sorry with my fellow nurses who are going to retake board exam again especially those examinees who are affected outside the review centers mentioned...."sin is the sting of death"... "we will reap what we sow"...

sometimes we enjoy the fruit of our labour but not this kind of thing... the leaders, teachers, review center owners must always set a good example so that nurses acquire new roles, responsibilities and building a solid foundation of nursing and caring knowledge to support the next "nurses" of tomorrow...

wherever we go and whatever we do, we're thrustworthy and always proud to be a filipino...

[pinoy_guy]

just a heads-up for the june 2006 nle passers.

prc chief denies manipulation of grades in nursing exam

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/news200611020411.htm

. . .

according to brion, his office is now looking into the alleged alteration of grades. he expects the investigation to be completed by monday.

the labor chief branded the manipulation as "very disturbing," and it was the primary reason why he did not want the oath taking of the new nurses done until the controversy was resolved with finality.

. . .

but on tuesday, brion revealed they found out that some of the examinees were allowed to take their oath when they actually failed the examination, and that some scores were padded by as much as eight points.

brion, whom president arroyo tasked to look into allegations of leakage in the nursing examinations, said a special team from the department of labor and employment is now reviewing the grades of the examinees based on the document submitted by the prc.

. . .

once the investigation is completed, brion said he would take the appropriate action against those found liable for the supposed grade alteration.

however, brion said they respect the decision of the court of appeals allowing the oath taking of those who passed the nursing board exam.

he said they would submit their findings to malacañang and let the court decide whether to revoke the licenses of those who failed but were allowed to take oath, he added.

possibility of license revocation and allegations of score-padding.

if they revoke licenses, i predict another salvo of lawsuits & temporary restraining orders (tros).

if allegations of score-padding are true, are the topnotchers still topnotchers?

put another way, if allegations of score-padding are true, why go through the leak in the first place? this theory implies that "topnotcher" ranks can be bestowed on whom they think is worthy.

questions.

[icing]

Just Thinking...

Have These People Investigating These Aberrations Taken A Licensure Exam Administered By The Professional Regulatory Commission In Their Life?... Just Wanna Know... Coz If They Had They Know That Computations Are Subjected To Some Degree Of Manipulation... Not Just The Nursing Boards But The Cpa Boards And Other Boards Also...

I Mean These Computations And Manipulations Are Discussed In Review Centers... How The Prc Comes Up With The Grades... I Have Taken The Cpa Boards, An Ex Has Taken An Engineering Licensure Exam, A Medical Exam And Several Relatives Have Taken The Nle... And The Computation Has Stayed The Same...its Not Even Like Its Illegal For The Prc To Do This... Its Included In Their Mandate. Prc Has Always Had This "discretion" They Say...

Do People Actually Think That The Board Results Are Zero Based?... If That Were So, There Would Be Even More Casualties In All The Exams Administered By The Prc...

Now, If These Manipulations Were Not Acceptable Then It Won't Be The Nle Of 2006 That Is Tainted By The System But All Previous Exams Of All Professions Regulated By The Prc Are In Question...

So Are These People Pushing For A Retake Willing To Open That Pandora's Box And See It Through? If They Really Are These Outstanding People That They Say They Are Shouldn't They Fight This Through And Through...

Because If They Just Focus On The June 2006 Nle Passers... Well, It Just Seems Too Convenient...

Maybe My Cousin Deserved To Pass The Cpa Boards Last November 2001?!!!... Retake!!!...

Just Kidding...

[icing]

Anyway... correct me if I'm wrong... computation is done like this....

Highest Score Less LOwestScore divided by 2.... whatever the resulting score will get 75%... that is done per subject and everything is adjusted based on that...

Making the padding of even more than 8points possible......................

[pinoy_guy]

new nursing grads get jobs in us, uae, uk, australia

http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=30314

among 20 new nurses monitored by the professional regulation commission's board of nursing (bon), at least four of them had already passed the national council licensure examination (nclex) and are set to join four compatriots now employed in hospitals in the united states.

this is good news.

at least 4 members of this batch had been accepted by one or more us hospitals.

if these 4 didn't previously have immigrant visas, then this means they got their visascreen certificates.

let's hope the rest of the batch get their visascreen certificates and get the chance to earn dollars soon.

:)

[YAJRN]

REP... my frend yu are rit. All Phi nurses wanted to go abroad but these June passers who wanted to insist on no retake just killed their American Dreams. I'm not here to incite any arguments. I just wanted to present my opinion that is deeply hidden for many months now.

For me what is wrong about retake.Let us think again that the bigger picture is that it's more difficult when CGFNs or NCSBN would not issue any papers for legal entry to the US than claiming a no retake stance. Dante Ang - thumbs up! you just did the right advice.

If no retake that means nurses of June 2006 would really pass thru the eye of the needle on every American gates. It's just a piece meal to take the exams again. Disregard the time, money and effort for the sake of survival and dreams. It would also help the next batch of candidates to have a worry free state when its their turn to take the boards.

Though it is official that the verdict is clear enough for a no retake then congratulations! As a mimick to John Kerry says "do your homework, be smart and if not you'll be stuck in Phi." ,because you belong to June 2006. ITS TRUE!

Peeps!once again lobby for a retake if there is a chance to revert the decision.

[K-Ann]

new nursing grads get jobs in us, uae, uk, australia

http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=30314

quote:

among 20 new nurses monitored by the professional regulation commission's board of nursing (bon), at least four of them had already passed the national council licensure examination (nclex) and are set to join four compatriots now employed in hospitals in the united states.

this is good news.

at least 4 members of this batch had been accepted by one or more us hospitals.

if these 4 didn't previously have immigrant visas, then this means they got their visascreen certificates.

let's hope the rest of the batch get their visascreen certificates and get the chance to earn dollars soon.

:)

i dont understand how they were able to apply to a us bon and sit for the nclex in just a short time, unless they applied to a bon before they took nle. but even then, hongkong pearsonvue is already closed for the rest of the year. unless, again, if they sat for nclex in the us. and again, i dont understand how they were able to get a job when they still have to apply for a permit to work which will take time. i know someone who graduated last year (june 2005) but was only able to sit for nclex this may and is still waiting for her permit to work.

i know for sure that they went to the us with a tourist visa (if its true that they are already working there) because the embassy dont schedule interviews anymore and definitely dont give immigrant visas anymore. but they still need to get a visascreen and apply for i-485 and i-140 even if they are already there. they cannot work with a tourist visa forever. let's see what happens first, they get deported or.... well i cant think of anything.

anyway i look at it, its very misleading. its a bull (sorry). somebody is playing with us. its either the one who released the report or the one who wrote the news.

[pinoy_guy]

i dont understand how they were able to apply to a us bon and sit for the nclex in just a short time, unless they applied to a bon before they took nle.

a lot from this batch learned from the previous batches. they learned to apply for the nclex right after graduation. (i told my students to send their applications the day after graduation, when they can get their transcripts.)

one of my students told me personally that she had passed the nclex. there are at least 2 other forum members here who have also passed the nclex. so it's possible.

i dont understand how they were able to get a job when they still have to apply for a permit to work which will take time.

this is what i'm wondering about too.

the only possibility i can think of is if they have immigrant visas, in which case they don't need visascreen.

us citizens are not allowed to take the june 2006 nle, being foreign nationals. or they could have dual citizenship.

i know someone who graduated last year (june 2005) but was only able to sit for nclex this may and is still waiting for her permit to work.

same with me--i graduated summer 2005, and i also took the nclex this may.

it took a long time to get my eligibility.

i know for sure that they went to the us with a tourist visa (if its true that they are already working there) because the embassy dont schedule interviews anymore and definitely dont give immigrant visas anymore.

as i mentioned, another possibility is if they have immigrant visas or dual citizenship.

but they still need to get a visascreen and apply for i-485 and i-140 even if they are already there.

if they don't have immigrant visas or dual citizenship.

they cannot work with a tourist visa forever.

they can not work with a tourist visa ever. it's illegal.

let's see what happens first, they get deported or.... well i cant think of anything.

since it's been relayed to the philippine bon, and the bon is trumpeting it to everybody, then i would assume the 4 are working legally.

otherwise i don't think the philippine bon could have access to such information.

anyway i look at it, its very misleading. its a bull (sorry). somebody is playing with us. its either the one who released the report or the one who wrote the news.

the crux of the matter.

this is what i would like my students to learn, to have critical thinking when reading such news articles.

this sounds like another press release to counter the cgfns news on the visascreen which was reported last week.

but it gives hope, and this is why i shared it with the people here.

i'm praying it's not false hope.

[suzanne4, RN]

a lot from this batch learned from the previous batches. they learned to apply for the nclex right after graduation. (i told my students to send their applications the day after graduation, when they can get their transcripts.)

one of my students told me personally that she had passed the nclex. there are at least 2 other forum members here who have also passed the nclex. so it's possible.

this is what i'm wondering about too.

the only possibility i can think of is if they have immigrant visas, in which case they don't need visascreen.

us citizens are not allowed to take the june 2006 nle, being foreign nationals. or they could have dual citizenship.

same with me--i graduated summer 2005, and i also took the nclex this may.

it took a long time to get my eligibility.

as i mentioned, another possibility is if they have immigrant visas or dual citizenship.

if they don't have immigrant visas or dual citizenship.

they can not work with a tourist visa ever. it's illegal.

since it's been relayed to the philippine bon, and the bon is trumpeting it to everybody, then i would assume the 4 are working legally.

otherwise i don't think the philippine bon could have access to such information.

the crux of the matter.

this is what i would like my students to learn, to have critical thinking when reading such news articles.

this sounds like another press release to counter the cgfns news on the visascreen which was reported last week.

but it gives hope, and this is why i shared it with the people here.

i'm praying it's not false hope.

something very fishy here. first, how in the world are they soon to join others in the us? not one that took the exam this summer has made it thru the immigration process, and that is a known fact. calculate in the time that is normally takes when there are no issues and none do it in four to five months time. they have passed the nclex exam and have a job offer.

period. there is not even any word there that they have a visa screen certificate, remember that it is not needed until the interview with the us embassy. chances are that some of them have not even taken their english exams yet.

and here is just another example how things get changed or exaggerated to fit the need. passing nclex exam does not give automatic right to work in the us. and none have gone thru any other process as of yet........

and with the retrogression, what do they mean by soon?

sorry, but i find articles like this more destructive than anything else. it is saying, pass the nclex and you too can be in the us working.

bunch of garbage that we all hear over and over again. suggest that you ask the author of that article about immigration and working in the us, and they probably have no clue at all.

and the students of pinoy guy took the nclex because they submitted their application well before the time that the nle was even offered. so that got them around the issues also, they did not apply after the exam was given.