Schools buck new nursing curriculum
May 23, 2008 05:54:00
Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines -- The largest consortium of private schools on Thursday demanded that the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) immediately stop implementation of the new nursing curriculum, saying its imposition was done without consultation and the curriculum posed too much of a burden on students.
The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (Cocopea) described CHEd’s Memorandum Order No. 5 released last week which directed nursing schools nationwide to add new subjects and increase hospital hours for students starting this school year, as a “disastrous” policy that would do more harm than good.
The order had added 28 units and three summer classes to the nursing curriculum’s 169 units. Practicum hours would also increase to 2,703 hours from the current requirement of 2,142 hours, Cocopea said.
CHEd said the new policies were aimed at further honing students’ technical knowledge and skills, making them more competent and competitive to employers.
Unfair to students
But Cocopea said the imposition of additional subjects was unfair to schools and students.
It also accused CHEd of failing to consult schools and colleges about the new policies. “Due process was clearly not observed,” the organization said.
Fr. Rod Salazar, Jr. SVD, Cocopea chair and president of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), urged the suspension of the order until after all stakeholders had discussed ways of improving nursing education.
“We are appealing to CHEd to suspend the implementation until we have considered in depth and at length how we can truly improve the quantity and quality of the nurses we educate,” Salazar said.
The additional units would also increase the financial burden of students and parents and cause a logistical problem to hospitals and colleges, the group said. It pointed out that there might not be enough hospitals to satisfy students’ need for hands-on learning.
“We have barely two months to go before the academic year will start and we, as heads of our respective institutions and educational associations, feel that the implications of the proposed changes in curriculum are too heavy for our educational system to implement this soon,” Salazar said.
Cocopea officials said implementation of the curriculum may prompt many students to discontinue pursuing nursing careers.
Fr. Joel Tabora SJ, CEAP regional director and president of the Ateneo de Naga University, said, “It is a disastrous policy. It will make us choppy and will force students to drop out.”
Cocopea is composed of 2,500 schools, colleges and universities.
Consultations were held on new nursing program 3 years ago
May 23, 2008 21:19:00
Katherine Evangelista
INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines -- Contrary to claims of a consortium of private of schools, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) said Friday consultations had been held before it ordered the implementation of a new nursing curriculum.
Maria Teresita Sy-Sinda, chairperson of CHEd’s Technical Communication on Nursing Studies, said nursing school owners, parents and related institutions were consulted during the drafting of the program.
CHEd’s Memorandum Order No. 5 released last week mandates nursing schools to add new subjects and increase the hospital hours of nursing students starting this school year. It will be applicable only to incoming freshmen nursing students.
The Coordination Council of Private Educational Associations on Thursday demanded that CHEd immediately stop the implementation of the revised curriculum, saying its imposition was done without consultation and it posed too much of a burden on students.
Meetings with stakeholders about the new program of study were held as early as three years ago, Sinda said.
The original proposal, according to Sinda, was to turn the nursing degree into a five-year program to ensure graduates’ competence. This, she said, was turned down by the stakeholders, citing the additional costs it would entail.
Sinda said the new program is better because it integrates review for licensure exams. “As a dean, I feel that it is my responsibility to ensure the quality of education of my students. Why should I pass it on to a review center?”
She said the integration was done to ensure the program is “airtight” to prevent a repeat of the scandal-tainted 2006 nursing board exams.
Private review centers now have to comply with the strict standards set by CHEd if they wish to continue operating, Sinda said, adding nursing schools that fail to meet the minimum passing rate for three years could be closed down.
“They should get their acts together,” she said.
At the same time, Sinda said the new nursing curriculum is CHEd’s response to address the growing concern over the declining quality of nursing graduates.
“In the beginning, there was clamor among our consumers that the nurses that we are producing in the Philippines [are] not competent,” she said.
In a primer provided during the 2008 National Conference on Health, statistics showed that from an annual passing rate of 62 percent in 1981 and 1988, nursing board exam passers dropped to 48 percent in 2002 to 2006.
The new curriculum also gets rid of “special courses” for professionals applying to nursing schools. Before, professionals can finish a nursing degree within 18 months because of the special courses offered by schools.
“If a doctor wants to be a nurse, she should go through the whole process in order to become a nurse,” explained Sinda.
Private Nursing Schools Protest New 5 YEAR BSN Requirement
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