by PhilG

Our niece graduated from Tacloban and became a licensed, board-certified, RN in 2007. She started working off her required 6-months of volunteer work at a hospital in Lucena. After working about 4 months, she relocated to Tacloban, Leyte.

She has now resumed her effort of working off her required volunteer time, except that she has been informed by the hospital she is now working at that she has to total one year of volunteer time, not just six months. It's already beyond words that nurses have to work 6 months without pay, but now is this sudden jump to one year something that's happening to many or just to her?

Is it perhaps a case of the hospital taking advantage of the fact that she relocated before finishing her 6 months?

By the way, as a side note, a heart surgeon currently practicing in the Philippines told me that the volunteer requirement actually only applies to nurses who received financial help from the government to get through school, whereas our niece paid her own way 100%, with our help.

Phil

Re: Recent Increase in Volunteer Requirement?

There are only a minimum number of paying jobs in your country at this time, and to get them, most facilities require volunteer services there first, or a training program where they get money from the nurse.

Any hospital can make any requirements that they want, they are separate and different from what the government is asking.

And since your niece did not complete the volunteer program and get a certificate from the first facility, it is as if she never did it. They will not provide anything to her that she was even there.

There are many more nurses now than jobs and the facilities are aware that they can always fill their slots.

Best of luck to your niece.