8/22 + 8/23/05: Hearings on PA Bills to allow NCLEX in English and Spanish

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Aug 23, 2005

Thanks to all the bb members who posted so pasionately about this issue and contacted PA State Nurses Association (PA Nurses)

PA State Nurses Association presented testimony today before the PA House Professional Licensure Committee regarding this bill.

Presentation was broadcast this evening on PCN cable TV and will be repeated tomorrow:

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2005

1:55 PM Nurse Certification

http://www.pcntv.com/schedule.html

PA Nurses contacted 7 other states and Fla on this issue. NCSBON reported that Puerto Rican trained RN's living in PA have a pass rate of only 20% on the NCLEX exam while those educated in PA based programs have pass rate of 86%. FLA recognized that addtiional education in medication managemant and medical terminology needed by these nurses; however, they had less reported medication errors thatn new grads educated in Fla.

Nurses employed by the Philadelphia VA are carefully screened using clinical scenerios by the Nurse Recruiter to determine sufficient proficiency in English lanquage prior to hire and additional training provided in above areas. Safe practice and adequate comprehension of medical and nursing terminology paramount to safe nursing practice.

Therefore, recomendation of state association Cultural Diversity committee was that a nurse needed to have worked 2 years in a Federal Health Facility OR minimum of 2 years in Puerto Rico, pass TOFEL and take NCLEX to be licensed in PA. PA Nurses did not support for Spanish assisted NCLEX-----for the concerns documented so well on the bb.