marwan

The cure is absolutely worst that the problem! There are many ways to limit the number of enrollees. One, establish a quota system through entrance exams and/or interviews, and put the remaining candidates on a waitlist just like in UP, and colleges & universities here in the US. The selection process will not surely put the high school grads in an unfair ground. (It may be to their advantage as entrance exams are more patterned after the old NCEE and SAT.) It will put everybody -- from 17-45+ year-olds to have equal opportunity. Plus this may be another means for colleges/universities in PI to collect exam fees! If no. 1 is met, the Phils will regain its reputation for high qualifty nursing education. Two, not allow failing students to progress through junior and senior curricula, instead counsel them to take up courses more appropriate to them. If no. 2 is met, PRC will not have to deal with thousands of examinees, thus a fair time is allotted to look into the examinees records without delaying the process for ALL candidates. Why do the schools in Phils are not doing these? Because, limiting the number of students trims down their profits. If this happens, the PRC's coffer will also tighten, and boom -- less money means less business. My conclusion: Preventing thousands of hopefuls to becomes nurses is not going to happen and will never be!

Hi, I asked the same question to our accountant via email and she said, "they're looking into this." Keep your fingers crossed and hope that it will be eligible for credit. I'll keep you posted.

For the cum laude's of wherever: The classroom would be more conducive to cooperative and fruitful learning if you display politeness or courtesy to everyone especially to your instructors or professors. Any disagreement will be settled privately, ie. between you and your professor. Never ever intentionally humiliate your professor in front of your younger classmates. Be mature enough that not all people you meet are as smart as you are. Your professor is the expert in the field she's teaching. She or he may incur errors but she/he deserves your utmost respect at all times.

It's alarming that education in the Phils has become "unregulated" sector. The free enterprise system, which feeds the government millions in pesos of revenue and allows millions of students achieve their dreams, has become the evil that sucks the hard-earned money out of working families. Because of its similarity to the US, the nurse education in the Philippines has fallen into the prey of vultures. These are the selfish, profit-focused, opportunists who used the media as instrument of spreading the news on the global demand for nurses. The same group of vultures who capitalized on Filipinos' hopelessness. I bet, these are the same vultures who are profiting from selling textbooks, gadgets, proficiency exams, recruitment agencies, and the like. It doesn't take a genius to notice that nurse education in the Philippines is a big business with so many stakeholders profiting from its continued expansion. It's a cycle that not even the Secretary of Education is willing to break. So long as there are students, graduates, the PRC's or PNA's coffers will continue to be filled up with fees. A big money for these institutions also translates to big bucks for the government. Yes, the government, wherein the Filipino people have entrusted their care, is the same government that is causing hopelessness among its people. In spite of all the bad publicity sorrounding the nurse education in the Philippines, I still believe that many Filipino graduates can be considered world-class! The only issue is that with so many graduates, it's becoming more difficult to separate the CHAFF from the GRAIN. I hope that employers abroad will not give up on hiring our Filipino nurses.

Join the PNA and ask their help if they can lobby for nurses who are facing such discrimination. Check Philippine labor laws about discrimination, and find a good lawyer. If such is found to be against the law, its money for the lawyer, job for you, and penalty for the employer. I know it is illegal but many Filipinos do not have the guts and money to sue an employer. Well, think of filing a class lawsuit. If there are other nurses who are in the same situation, talk among yourselves and reach a common ground -- This discrimination has to stop!!! It's not only for you or your group. Think of hundreds of Filipinos who have chosen nursing as their 2nd or 3rd career. I tell you, my daughter's nurse is nearing her retirement age but she's as swift as a 22-year old nurse! Good luck.

[until now, no one has told me what retrogression is in the simplest language, so i don't know what they are talking about.] it means: you have thousands of people in line to get their meals; however, there are only a hundred available. so, if you're not in the first 100 people, you have to wait for your turn until meals are made available and ready for the next 100 people, and so on... in terms of the visa retrogression issue, it may take several years for us green card visas available for nurses coming from the phils. as there are several thousands (also applicants coming from other countries as well) who have been waiting in line. i hope this helps!

Give her the benefit of the doubt. If your girl is a breadwinner, there may be times that Php 20,000/month isn't enough. About 7 years ago, a co-worker/friend left her full-time job for medical school. Her sponsor was her biological father who happened to be a doctor in London. Her father successfully tracked her down after 21 years of separation. At that time, my friend had 2 kids and a husband who was a construction worker. When her father encouraged her to go to med school in Manila (her family was in Manila as well), my friend hesitated because of her financial obligation to her family and her ailing mother. Her father insisted and convinced her that she and her family would have a brighter future if she becomes a doctor. So, they had the agreement. Her father was sending her money to cover all expenses related to her schooling plus allowances for her family. I believe her allowance was Php18,000/month in 2001. However, there were times that she needed to ask for more i.e. somebody in the family was sick. She also had to ask for extra money for sons' birthday parties, which she could afford if she was still working full time. To make the story short, her biological father gave up and probably thought that "he was being taken for a ride". In less than a year, she quit school. That was the time when I heard her story because she called my number and asked me if I could help her get her full time job back. My friend never asked for more than what her family needed. She never asked for a laptop or cellphone. She only asked for additional money to cover the expenses that she previously could afforded. If your girl has a financial obligation to her family, then Php 20,000/month may be enough or lacking. If she were earning money for her family in Hongkong rather than studying, maybe she's able to provide for her family, including their wants. That's the Filipino way of life. We take pleasure in seeing that our family's needs are met even though we work like slaves in foreign lands. It's also true that before we take a bite of our steaks, we think of what our families at home are having for dinner. Maybe your girl loves her family so much that she feels guilty not being able to provide for them because she simply can't. The best way is for you to seek her heart. Talk to her and do what other readers have suggested. What I wrote here is just another scenario that may consider.

Hi, Be careful. That employer might be eyeing you to work as a caregiver. I'm from Canada and I haven't heard such.

Yeah, I did the math too and even with free board (stay in parent's home), it will cost me more than completing an ADN program in the US. The cost of books is crazy. Here in the US, you can buy second hand, almost new books on the internet. I was also told that if I'm serious about going to nursing school there, I should have ample supply of gloves for patient care and my own bottles of hand sanitizers. My suggestion is, investigate, investigate, and investigate! I know for sure that some essential nursing skills are done differently in the Phils. Worst, some of these are not taught at all. The problem with the many nursing schools there is that they let even those "sure fail" students to progress through their senior year. For these schools, they don't really care as they are after the tuition fees paid. Interestingly, students who failed the NLE are applying as caregivers or nannies! Wow, a very expensive way to earn a work visa to countries in need of nannies! It's not a surprise that Phils is a major exporter of highly skilled, highly educated nannies abroad. I hope the government should realize what it's bragging about. I hope the government should use its powers to intervene in the affairs of the schools. It should act as a police and ensure that all nursing schools or ALL schools are operating on their highest level of quality. I wonder if that will happen. I can only hope and pray that it will in my lifetime...

Hi there, How's studying in the Phils.? I believe nursing is your second course, how long will it take you to get your degree? Did they require you to start all over again? Appreciate answers. Thanks.

Are you sure you don't want to give it a shot? I also have a degree in Journalism. Just like you, I wanted to take up nursing right after high school but my parents couldn't afford to send me to a med school. Anyway, I earned my degree and I was surprised that hiring managers easily get impressed with Communication graduates. Finding job wasn't a problem for me. I taught Comm subjects in college, then took a job in a government agency, hired by a multinational company until I found my way to Canada. Now, here I am, living in the US with my husband and a daughter. Looking back, maybe my degree in Comm brought me to where I am now. But you know what, there's something that didn't change... my dream to become a nurse! If you really want to be one, don't get distracted by all these issues about retrogression. Good luck.

Hi, Mitch: You mentioned in your other post that you have a list of nursing schools that accept career shifters. Can you please send me the list? My friend is exploring the idea of studying in the Phils. so the list might help her. Thanks.

Well, that's the rule of the game. I just pray that something good will come out of this. My best wishes for this family.

"... pay first the hospital for the training?" This is so pathetic. I don't think this bill will pass anyway, the government is more hungry for dollars than keeping its nurses.

Are you a US resident? You will be better off getting your ADN in the US. Inquire about the program in any community college; however, if prefer getting your BSN, going home for 3 years isn't a bad idea. US university fees are very expensive!

If you do the math, your cost of living expenses in the Phils. will exceed whatever you have to pay for tuition in the US for ADN. Also, do a thorough research on the student-CI or student-patient ratio. Good luck.

Hi Sponsor, I know for a fact that Xavier is very expensive. The University has a very good reputation and has 100% passing rate in the Phil nursing board exam (in 2006). They have entrance exam in order to get there. So, even if you have the money, you have to prove that you'll be able to meet their academic standards. Check them out via this link: http://www.xu.edu.ph/

Hi Suzanne, We're Fil/Canadians living in Massachusetts under TN visa and HR will be filing for my husband's H1, then greencard. I'm glad that you brought this up. I think in Mass , anyone who's here using a temporary visa cannot be considered for in-state tuition. Some states do qualify dependents for such benefit. I know it's not fair to be living and paying taxes here and not able to work, and not qualify for in-state rates. Although our visas allow us to study, the state has the juridiction on whether to include us among those who are qualified for in-state tuition. I'm still looking for "legal answers" so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will finally be considered as in-state student. Thanks! I would appreciate it if you can find any info about my case. At this point, going to the Phils to study would be my very last option.

hi, we're in the same situation. got a toddler and want to study nursing as 2nd degree. my university will definitely credit all my ge courses but i'm still thinking if its worth our (me and daughter) separation with my husband. i heard that bs nursing is now a 5-year program in the Phils? have you heard of this? anyway, good luck and keep us posted on whatever you decide.

Hi Suzanne, Thanks for sharing a lot of wisdom in this community. I'm on the same boat. I'm thinking of going home to Phils and get my degree. This may sound stupid but I'll ask it anyway. Is BS Nur in Phils comparable to US education system? If I earn my BS there, will I have no problem getting my MS here? My case is different, i'm classified as out-of-state/international student in terms of tuition fees until my husband gets his green card. You have raised interesting points about cons of getting the degree there. The clinical experience is also my concern. Considering that nursing schools are flooded with thousands of hopefuls (some colleges take more than they can handle), the quality of education might be an issue. No offense to those of you who have plans to take this route (I am considering it too), but maybe a through discussion may help...

Hi RnHawaii, I'm interested in finding out details about your schooling in the Phils. I'm a Fil/Canadian living in the US on a temporary visa (husband has a job here). Colleges here will treat me as intl student, so... I can't afford it! Plus, I have an 11-month old baby. I earned by bachelor's degree in another field of study in the phils long long time ago (i'm probably a member of the older population here, ha, ha, ha) and also did some nursing prereqs. in Canada in 2005. Looks like my husband's visa will extended for another year before his employer applies for his green card. Until then, I can't accept employment while in the US. Having said that, I think studying in the Phils (plus having a babysitter) is a good idea; however, I don't know which school. I'm also concerned about going back to first year and doing all the GE courses. I would appreciate any information you can share as regards transfer credits or treating students who already have previous degrees. Thanks!

Hi, I got interested in Lawrence Mem too after being advised that I will not qualify for in-state-tuition. So I thought I might as well go to a private college with good reputation (and closer to my residence than bunker). I just browsed their profile a while ago. I'll call them tomorrow for details. I have a baby so I'm looking at their part-time, evening option. **Do you think they will transfer my credits from a college in Toronto? I hope it's not too late to apply for Spring 2008. I already have Anat & Physio 1, Psych, English/Writing, and I'm not sure If they will consider my College Math (over 10 yrs.).

Hi, Sent you private email. I checked the price of the review material but if you can send it to me for free, that will be great! Thanks.