jennygump

The problem is clear -- oversupply of nurses. Drastic times call for drastic measures. In order to limit the supply why not petition the BON to raise the bar for the next licensure exam. So that those who can be RN's will be the top 1%. Flunk-out the mediocre 99%. Why should the smarter RN's suffer with the rest of humanity. But seriously, just tell the BON to raise the bar so that only 1% pass. e.g. if there are 50,000 test takers: 500 pass, 49500 fail. Plus, if you can't find an RN job in 2 years then your RN license gets revoked. Areglado! Come on PNA time to petition the BON. 1% passing and if you can't find an RN job in 2 years after graduation then you lose the license.

AlexK49, The Philippines has an oversupply of nurses. For every 1 nursing position open there are over 1,000 BSN-RN's fighting for the position. With that said, there are no nursing assistant positions for students given the oversupply. Pinoy RN's, Here abroad many if not most students pay their way through college. For example, a co-worker of mine while waiting to get into medical school worked as a "gardener" in the summer. Another guy works as a bartender. Many others work in retail, call center, or other like jobs. And yet even though you work in the summer, that is not enough to pay for University and cost of living. So, they take out a student loan. When these guys get out of college, they have NEGATIVE net worth, and begin with a position of debt. They want and need to get a job immediately to start paying-off the loan. In the Philippines there seems to be an unwritten rule that a good parent supports a child all through their student years. Abroad, many college students are on their own. In the Philippines children support the parents in their old age. Many parents live with their children. And many parents receive financial support from their children. Abroad, parents go to a nursing home. And parents in their old age hope that their savings are enough. In a manner of speaking, parents in their old age are on their own. These are my observations of societal differences between here and there.

janfrn, The law, as i recall, requires 3 years (or 2?) clinical experience and Masters degree in Nursing or related field, to teach. In my university, nursing major subjects and the health sciences were taught by instructors with a PhD (save for Community nursing - few with a PhD in that field). It seems to be a custom though, that if you do make top 10 in the nursing board exams, the dean invites you to be part of the team - as a TA (teaching assistant). 2 of my batchmates made top 10, and both declined the invitation and instead went into clinical practice. We kinda expect our batchmates to maintain a 100% passing rate in ANY foreign nursing board exam.

^Yes Silverdragon, you need to be a Filipino citizen to write the exams. However, if you are a foreign RN and you want to practice in the Philippines you can write the BON (board of nursing) they may issue you a permit to practice. In fact I think there was a foreign nun (part of a reliigious congregation) that was granted permission to practice as an RN. Another example, you are an expert nurse (e.g. nurse practitioner) and you are an exchange professor - they will issue you a permit to practice as an RN nurse educator in the Philippines. Or another example, you are part of a (pro bono) medical mission, you may apply and they will issue you a permit to practice. Or if there is reciprocity between the 2 countries (e.g. USA-Phils) then you may practice in the Phils and vice versa. This is the law, but i don't know if "reciprocity" has been exercised. That is what i remember. You may correct me if i am wrong. It was a long time ago since i read the law. Peace.

mcruz924, In my opinion, going to Canada under the caregiver program is a bad deal if you are a Filipino RN. It is a good deal if you are kind but slow-in-the-head, generous but unskilled. It is a career advancement for nannies in Hong Kong. For a RN it is a demeaning role. For heaven's sake don't do it! But that's just my opinion. If you do become a caregiver in Canada: 1) Low pay Very low wages - you might even fall below the poverty line. In the Philippines you were probably middle class, but now in Canada you will slide down to the lower income bracket. The pay is so low you will have hardly enough for your own survival. 2) Caregiver is not counted as RN work In order to become a RN in Canada you need to complete a certain number of hours of practice (either as a RN or student nurse) within the last five years. Since you were not working as an RN or student nurse you will not meet the requirements of the province. If the province follows this guideline then you should not be allowed to write the CRNE nor be qualified to claim "Graduate nurse" status. As a result: before you can write the CRNE they will ask you to study again and this will take as much as 3 years. A bad move on your part. What you thought was a short route is now the long, painful, expensive, and demeaning road. 3) You will lose your soul As a RN: you used to care for patients, administer meds, do client teaching, counsel families, assist with operations, deliver babies, handled vaccination, managed blood transfusion, and you were treated with respect. You understood physiology, pathophysiology, and various treatment modalities. You assessed patients, and your clinical opinion was valued. Your work was meaningful. You woke up each day with dignity. As a caregiver: your attention is called because you missed a spot mopping the floor. 4) You might become bitter After 10 years in jobs that are way below what you trained for you might become bitter. By then the economy would have picked up and all your peers are now sought after abroad as RN's. But how can you get licensed in other countries (e.g. USA) when you can't even get licensed in your new place of residence - Canada? A bad bad move on your part. Your peers are now nurse practitioners while you are stuck in a job cleaning the toilet. Finally, just know that when you go abroad you carry with you the image of our country and our profession.

Fiona: You raise a good point. Can a person who understood what she was getting into be exploited? My answer is, I think in some circumstances Yes. I do not pretend to know all the reasons why some professionals become "nannies" in Canada; but I suspect the main reason is this - they need the money. Maybe they are mothers who need to support a family. Or maybe a loved one was gravel ill, and she had no choice but to work overseas - even as a nanny. In the Philippines, there are many rich but also many poor people; rich nurses and poor nurses. And many of those who are poor who had some tough luck in the Philippines, have no choice but take jobs that are demeaning for the survival of their families. They do not have the luxury to say "NO". They do not have the luxury of waiting for a better deal.

Warn all your friends (esp. those who are nurses) not to fall into the trap of going to Canada under this "live-in caregiver" program. Inform your friends that this program is NOT a stepping stone to RN work. In fact it WILL make your career move to become an RN here in Canada even LONGER. The college of reg nurses will NOT count your work as caregiver as RN experience. Do not allow yourselves to be exploited. Just say NO. IMO a better career move would be to go to a country where you will have the opportunity to be recognized as an RN. You will not be happy as a caregiver. Every waking day will suck, and you will wish you had never left home. But by the time you realize your mistake you had spent so much already, maybe even borrowed money, and you will be stuck for years laboring in a job you dislike. Warn your friends!

GWA is your GPA, grade point average. Each subject you took has a weight in units or credits. You multiply the grade you got in each subject by its number of units. Then you add all of these and divide by the total units. A decent average? If you belong to the top half of your class i think you're alright. The problem is if there are 5000 of you competing for 1 position, your employer will raise the bar.

Correct me if i am wrong but I think the term is Masters and NOT masteral. Masteral rhymes with pandesal.

Sloppy reporting. CGFNS for Canada and Europe? Moreover, the reporter did not print his name at the end of the article. The real question is: who would benefit (i.e. who paid the reporter) to have this article posted? My guess is the government institution and the politician who want to push for a mandatory 2-year local service. Incredible how this article is published within a very close time frame to the politicians privilege speech. So let me guess, a notorious government agency will now come up with a new MANDATORY money making scheme like: a local skills testing fee, an interview fee, an english proficiency fee, a fundamental sciences knowledge fee, a psychological equilibrium fee, a transcript of records validation fee, and a mandatory enrollment in a 3 unit course offered only in accredited institutions (i.e. owned by the government official). Our poor nurses. Exploited again!

The premise is wrong. Our congressman argues that: "we may not have enough teachers/professionals" if we let them go abroad. And so he proposed this bill. Wrong!!! We have an OVERSUPPLY of professionals. Good grief. Not to allow them to leave (for 2 years) will make the glut worse. A sign of oversupply: 1) professionals (i.e. nurses) are having a hard time looking for jobs; 2) low wages (i.e. because supply is much greater than demand). It really feels like our public servants are making life worse for its citizens.

^ hey congrats! The brand new is CAD$72 in Canada. Given your situation I would probably want to buy one asap.

cilinyt, was wondering have you received your eligibility to write the exam? And, have you received your visa?

Daly, I think the IELTS exam is a good measure of English proficiency. I can vouch for those who have an overall band of 8.5/9.0. I know three nurses (all second coursers) with that grade and they speak near native English. However, I think the passing score for nurses is much lower - 6.5 or 7.0. And I would suspect most nurses get scores around that cut-off mark. IMO you cannot learn English in 3 months. The remedial class you proposed would not make much difference. Not all schools are created equal. And many of the good universities are not into nursing. Nursing is pang masa.

1) Familiarize yourself with the exam structure: i.e. length of time, type of questions asked etc. 2) Think in English throughout the day especially two days before the exam. Avoid Pinoy(tagalog) tv/movies if you can. 3) Visit the testing center/hotel so you know exactly where to go on test day. Check parking if you will be bringing a car. 4) Bring a sweater/thick jacket on exam day just in case it gets too cold. 5) Make sure you get enough sleep. 6 days before: take the entire 4 tests. Just like the actual exam: same sched, length of time,etc. No breaks. Know where you are weak or not confident. 5 to 3 days before: I would focus mainly on my weak areas. If you are doing well with listening then do reading. Check your answers and learn from your mistakes. Don't memorize. Understand why you got the answer wrong. Time yourself when you write. Understand the question being asked before you write. IMO your first goal is to answer the question being asked. Then add arguments to defend your answer. IMO avoid flowery words/adjectives if not needed - you'll only sound like an amateurish high school student. Begin with a bang and end with a twist. 2 days before: Need to rest more and build energy for the exam. Just reinforce what you already know. e.g. Writing: topic sentence, adding arguments to defend my position, conclusion. 1 day before: Relax. Read a little - only to reinforce what you already know. Watch an English movie. No tagalog movies. Prepare all that you will need for the next day: passport, ballpen, pencil, clothes to wear, sweater. Pray and Sleep.