Solon says appeal to US on nursing visas a BAD idea??

suzanne4, RN · Feb 23, 2007

The US government, and the USCIS to be exact, is the one that issues visas for the US State Dept, they do not issue occupational visas for nurses; only green cards. And those require specific documents to be able to do so.

Sorry, but with all of the issues that have been going on with schools falsifying documents and giving incorrect information to nurses that wish to work in the US, they are only going to be hurting themselves. And CGFNS is continuing to investigate those that came over under fraudulent means and there were quite a few.

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When the Filipino nurses first started coming over to the US to work back in the 1970's, they were graduates of university programs that were five years in length. And they were in the field because they really wanted to do it. Salaries back then were in the $6/hour range....for everyone.

They did a full four year program and then 6 months of work in the rural provinces and had to also do so many deliveries at a home and so many in a hospital. And they were phenomenal nurses to work with. Exceptional.

Now what I am seeing coming out of there has definitely lowered my expectations, especially for those that have come out of accelerated second courser programs. They have no idea as to what they are doing, and many have not been able to give an injection or even spike an IV bag or bottle. If they had any type of training, they would have been able to do that. Unless they really do something about upgrading the training instead of those that are trying to make money only, the nurses coming from the Philippines are going to have problems finding jobs in hospitals.

That simple. Maybe if required to actually have to work at taking care of patients and seeing what it really involves, they may find that it is something that they really do not want to do, and did so only for the money. And if that is the case, that makes a lousy nurse, no matter where they are from, even the US.

Just my two cents on the topic.

omniverseking · Feb 23, 2007

I don't know the real intention of the Iloilo solon who made that statement but i also believe that an appeal would only be a waste of time and resources. CGFNS had already made its decision and that decision had been thouroughly studied and based on their laws and standards. I just feel sorry for the 2006 takers who were required to take a retake in order to be given a visa screen. The PRC board of nursing should be the one to blame in the first place and the appropriate action that they should take is to prevent such scandal for ever happening again in the future nursing board exams.

However, i am still hoping that the appeal would be successful so that the 2006 passers should not undergo a hard process of taking the exams again. The PRC board of nursing had already turned a lot of hopes into hopelessness.

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On the issue of subjecting nurses for a mandatory three years of local service before be allowed to apply abroad is a very stupid idea. I know it is a patriotic move but we are not sure if it is that feasible. Where are they going to place all those board passers every year. A three years mandatory service, on my personal opinion, would only be applicable if we are running out of nurses but that is not the case right now. We are running out of experienced nurses not fresh graduate nurses. We will just overfill the hospitals and care centers of nurses who are desperate to serve for three years in order to be allowed to go abroad. Some would even serve voluntarily wihtout pay just to comply with the three years mandatory service. This move would also add to another 3 years of hardships of the nurse's families who already had a hard time sending their children to a nursing school.

The move would not be as patriotic as it would also seem. Training all of our nurses for three years then allowing them to go abroad after that would be a waste of resources. The resources to be spent for everybody should be allocated to the dedicated few instead. Those dedicated few who would serve the local demand even after their three years mandatory service.

There are so much advantages and disadvantages. So much that I cannot discuss all of my personal opinion in this thread. I just don't understand why those who lobby for three years mandatory local nursing service can't see that clearly the disadvantages outweighs so much the advantages.

suzanne4, RN · Feb 23, 2007

Appeal to CGFNS would be the same as making an appeal to the US Federal Govt and that would take years................the nurses that took that exam have to make a decision as to what they want to do with their lives. If they wish to work in another country, they can. If they wish to work in the US, then they have to abide by the rules set up by the US government.

pink angel · Feb 23, 2007

I hope that mandatory would not take place. I am an RN here in the Philippines. Still, I had a hard time applying for jobs since most of the hospitals here are not hiring. So I ended up paying one of the government hospitals here for the hospital training without salary, just a certificate. :nono:

Rep · Feb 23, 2007

They did a full four year program and then 6 months of work in the rural provinces and had to also do so many deliveries at a home and so many in a hospital. And they were phenomenal nurses to work with. Exceptional.
Now what I am seeing coming out of there has definitely lowered my expectations, especially for those that have come out of accelerated second courser programs. They have no idea as to what they are doing, and many have not been able to give an injection or even spike an IV bag or bottle. If they had any type of training, they would have been able to do that. Unless they really do something about upgrading the training instead of those that are trying to make money only, the nurses coming from the Philippines are going to have problems finding jobs in hospitals.
Just my two cents on the topic.

When I graduated in 1991, there were only two schools of nursing in the city of 500,000 people where I lived. Now, there are six schools, these four additional schools openned in the the early 2002's.

suzanne4, RN · Feb 24, 2007

Take a look at the thread that is a sticky on the topic of CGFNS/ICHP. CGFNS has told them not to come to the US, that they are not changing anything from what was decided. You can also just go the CGFNS website and read the posting there yourself.

john83, BSN, RN · Feb 24, 2007

"MANILA, Philippines -- The planned mission to appeal the denial of occupational visas to Filipino nurses by a United States commission is a bad idea and a waste of time, an administration lawmaker warned Thursday.
Iloilo Representative Janette Garin said the trip led by Professional Regulation Commission chair Leonor Rosero would hardly make a dent, considering that the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) has its own standards to follow.
"I don't think it will pay attention to them," said the lawmaker, who pushed last year for the inclusion of a P40-million allocation in the supplemental budget to cover the retake of the leakage-marred nursing exams last June. "The PRC should just admit that it made a mistake and allow a retake."
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=51068
Last updated 10:48pm (Mla time) 02/22/2007
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Did a few research about the respectable Congresswoman and was able to dig an article posted May 05, 2006.
"Proposed Legislations Seek Mandatory Service Period for Nurses"
House Bill 2926, filed by Iloilo 1st district representative Janette L. Garin, requires registered nurses to serve in local hospitals for a minimum of three (3) years as requirement prior to seeking employment abroad. It also provides for a penalty of imprisonment of at least six (6) years and a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (Php 50,000) for violators. In her explanatory note, Dr. Garin expressed alarm over the increasing number of nurses leaving the country which has tripled in number over the number of new nurses being registered by the Professional Regulation Commission annually.
While the intent of the proposed legislation is laudable, the solution of penalizing nurses for merely attempting to improve their living condition and that of their families is, at the very least, unfair and unconstitutional.
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I'm not here to take sides but not too sure what is the lady Congresswoman's true intension are.
Just my 2 cents
Loryn

Take note of these statesmen/stateswomen on the next election, reflect on what they are doing and be wise with your vote.

These lawmakers should know better that there is already a provision in the nursing law(RA 7164 or 9173), requiring a mandatory nursing service rendered to the country for STATE UNIVERSITY/GOV'T SCHOOL(NURSING GRADUATES), of like a year or two. They should implement this first, before they even make another law.

Ma'am Suzanne has said that for those who intend to practice nursing in the US, you shouldn't waste time by taking the local boards and this makes more sense now that there are some people who intend to prevent RN's from immigrating.

These statesmen should have taken up nursing instead of preventing the progress of others.

kathykaye · Feb 24, 2007

maybe its better if they propose a bill which increases the salary of the nurses working in the philippines... to prevent them from leaving our country and migrating abroad...

omniverseking · Feb 24, 2007

I completely agree with you john83.

State funded universities like PLM and UP are covered by that law. I read about that law when i was visiting the PLM website. That congresswoman should know the law more than we do. Is she not ashamed of what is coming out from her mouth. Still, she considers herself a LAWmaker huh. Anyway, you are right john83. She should ask the executives first to implement that law. How can she even think of extending the mandatory service when the current service required for government nursing students are not being implemented well.

It would be ok for me to do a patriotic service as long as it is very reasonable and feasible. I don't care extending my hardships for another three years as long as I am sure that it could help our country and our fellow Filipinos.

I wish I have an immunity for speaking what i want too just like her so that I can tell her publicly how she made a non-sence, irrational, unscientific statement. That is all I can say for now. I may not be able to hold myself. Thank john83 for reminding me about that law.

bibam69 · Feb 24, 2007

i say ditto to increasing nurses salaries first instead of implementing a law that mandatorily says that we nurses should have to work for our country(Philippines) first. don't they know that low wages are the ones pushing us to find better opportunities abroad? entry level nurses here are so undervalued... we are just merely choosing to upgrade our way of life and find a place which appreciates the work we do and compensate us fairly.

sdop_agent10 · Feb 25, 2007

She (Garin) doesn't know what she's talking about. Post grad hospital experience is really important just like what Suzanne is saying but 3 yrs is way too much. And aside fr that training should start from the nursing school. Puting up a school of nursing here in the Philippines is quite becoming a good business and a sure income-generating business but what so upsetting is that the quality of nursing graduates are being compromise. I'm working here in the Philippines as a charge nurse in on of the most well-known hospitals here and i really notice how "slow" are those newly grad nurses are. So, instead of that "mandatory 3years local servise" that she's up to why not just make a law (a strict one) to upgrade the standard of nursing here. By the way, does anybody knows what are the requirements in putting up a Nursing School? just askin.... or is there?