GMA moves earned US nod for NCLEX

By Katrice R. Jalbuena

President Arroyo’s decision to intervene in the scandal that broke over the June 2006 nursing licensing examination convinced the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) of the Philippines’ commitment to the sanctity of professional tests.

Chairman Dante A. Ang of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) bared this as he recounted how the country won the NCSBN nod for the holding of the National Council Licensure Examinations (NCLEX) in the Philippines.

“An official told me that, merely hours before Presidential Task Force NCLEX presented our case to the Board, the answer to the question of holding the NCLEX in the Philippines was a resounding No,” said Ang, who headed the task force.

“We had a hard task ahead of us as we had to prove to them that something was being done to address the June 2006 nursing board leak. They grilled us for several hours but in the end, in a unanimous decision, the Board approved the Philippines as a testing site.”

Impressed

The task force included Dr. Carmencita Abaquin, chairman of the PRC Board of Nursing; Ruth Padilla, governor of the Philippine Nursing Association (PNA); Dr. Leah Samaco-Paquiz, president of the PNA; Atty. Elfren Meneses of the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI); Atty. Ariss Santos of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Rino Paez of the CFO. They left for Chicago on February 5 for a meeting with the NCSBN on February 8.

“The Board’s concern cen­tered on two issues, the first was the peace and order situation, the second was the integrity of the examination,” said Ang. “They wanted to know what we had done about the leakage including what happened to the perpetuators.”

An alleged leakage of the questions of the June 2006 nursing board exams cast a pall of doubt on the new graduates’ credentials.

As a result of an NBI investigation into the issue, two of the examiners were charged with misconduct with the Ombudsman, while seventeen officials from three review centers were also recommended for prosecution by the Department of Justice.

“They were profoundly pleased with the way the Philippine government handled the situation and the way we got to the bottom of things,” he noted.

“They were also very impressed with the actions of President Arroyo. According to the officials, this is the first time in history that no less then a president of a country has intervened in such a delicate issue.”

“President Arroyo placed the PRC under the DOLE and created the Task Force NCLEX” said Ang. “These twin presidential interventions made a big difference in convincing the officials that the Philippines is worth of hosting the NCLEX.”

Savings

The testing is to be conducted by the Pearson Vue Co., a US based testing firm that handles the conducting of the NCLEX all over the world.

According to Pearson Vue, it should take from three to six months time to set up the examination in Manila. They are also looking into Cebu as a probable site.

Originally, the NCLEX exam was administered within US territories. Other countries that serve as NCLEX exam sites are Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, India and Canada.

Previously, Filipino nurses were compelled to travel—usually to Guam or Hong Kong—to take the examination with each applicant spending at least $1,200. Annually an estimated 10,000 Filipino nurses take the NCLEX

With the NCLEX taking place in the Philippines, it is anticipated that around 15,000 to 20,000 Filipino nurses will be able to take the exam.

“I told the board, ‘Our Filipino nurses have served your country—your old and your sick—well, its time to return the favor. By allowing them to take the exam in their home country you will allow them to do without the worry over financial considerations—not to mention the mental and emotional stress that traveling to another country can inflict,’” said Ang.

Dark shadow

However, Ang stressed that the US’s decision to hold the NCLEX in the Philippines, is in no way a vindication of the June 2006 examinees.

“The stigma of June 2006 is not erased; we were just able to convince them to move forward and assure them that hence forth it will not happen again,” he stressed.

“That was a major concern for the Board, what we had done to address the leakage. We did not get their concession despite the cheating; we got it because we convinced them we did something about it.”

According to Ang, the issue at stake was not the cheating but what the cheating implied about the capabilities of those involved.

“The issue is patients’ rights and protection. Their right to get the best possible care. That is a sensitive issue in the US,” he stressed.

“Anybody who participates in a questionable system comes out of it with dubious or questionable credentials.”

Currently, June 2006 examinees are effectively blacklisted from taking jobs in the United States.

While there is no official directive from the US or the Philippine government, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools is reportedly wary of issuing Visa­Screens—a requirement for health-care professionals to qualify for occupational visas—for June 2006 examinees and has yet to do so.