July 25, 2008 -- Board topnotcher: 'Essence of nursing is to care'
            May 17, 2005 -- US may hire 25,000 RP health workers
            May 03, 2005 -- Hiring of nurses, caregivers in UK assured

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Board topnotcher: 'Essence of nursing is to care'
by  Izah Morales
Friday, July 25, 2008
Philippine Daily Inquirer
www.inquirer.net
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MANILA, Philippines -- Every year, thousands of nursing graduates take the Licensure Exam with the hope of getting a ticket to greener pastures.

But Nursing Board topnotcher Aira Therese Salamanca Javier believes that taking nursing for the sake of going abroad should not be the primary motivation.

"When you decide to become a nurse, you have to have passion to serve and to care. The essence of nursing is to care for the people," Javier said.

Despite topping the exam with an average rating of 86 percent, Javier found the exam difficult, which she said focused on the practical aspect of nursing and attributed her success to having a good school.

Thus, she gives this advice to those who want to take up nursing: "You have to choose a good school. It doesn't mean that studying in a nursing school would guarantee that you would get good education," Javier said.

Javier also related that aside from caring for people, honesty and integrity should be values inculcated by the nursing industry in the Philippines.

When asked about the leakage which happened during the 2006 Nursing Board Licensure Exam, Javier pointed out that "truth, justice, and integrity should still prevail."

"We deal with life so we can't afford to risk anything. The people's lives are at stake," she said.

Currently, Javier is an assistant to clinical instructors in the College of Nursing at the University of Sto. Tomas.

"It's one way of giving back to what the university has given me," Javier said.

As of the moment, Javier said she was planning to work and gain experience in the Philippines by serving her countrymen, but is not closing the idea of going abroad for personal growth as a nurse.

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US may hire 25,000 RP health workers
by  Mayen Jaymalin & Pia Lee-Brago
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
The Philippine STAR
www.philstar.com
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At least 25,000 Filipino nurses and health workers are expected to be hired as soon as the United States resumes hiring foreign medical workers by the third quarter of the year.

Acting Labor Secretary Manuel Imson said the Philippines expects to capture the majority of the 50,000 slots available for foreign nurses and medical workers that the US government will allow.

“We don’t have the actual number (of slots) yet… but, based on our past record, the Philippines normally gets the bulk of the quota allocated for nurses and other medical workers,” Imson said in an interview.

He said that, based on the records of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), about 80 percent of the total number of nurses and medical workers hired in the US over the past few years were Filipino.

“Hospitals in the US traditionally prefer to hire Filipino nurses and other medical workers, so we are expecting an increase in deployment when the US resumes processing of visa applications,” he said.

According to Imson, the DOLE is awaiting a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) concerning the US government’s decision to resume the hiring of foreign medical workers.

Based on the initial information received by the DOLE, Imson said the US is likely to resume hiring foreign workers in the medical field by the third or fourth quarter of the year.

The DOLE earlier reported that the US Congress amended the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000.  The amendment is expected to pave the way for the resumption of the hiring of foreign medical workers in the US.

The amendment provides for the recapture of 50,000 EB-3 visa numbers, which will be used exclusively for the so-called “Schedule A” occupations, such as nursing and physical therapy.

The EB-3 visa number is used mainly by US hospitals in hiring foreign nurses, most of whom come from the Philippines, China and India.

In December last year, the US government temporarily suspended the processing of visa applications for nursing, jobs for applicants from the Philippines, China and India because the three countries’ quotas had been exhausted.

But the existing EB-3 visas are now being reallocated to other countries, since their destined countries did not use them.

Meanwhile, the Philippines welcomed the approval of the amendment, saying it is a “win-win” solution for both Manila and Washington.

Ambassador to Washington Albert del Rosario reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that the amendment of US immigration regulations “reopens the door for the entry into the US of Filipino nurses, who are well known for their competence and compassion as health workers.”

The amendment is expected to considerably advance the cut-off date for China, India and the Philippines, which was originally set for April 2002.

Del Rosario said the passage of the amendment “underscores a win-win solution in addressing the critical demand for nurses in the US, which the Philippines can readily help address.”

He also commended the American Hospital Association, US recruitment agencies, the Philippine Nurses Association and the members of the Filipino community for their concerted efforts in supporting the passage of the amendment.

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Hiring of nurses, caregivers in UK assured
by  Mayen Jaymalin & Paolo Romero
Tuesday, May 3, 2005
The Philippine STAR
www.philstar.com
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More Filipino nurses and caregivers will be hired in the United Kingdom, despite reported plans of British lawmakers to restrict the employment of foreign workers, recruiters for overseas employment said yesterday.

“Some candidates in the coming May 5 (UK) elections are using the issue to gain votes, but many legislators feel that the number of foreign nurses and other skilled nurses should be left as it is,” said a local recruiter, who requested anonymity.

A recruitment official said there were news reports that a Conservative Party victory in the UK elections would result in the shut down of the market for overseas workers.

However, the official said the policy would be unlikely because many nursing centers and hospitals in the UK lack nurses and other medical personnel.

“The British nationals want a high standard of health service, thus, they are expected to opt for hiring of more medical personnel, including those from foreign countries,” the official said.

The recruitment official said the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NWC) had already set up new guidelines for the hiring of nurses, indicating continued migration.

The NWC is reportedly seeking a larger quota from the Work Permit Office and the speedy issuance of the required documents for new nurses, the official added.

The recruitment official said the number of Filipino nurses and caregivers applying for work visas to the UK had “more than doubled” as compared to last year.

The rise in the number of nurses and caregivers applying for the UK has been attributed to the policy of the United States embassy to temporarily halt the issuance of visas to foreign workers, the official added.

In Japan, a bill in parliament is seeking to allow Filipino nurses and caregivers easy entrance to that country through three-year renewable working contracts.

Hirohiko Nakamura, a Member of the House of Councilors of the National Diet, told Mrs. Arroyo in Malacañang yesterday the bill, which he authored, would be passed in October, and an initial 200 nurses and caregivers would be hired.

“Initially 200 (nurses and caregivers), but later on, no limit,” he said.  “The (bill) will be passed in October this year and screening and hiring will start in April next year.”

Nakamura said the same salaries, benefits, privileges and taxes would be enjoyed by Filipino nurses and caregivers as those of their Japanese counterparts.

He was invited by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chairman Ephraim Genuino to help make recommendations to improve caregiver and nursing school systems and curricula, Nakamura said.

Other Japanese officials who met with Mrs. Arroyo were Kazumaza Kumagai, deputy chairman of the Japanese Council of Senior Citizens Welfare Service; Giko Yokoyama, Tsutomu Fukuma, Toshitaka Matsui, Hiroshi Ozaki; all of the JCSCWS; Zenzo Kodera, deputy chairman of the Association of Supporting Care Service Management; and his staff member, Kana Ueda.

Also part of the delegation were: Akira Nagoshi, Federation of National Care Politics secretary; Masao Tamura, Kosekai Social Welfare Corporation chief executive officer; and Takashi Minagawa, councilor for the minister of health, labor and welfare.