Local Literature by Cabigas, Cassandra A.

NURSING EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES: NURSING CURRICULUM NOW 5 YEARS

Nursing Education the Philippines will never be the same again. Nursing, as a course in college, may no longer be as attractive as before starting this school year. In the post New Philippine Nursing Curriculum and Opposing Views, the Philippine Nursing Curriculum has dramatically changed since the Commission on Higher Educations issuance of CHED Memorandum Order (MO) No. 5, series of 2008 otherwise known as Policies and Standards for Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. This CHED Memo makes BSN a five-year course. In Ilocos Norte, Nursing schools have started the implementation of CHED MO this school year (2008-2009). Many people (parents, students and teachers interviewed by this author) have protested either in silence or explicit ways the implementation of CHED MO No. 5 saying that this will only add to the burdens of parents and benefactors of Nursing students (usually relatives abroad). There are initial effects in changes of the new Nursing Curriculum in the Philippines such as: (1) Instead of the usual 79 units taken up by first year nursing students, the new guidelines will require students to take up 93 units in 2,632 hours; (2) Additional 357 hours for hospital training or Related Learning Experiences (RLEs) which will make RLEs 2,499 hours from the previous 2,142 hours; (3) 28 additional units or about three summers of schooling. For freshmen Nursing students, the Theoretical Foundation in Nursing is included in the first semester, and Fundamentals of Nursing Practice in the second. From a parents standpoint, these changes have huge impacts on their familys finances and other childrens education. Some parents I have interviewed said they might be forced to sacrifice the education of some of their children just to give way to their child taking up BS Nursing. There is now more pressure on the part of the Nursing student because family expectations have become higher. From an educators standpoint, if CHED intended to upgrade or improve the existing Nursing Curriculum, they should have included in the new one some foreign language subjects (French, German, Norwegian or Spanish). This is because the ultimate goal of most Filipino Nurses is to go abroad and earn more money. Since this is the case, why shouldnt CHED include in the New Nursing Curriculum subjects that will help our Nursing students communicate better with foreigners speaking languages other than English? This is perhaps an oversight on the part of our policy makers. If CHED wanted to equip our Nursing students with new tools, it should have been in the area of communication and NOT in the the area of Related Learning Experiences because Nursing students have enough RLEs. Well, thats just my take.

http://www.jpsimbulan.com/2008/08/12/nursing-education-in-the-philippines-nursingcurriculum-now-5-years/ Jessie Simbulan, 2008

Local Studies by Cabigas, Cassandra A

NURSING EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippine Nursing Law, R.A. 877 was amended by the Philippine Nursing Act of 1991, R.A. 7164. The Law provides for the scope of nursing practice and specifies that for a nurse to be professional, he or she must acquire a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, be physically and mentally fit and secure a license to practice nursing in the country. Effective 1983, only one basic educational program in nursing exists: the four-year collegiate program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The basic three-year-hospital-based program leading to the title Nursing Graduate has been phased out (Venzon, 1992:4). The BSN curriculum aims to produce a full functioning nurse who has: (1) developed a sensitive awareness to the health needs of society as well as commitment to the alleviation of problems arising therefrom, (2) acquired the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, restoration of health and alleviation of suffering, and (3) developed a research attitude through the use of the nursing process. Such attitude, among others, leads to the utilization of research findings (Venzon, 196-197). There are nine fields of nursing in general: Hospital or Institutional nursing, Public Health Nursing or Community health Nursing, Private Duty or Special Duty Nursing, Industrial or Occupational Health Nursing, Nursing Education, Military Nursing, School Nursing, Clinic Nursing and Independent Nursing Practice. The 170 nursing institutions (Philippine Journal of Nursing Education, Vol 6 No. 1, 1996) throughout the country turn out thousands of nurses every year. A study conducted by Thelma Corcega and colleagues in 1999 on the supply and demand of nurses in the Philippines revealed that In 1998, there was an estimated 323,490 registered nurses but the reported demand for nurses was only 178,045, 84.75% of which was demand from international markets (UP Manila Journal Vol. 5 No. 1, 2000, p. 1). The study shows the number of students enrolled, the rate of increase / decrease in 66 nursing schools (1987-1996) by academic year and the number of graduates from 1990 to 1997. In 1993, the number of nursing graduates reached the highest in seven years, with a total of 28,889. Unfortunately, the number slowly diminished in the next two years and then suddenly dropped to as low as 8,904 in 1997. These figures do not seem to support Corcegas conclusion that there is surplus of nursing graduates in the country. The same study however, confirms that the demand from international market is high, reaching 84.75% of the 178,045 demand for nurses.10 Nursing graduates from state colleges and universities are required to render at least one year of nursing service in the country before they are allowed to leave for overseas jobs, as required by per R.A. 7164 Section 4 (f). Every year, the number of nurses employed abroad constantly increases. It also reveals that a total of 16,240 Filipino nurses have been deployed abroad from 1998 to 2000. There were 13,608 professional nurses and 1,714 nursing

personnel deployed to Saudi Arabia and 3,177 to United Kingdom. All of these nurses are graduates of nursing institutions throughout the country. It indicates that Filipino nurses who earned their degree from the Philippines are recognized abroad. However, the extent to which they remain competitive in this fast changing world is the accountability of quality education.

Philippine Maritime and Nursing Education: Benchmarking with APEC Best Practices; page 8-9 Veronica Esposo Ramire, December 2005

Local Literature by Cabigas, Cassandra A.

OVERPOPULATION OF NURSING STUDENTS

Today, the Philippines is bloody full of nurses. Many nursing schools have busied themselves adjusting their requirements to fit the needs of a new type of students: middle-age professionals seeking a new career. Called second-coursers, they include doctors as well as accountants, clerks, teachers, journalists, government employees and secretaries. All of them hope to become nurses, preferably in a foreign land. More often than not, such students enjoy a shorter term since their basic science subjects in their first course are credited. They accept students beyond their limit and capacity and they compromise the quality of education in return. This emphasize how the Philippines Nursing Board become to strict in their policies and laws. They are the one who is responsible to maintain the number of graduating students in the field. As part of that they amended the Selective Retention Program as a solution for the overpopulation of the nursing students in the Philippines. 2010

http://execmsn-e-learning.forumotion.com/t201-nursings-sticky-situations Abby Santos, 2010

Local literature by Cabigas, Cassandra A.

NURSING LAW AND ETHICS

Nursing Profession is a process of constant change and an etymological perspective that comes from the Latin word meaning NUTRIX or nourish . In nursing education, there was a deletion of the rule on upper 40% in high school as an admission requirement. It has a goal of providing a sound general and professional foundation for the practice of nursing, that is why there is Related Learning Experience. The CHED mandated by RA 7722 which amended to provide standards or minimum requirements for the regulation of educational institutions offering tertiary courses. The Commission on Higher Education circular no 30, series of 2001 enhances the nursing education in the Philippines by making the related personnel like deans and faculty members as a qualified and competent leaders, administrators and educators. They had just updated polices and standards for nursing education. Nursing schools and colleges, according to CHED Memo No. 30, August 24, 2001 have the rules and regulations for the authorization to open or permit to actually operate a nursing school or college. The CHED can authorize the opening or closing of nursing schools and colleges , RA 7722 ( may 18, 1994) The deans of the involved colleges and universities are the administrators who must attained institutional goals and Initiated curriculum development programs. They are the one who are responsible for Implementation faculty development programs and oversee facultys academic advisement of the students. They collaborate with student services, admission policies and referrals based on established criteria. Also, they ensured adherence to established standards of instruction and collaborate with health services and other academic units. Nurse educators are responsible for designing, implementing, evaluating and revising academic and continuing education programs for nurses. These include formal academic programs that lead to a degree or certificate, or more informal continuing education programs designed to meet individual learning needs. Every development happenings in the nursing setting is the responsibility of the said personnel. They are obligate to orient the students regarding for the changes in the course outline.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16614520/NURSING-LAW-AND-ETHICS Atty. Aleth Joyce T. Cubacub, 20 June, 2009