Filipino nurses seeking US jobs rise to 16.4 percent in Q1 

 

The number of Filipino nurses who took the US National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) rose by 16.4 percent for the first three months of 2016.

 

Data from the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. (USNCSBN) said 1,377 nurses took the NCLEX for the first time from January to March this year compared to the 1,183 recorded in the same period in 2015.

 

“Filipinos nurses are among the hardest-working staff in American hospitals today. In fact, on weekends and holidays, Filipino nurses are readily available for additional work, when other nurses prefer to take the day off,” Cebu Rep. Gullas said in a statement.

 

Gullas added that an annual average of 8,134 nurses in the Philippines took the NCLEX in the last 20 years.

 

Gullas, vice chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education,said American nurses easily grow tired and lasts for only a few years in the profession while Filipinos remain the most zealous job-seekers.

 

“Many US-educated nurses practice their profession only for a few years. They easily get tired of tough hospital work and simply shift to other careers,” Gullas said.

 

Gullas pushed in Congress for the restoration of the entry-level basic monthly pay of public nurses to Salary Grade (SG) 15 or the equivalent of P24,887, according to Republic Act No. 9173 or the Nursing Law of 2002.

 

The Salary Standardization Law III downgraded the rating for public nurses to SG 11 or P18,549.

 

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses in the US receive a median annual pay of $66,640 or P3.1 million, or an hourly rate of $32.04 or P1,492.

 

The BLS data added that aside from Filipinos, a total of 287 Indians, 171 Puerto Ricans, 103 South Koreans, and 93 Jamaicans are also NCLEX first timers.

 

Meanwhile, statistics from the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. said a total of 53,297 US-educated nurses took the NCLEX for the first quarter.

 

The BLS said the US would need additional 439,300 nurses plus 53,400 advance-practiced nurses between now until 2024 due to a number of reasons, including newly insured patients due to the US Affordable Care Act, stronger emphasis on preventive case, and the increasing number of chronic conditions. — APG, GMA News