Filipino nurses are reportedly choosing other countries over the United States for employment.

“The deepening recession in America has clearly diminished the desire of some Filipino nurses to seek employment there," said former senator Ernesto Herrera, secretary general of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

Herrera said that a total of 8,272 Filipino nurses sought to practice their profession in the US by taking the National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX for the first time from January to June.

The figure, according to Herrera, was 1,565 fewer compared to the 9,837 who took the exam in the same six-month period in 2008.

Pinoy nurses are reportedly trying out other foreign labor markets particularly the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

"Actually, fewer nurses from India, Korea, Canada and Cuba are seeking US jobs as well," Herrera said.

Nurses from India who took the NCLEX for the first time in the first semester were down 56 percent (to 750 from 1,715). Those from South Korea were down 35 percent (to 613 from 934); from Canada down 36 percent (to 314 from 494); and from Cuba down 38 percent (to 192 from 309).

The TUCP said that the four countries are the other top suppliers of foreign nurses to America.

In the whole of 2008, there were a total of 20,746 Filipino nurses who took the NCLEX for the first time or down 3.5 percent compared to the 21,299 Pinoy nurses that took the test for the first time in 2007.

Filipino accounted for 37 percent of the 22,500 foreign-educated nurses who took the NCLEX for the first time in the first semester, according to Herrera.

The Philippines now has some 600,000 nurses actively looking for jobs here and abroad, or forced to perform work outside their profession. They include the 99,837 who passed the local nursing licensure examinations from July 2008 to July 2009.

The government tapped 10,000 of the Filipino nurses and deployed them under the Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (NARS). It allows nurses to serve in the country’s depressed municipalities for six months in return for a monthly allowance of P8,000.

SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/07/31/09/filipino-nurses-eye-uk-middle-east-markets

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By Llanesca T. Panti, Reporter

Spain, despite suffering from the global economic crisis, was still in need of foreign nurses including Filipinos, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Wednesday.

The Foreign Affairs department made the announcement shortly after the arrival of 27 Filipino nurses in Bilbao who will be deployed in northern Spain. Their deployment is the result of the Memorandum of Understanding on Migration Flows that the Philippines and Spain signed in June 2006.

Under the memorandum, nurses and other highly skilled Filipino workers are to be allowed into Spain and afforded the same protection enjoyed by Spanish workers.

“Notwithstanding the economic crisis [at present] in Spain, the demand for foreign nurses [there] remains high,” the Foreign Affairs department said.

“In fact, the Philippine Embassy is already talking with prospective Spanish employers on the employment of more Filipinos in the health sector,” it added. According to the department, there are about 190 Filipino nurses working in the Madrid area.

The 27 Filipino nurses, the first batch to be employed through the memorandum, will initially work as nursing assistants and caregivers in four Basque homes for the elderly (Residencias de Mayores) operated by Urgatzi, Igurco, Residencial Aulaga and Olimpia Bass. They will have a one-year renewable contract.

The Spanish Ministry of Education will then evaluate, for accreditation purposes, the nursing degrees within six to nine months. After getting the official accreditation, the Filipino nurses will be able to practice their profession and earn the same salary as regular Spanish nurses.

Embassy briefing

Earlier, the embassy held a briefing for the 27 newly employed Filipino nurses and extended consular services to Filipino residents in the Getxo-Bilbao area in Basque Country.

During the briefing, an embassy delegation led by Chargé d’Affaires Celia Anna Feria discussed the salient aspects of Basque culture and society, as well as Spanish labor laws and conditions. With her were Consul Marciano de Borja, Labor Attaché Ramon Tionloc and Welfare Officer Ma. Consolacion Marquez.

SOURCE: http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/july/23/yehey/top_stories/20090723top7.html

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Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore


Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.


Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles


Cleveland Clinic


Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston


New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell


University of California, San Francisco Medical Center


Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia


Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis


Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston


Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.


University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle


UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center


University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor


Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, Calif.


Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville


NYU Medical Center, New York


Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Conn.


Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York


Methodist Hospital, Houston


Ohio State University Hospital, Columbus

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1 BOLONG, BRYLE BRYAN LABORDE
2 CAYANAN, RAMON JR CASTRO
3 PABLO, ANGELA REBECCA CENTILLES
4 PALMARES, FRANCIS SOLIS
5 VITRIOLO, VINA MAE DEREQUITO

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The Professional Regulation Commission - Board of Nursing announces that 32,617 out of 77,901 examinees successfully hurdled the June 2009 Nurse Licensure Examination.

Topping this years licensure examination for nurses is Golda Manto Yap, a graduate of the Felipe R. Verallo Memorial Foundation with a rating of 86.80 percent.

Click here for the complete list of June 2009 NLE passers.

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June 2009 NLE Result

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The PROFESSIONAL REGULATION COMMISSION (PRC) announces that the filing of applications for the November 29-30, 2009 (Sunday-Monday) Nursing Board Exam is now on-going in the Central Office and in the Regional Offices of PRC.

The following are the NEW deadlines of filing of applications:

1. NEW / FIRST TIMERS - OCTOBER 16, 2009
2. REPEATERS - SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

Applications shall no longer be accepted after these deadlines.

SOURCE: prc.gov.ph

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ADVISORY TO ALL JUNE 2009 NURSE LICENSURE EXAMINATION PASSERS AFTER THE RELEASE OF RESULTS OF THE JUNE 2009 NLE

FOR NEWSPAPER/RADIO/TV/BONWEBSITE ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. The MANILA oathtaking ceremony for the successful examinees in the JUNE 2009 Nurse Licensure Examination as well as the previous ones who have not taken their Oaths of Professional, in accordance with Republic Act 9891 and Republic Act 9173 will be held before the Board of Nursing on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 18 and 19, 2009 respectively with morning (8:00 AM) and afternoon (1:00 PM) sessions at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City.

2. Oathtaking tickets are available at the Philippine Nurses’ Association (PNA) at 1663 F.T. Benitez Street, Malate, Manila starting July 29, 2009 - Wednesday.

3. All oathtaking candidates must come in their white gala uniform, nurse’s cap, white duty shoes, without earrings, hair not touching the collar and without corsage.

4. The Board of Nursing (BON) wishes to reiterate that the assignment for oathtaking will be according to pre-determined “schedule of school assignments” which will serve as basis for the schedule of tickets to be issued only by the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) ON WEEKDAYS!

5. For schools without schedule, inductees may buy tickets on a first come first serve basis.

6. Here are the deadlines for buying tickets:

6.1 ONLY VALID TICKETS SHALL BE ALLOWED ENTRY TO SMX (RECEIPTS WILL NOT BE ENTERTAINED)

7. For orderly conduct THERE SHALL ABSOLUTELY BE NO SELLING OF TICKETS WITHIN THE SMX COMPOUND. Admission tickets are only available at PNA on set schedules.

8. On the day of the oathtaking:
 SMX OPENING TIME shall be at 6:30A.M. FOR the MORNING SESSION
12:30P.M. FOR AFTERNOON SESSION
 SMX ENTRANCE - there shall be 7 ENTRANCES to SMX -
 TOPNOTCHERS AND THEIR PARENTS - USE FRONT/MAIN ENTRANCES
 CHILDREN BELOW 7 YEARS are NOT ALLOWED
 GUESTS ARE ADVISED TO TAKE THE BASEMENT PARKING ENTRANCE
Adequate parking is available right in front of SMX
No reserved seats. First come First serve basis.
Food stalls available at the lobby. Eating not allowed inside the convention hall

9. Regional oathtaking schedules are proresively posted in the BON website: www.bonphilippines.org and regional oathtaking candidates are advised to coordinate with their respective alma mater or the Philippine Nurses Association Chapter in their region for details.

Source: www.bonphilippines.org

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On May 15 the USCIS announced that it has received 45,500 H-1B petitions counting toward the Congressionally-mandated 65,000 cap; this is only 500 more than the April 27 figure. This implies that H-1B petitions continue to slow. It also implies that the idea that the H-1B is used to lower wages and replace US workers is wildly overblown. As I’ve previously said, if that was the case there shouldn’t be any material drop in H-1B usage.

The Masters cap has received the full subscription of 20,000 petitions. USCIS continues to accept Masters cases since their experience is that not all accepted cases will be approvable. As students graduate from university in late May and June, it is expected that there will be an uptick in H-1B usage. The degree of the uptick is unknown at this point. If the uptick is smaller than expected, there is a chance that the H-1B cap could remain open all summer and maybe even into the fall. On the other hand, the economy does show some flares of stability and so H-1B usage by May/June graduates could be notable.

For the healthcare industry, the H-1B remains an option to fill employment gaps in occupational shortages. As a general rule if the position requires a Bachelors degree for licensure, then the position is appropriate for an H-1B visa. Of course, the proposed worker must hold the requisite degree.

Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists remain viable for H-1B visas. Cases filed at the Vermont Service Center are being approved as they should be. However inconsistent results out of the California Service Center continue to frustrate employers.

USCIS Chief of Service Center Operations has recently confirmed that “USCIS does not currently have a policy that employers filing H-1b petitions for physical and occupational therapists must require the minimum of a Masters Degree for such positions to qualify as specialty occupations.” This pronouncement was made in early May, and so it remains to be seen whether or not the California Service Center will adhere to the statement from their superiors in Washington D.C.

Some registered nursing positions are appropriate for H-1B visas as well. In broad strokes, the H-1B is appropriate for RN positions if either:

1. The hospital is offering the nurse a position as a Clinical nurse specialist (CNS), Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), Certified nurse-midwife (CNM), or a Certified nurse practitioner (APRN-certified) Critical care and she holds the certification;

2. The nurse will be working in an Administrative position ordinarily associated with a Bachelors degree, such as Charge Nurse or Nurse Manager;

3. The nurse will be working in one of these specialties: peri-operative, school health, occupational health, rehabilitation nursing, emergency room nursing, critical care, operating room, oncology and pediatrics.

The hospital must attest that these roles are only offered to those with Bachelors degrees.

SOURCE: http://hammondlawgroup.blogspot.com/2009/05/h-1b-cap-thoughts.html

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Additional information regarding H1B visas for nurses

1. Memo 1
2. Memo 2

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Two West Texas nurses have been indicted after filing an anonymous complaint about a doctor's practices with the Texas Medical Board, but the state agency says the women did nothing wrong.

The nurses are charged with misuse of official information. Each one-page indictment filed against them alleges they improperly accessed information that was not public "with intent to harm" the doctor for "a nongovernmental purpose."

Among the nurses' complaints were that the doctor improperly encouraged patients to buy herbal medicines from him and had wanted to use hospital supplies to perform a procedure at a patient's home.

The Texas Medical Board defended the nurses' actions Friday and said it's the board's state-mandated duty to look into such complaints.

"I don't know that I've ever seen a criminal prosecution like this," said Mari Robinson, executive director of the Texas Medical Board. "I don't know that I've ever seen a criminal prosecution for providing information to the medical board. Ever."

The American Nurses Association and its Texas affiliate said they are concerned about a "chilling effect" on other nurses.

"It's outrageous to file criminal felony charges against these nurses based on allegations that they raised concerns over a physician's action," the national group's president, Rebecca Patton, said in a statement. "Nurses have a duty to advocate for the health and safety of their patients, and that is what these nurses were doing."

The nurses, Anne Mitchell and Vicki Galle, filed their complaint letter April 7. In it, they said Dr. Rolando Arafiles encouraged patients he saw at the Winkler County Memorial Hospital emergency room and the county's rural health clinic to buy the herbal medicines. The letter also said that the hospital's chief of staff stopped him from taking supplies to perform a procedure at a patient's home, instead of at the hospital.

Arafiles declined to comment on those allegations Friday.

"That case is between Ms. Mitchell and the state, and I'm out of it," he said. "I'm a victim of what's going on. I don't want to make any other comments."

Brian Carney, the nurses' attorney, released the letter to The Associated Press and called their indictments "absolutely the worst set of circumstances for any nurse trying to do their job and protect their patients."

The nurses each face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Law enforcement stepped into the case when Arafiles — having been notified by the board that he was under investigation for mistreatment and poor quality of care — filed a harassment complaint with the Winkler County Sheriff's Department. The sheriff's office figured out who had filed the complaint, and the local prosecutor filed charges last month.

The indictments do not provide additional details. Winkler County District Attorney Mike Fostel was out of town and unavailable for comment Friday. Through his receptionist, Winkler County Attorney Scott Tidwell declined to comment.

Robinson has sent a letter to Fostel and Tidwell defending the nurses' actions.

"The willingness of persons to come forward and file complaints with the Board is critical to the Board's success in regulating the practice of medicine as required by Texas law," she wrote.

SOURCE:

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H-1B Visas are still available!

Today, the USCIS released on its website an H-1B visa cap count update. With regards to H-1b visas, the report states the following:

As of July 10, 2009, approximately 44,900 H-1B cap-subject petitions and approximately 20,000 petitions qualifying for the advanced degree cap exemption had been filed. USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory limits, taking into account the fact that some of these petitions may be denied, revoked, or withdrawn.

For more information, please contact the Hammond Law Group, or visit http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=138b6138f898d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=91919c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

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This afternoon the President was joined by members of the American Nurses Association in the Rose Garden, where he spoke strongly on the urgent need for health care reform. He explained that the status quo is not an option, and that deferring reform is akin to defending that status quo.
The President praised nurses as an essential component to our health care system, saying without them, many in underserved areas would not receive health care at all. Because they work so closely with patients, nurses know as well as anybody why reform is desperately needed:
And that's why it's safe to say that few understand why we have to pass reform as intimately as our nation's nurses. They see firsthand the heartbreaking costs of our health care crisis. They hear the same stories that I've heard across this country -- of treatment deferred or coverage denied by insurance companies; of insurance premiums and prescriptions that are so expensive they consume a family's entire budget; of Americans forced to use the emergency room for something as simple as a sore throat just because they can't afford to see a doctor.
And they understand that this is a problem that we can no longer defer. We can't kick the can down the road any longer. Deferring reform is nothing more than defending the status quo -- and those who would oppose our efforts should take a hard look at just what it is that they're defending. Over the last decade, health insurance premiums have risen three times faster than wages. Deductibles and out-of-pocket costs are skyrocketing. And every single day we wait to act, thousands of Americans lose their insurance, some turning to nurses in emergency rooms as their only recourse.
Rising costs are unsustainable, which is why reform benefits all Americans, whether they are insured or not. The President assured that those who like their health care can keep it, and reform will save you money by bringing down costs, providing more choices, and keeping insurance companies honest. Inaction is not an option, but real progress is being made. The President commended the hard work being done in Congress as key committees in the House and Senate have put forth their plans:
Yesterday, the House introduced its health reform proposal. Today, thanks to the unyielding passion and inspiration of our friend Ted Kennedy, and to the bold leadership of Senator Chris Dodd, the Senate HELP Committee reached a major milestone by passing a similarly strong proposal for health reform. It's a plan that was debated for more than 50 hours and that, by the way, includes 160 Republican amendments -- a hopeful sign of bipartisan support for the final product, if people are serious about bipartisanship.

Both proposals will take what's best about our system today and make it the basis for our system tomorrow -- reducing costs, raising quality, and ensuring fair treatment of consumers by the insurance industry. Both include a health insurance exchange, a marketplace that will allow families and small businesses to compare prices, services, and the quality, so they can choose the plan that best suits their needs. And among the choices available would be a public health insurance option that would make health care more affordable by increasing competition, providing more choices, and keeping insurance companies honest. Both proposals will offer stability and security to Americans who have coverage today, and affordable options to those who don't.
The President emphasized that we will get health care reform done, because Americans need reform to succeed: for the patients, families, businesses, hospitals, doctors and nurses:

America's nurses need us to succeed, not just on behalf of the patients that they sometimes speak for. If we invest in prevention, nurses won't have to treat diseases or complications that could have been avoided. If we modernize health records, we'll streamline the paperwork that can take up more than one-third of the average nurse's day, freeing them to spend more time with their patients. If we make their jobs a little bit easier, we can attract and train the young nurses we need to make up a nursing shortage that's only getting worse. Nurses do their part every time they check another healthy patient out of the hospital. It's now time for us to do our part.

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The July Visa Bulletin has been released with little change from the June bulletin. As was the case with the June Visa Bulletin, the EB3 category remains Unavailable. It is expected that the EB3 category will remain Unavailable until FY2010, which should be released in September 2009.

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