Philippines: Public hearing on new nursing policy guidelines set Oct. 24

[Harold Schiffman]

Public hearing on new nursing policy guidelines set Oct. 24

Posted by adminOctober 3, 2008Cebu City - A proposal to extend the
clinical exposure hours and add more units to critical nursing
subjects aimed at uplifting the quality of nursing graduates today
will be the subject of a public hearing for the Visayas Region on
October 24 in Cebu City. Dr. Jucel Ann Jumao-as, education supervisor
II of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED-7) said the public
hearing later this month will tackle the new Nursing Policy Guidelines
and Standards where stakeholders from Region 7, 8, 9 and 10 are
expected to attend.

Jumao-as in a recent PIA Kapihan in celebration of Nurses' Week from
September 28 to October 3 said the products of nursing graduates today
are not so competent compared with the nursing graduates in the 1980s
and the previous years.
New nursing graduates today lack competence even in the command of
English and more importantly, in skills and knowledge, according to
Juamo-as.
Out of a scale from one to 10 with 10 as the highest score, Jumao-as
rated today's nursing graduates to six in terms of quality and the
same score in the communication skills. The score of seven on the
other hand, is the passing grade for the IELTS (International English
Language Testing System) exam where most Filipino nurses also fail.
The new policy guidelines and standards will address the deteriorating
quality of nursing graduates by exposing them more to clinical
settings through hands-on experience and giving more weight to
critical nursing subjects enhancing students' knowledge and promoting
critical thinking, this is said.
Belen Gabato, a Cebuano registered nurse and the only Filipino member
of the Board of Nursing in Nevada, USA said the focus of the health
care services in the states today is patient's safety.

"How can you provide quality care to a patient if the nurse is not
competent enough?" because she lacks clinical training skills and the
theoretical knowledge needed in critical thinking, Gabato stressed.
Gabato also said speaking English well is very important because how
can the nurse understand the doctor's order if she cannot understand
and speak the English language proficiently. There is a need to uplift
the quality of nursing graduates so they can be competent nurses,
Gabato added.
Jumao-as however, proudly bared there are two schools in the region
that are considered as centers of excellence by the Philippine Nursing
Board based on record in producing quality nursing graduates. These
schools are Cebu Normal University in Cebu City and Silliman
University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.
Jumao-as likewise said she received a feedback that most schools in
Cebu even non-medical institutions offering nursing course are
reputable as she credits this to the schools' compliance to CHED
requirements as well as the seasoned deans of the different colleges
of nursing in Cebu.

CHED-7 is always monitoring and tracking those schools that does
shortcuts in finishing the nursing course or is not compliant to the
requirements of CHED-7, Jumao-as said.
The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) – Cebu Chapter meanwhile,
recently opened a 'Botika sa Barangay' (BnB) in Bulacao, Pardo, Cebu
City where the Department of Health (DOH-7) provided them P25,000
worth of frequently-used medicines by the poor.

PNA-Cebu Chapter President Elena Rodriguez said the BnB also serves
residents of nearby barangays.

http://philnurse.com/?p=317
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