Topic: No retake No Visa Policy on June 2006 Nursing Passers

[waldner]

CGFNS TO JUNE ’06 NURSING BOARD PASSERS
‘No partial retake, no migration to US’


By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 07:10pm (Mla time) 02/15/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) said on Thursday it needs to study how to respond to the US position that nurses who passed the June 2006 licensure exam cannot migrate there unless they retake portions of the test that were leaked.

Interviewed by phone, PRC chairperson Leonor Tripon-Rosero confirmed the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) decision that passers in “the compromised licensure exam of June 2006 are not eligible for a VisaScreen Certificate.”

However, Rosero said a retake would be required only for those of the 17,000 nursing graduates who passed the June exam “who seek immigrant visas, unlike those who take the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) which is for those seeking working visas to the US.”

The CGFNS decision came less than a week after the US approved the Philippines' application to be a testing center for the NCLEX, which is expected to be given in Manila within the year.

“Although a PRC license is not needed to practice in the US, it is needed for those who seek an immigrant visa,” she added.

In an e-mail, the CGFNS urged Philippine authorities to provide an opportunity for the June board passers to retake tests 3 and 5 “without surrender of licensure” to allow them to qualify for the VisaScreen Certificate.

The June nursing licensure exam was marred the discovery that questions to tests 3 and 5 had been leaked and given to nursing graduates enrolled in a few review centers.

Although there was a bitter debate over whether all the examinees would have to retake the leaked tests, eventually 17,000 examinees were declared to have passed the board exam and allowed to take their oaths after it was decided that they had not benefited from the leak.

The CGFNS sent a fact-finding mission to the Philippines in September 2006 to look into the scandal.

It concluded that the June licensure exam “raises questions about the accurate assessment of the competencies of many of those individuals” who took the test and made it “unable to certify that the licensure is comparable to a US license.”

“In this instance, applicable US immigration law will not permit CGFNS to issue the VisaScreen Certificate required of internationally educated health care workers to those nurses who obtained Philippine licensure on the basis of passing the June 2006
nursing licensure examination.”

The CGFNS, which evaluates candidates under US immigration law, argued that the integrity of foreign licensing systems ultimately affects the health and safety of patients in the United States.

The CGFNS is an immigration-neutral, nonprofit organization with 30 years of experience in certifying the credentials of over 450,000 internationally educated nurses and other healthcare workers.

Nikko Dizon, Inquirer

SOURCE

After the leakage of the June 2006 Nursing exam came out, the nation was divided as to whether there would be a retake or not. A lot of 2006 Nursing passers cried out loud that a retake is unnecessary and they even went to the Supreme Court to air their predicament. Luckily, the SC upheld the decision of the lower court and decided that there would be no retake anymore.

A lot of debates in the forum and in the chatroom have ensued as to whether the June 2006 passers would retake the exam or only the Test 3 and 5 or no retake would be held. I myself voted for a retake. A lot, especially the nursing students and 2006 passers did not agree on my position because its no joke to prepare the exam, much more the cost of such preparation and the exam proper.

I reserved my last laugh, and now I can Laugh out Loud. My main reason for the retake is to cleanse the already tainted reputation of the Nursing Board not just in the Philippine setting but goes out to the whole world as well. Now, the primary purpose (whether some will admit it or not) of taking/pursuing nursing course is to look for a greener pasture abroad. Board exams are intended in order to determine (although not absolute) the competency of the examinees in their chosen field. Nursing and Medical Profession are one of the most important professions because it involves the lives of the people. I am sure we are hesitant to be administered by half baked nurses much more the foreigners. Since most of them seeks employment in the US, they cannot just complain to the CGFNS Board that their decision is unfair because in the first place, employment in the US soil is not a right but a privilege. They too have the right to select the cream of the crop that will work in their respective hospitals.

To sum, Kodus to the 2006 June passers who took and passed the December 2006 exam! They have proven to themselves and to the whole world their worth and wits. You have proven indeed, that since u passed it last June, there's a big chance that u can hurdled it again, unless u cheated!

[MasterChief63]

the original statement form the CGFNS http://cgfns.org/sections/about/news/news/2007/02-14-07_philippines.shtml

CGFNS Denies VisaScreen® Certificates for Philippine Nurses Who Passed the Compromised June 2006 Philippine Licensure Examination

PHILADELPHIA, PA — FEBRUARY 14, 2007 — After careful consideration, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) has decided that those Philippine nurses who were sworn in as licensed nurses in the Philippines following their passing the compromised licensure exam of June 2006 are not eligible for a VisaScreen Certificate. CGFNS began investigating this issue soon after the first reports of irregularities were received and sent a fact-finding mission to the Philippines in September 2006. CGFNS has concluded that the licensure process for those who received their license as a result of passing the compromised June 2006 licensure examination raises significant questions about the accurate assessment of the competencies of many of those individuals.

Therefore, CGFNS is unable to certify that the licensure is comparable to a U.S. license. In this instance, applicable U.S. immigration law will not permit CGFNS to issue the VisaScreen Certificate required of internationally educated health care workers to those nurses who obtained Philippine licensure on the basis of passing the June 2006 nursing licensure examination. CGFNS notes, however, that the June 2006 passers are able to overcome this bar and qualify for a VisaScreen Certificate by taking the equivalent of Tests 3 and 5 on a future licensing examination administered by Philippine regulatory authorities and obtaining a passing score.

Consequently, CGFNS urges the Philippine authorities to provide an opportunity for re-take of those tests without surrender of licensure so that the June 2006 passers may qualify for the VisaScreen Certificate. The integrity of foreign licensing systems ultimately affects the health and safety of patients in the United States, a primary consideration of CGFNS in its role in evaluating candidates under U.S. immigration law. The decision announced today is made in support of this critical mission of CGFNS.

CGFNS is an internationally recognized authority on credentials evaluation and verification pertaining to the education, registration and licensure of nurses and healthcare professionals worldwide. CGFNS is an immigration-neutral, nonprofit organization with 30 years of experience in certifying the credentials of over 450,000 internationally educated nurses and other healthcare workers.

  hehe ok lang ive passed the IELTS and i have my ATT gud for 1 yr feb 07-08 ang validity meaning i can take the NCLEX anytime within 1 yr, and i have a 10 yr multiple tourist visa meaning i can go to the US anytime i want, dapat nga lang feb 18 alis ako to prepare for the nclex and stay for gud sa california now i have to come back home sa june for the "partial retake" and pls read a part of the article carefully:

In an e-mail, the CGFNS urged Philippine authorities to provide an opportunity for the June board passers to retake tests 3 and 5 “without surrender of licensure” to allow them to qualify for the VisaScreen Certificate.

this means our licences will not be revoked and and we still passed the june 06 board exam, we only need to retake and pass the test 3 and 5(as a requirement by the CGFNS) without having our licences taken from us, and if we fail test 3 and 5 on june the prc will not consider us failed and we can still retake only 3 and 5 by december

However, Rosero said a retake would be required only for those of the 17,000 nursing graduates who passed the June exam “who seek immigrant visas, unlike those who take the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) which is for those seeking working visas to the US.”


this 2nd part also means those of us who are not in a rush to get Immigrant visas can settle for working visas instead of Immigrant visas

hassle nga lang dapat may PS36Wii na ako next week, now i have to wait a few more months, sana by july narelase na ung black xbox360 with 120gb HD 

[waldner]

In the Interview of the PRC Chairman in TV Patrol today, she said (although hanging) and I substantially quote "What if u failed the retake of Test 3 and 5? Will it invalidate your June 2006 Nursing license or not?" By the looks of it, it seems to suggest that there's a caveat in such retake...If u take the Test 3 and 5 exam and u passed, then there's no worry. But if u fail, then ur license will be forfeited and u will have to take the whole exam again. :'(

[waldner]

By Nikko Dizon
Inquirer
Last updated 11:12pm (Mla time) 02/25/2007


MANILA, Philippines--Any effort to appeal the decision of the US Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) will be futile.

This was what CGFNS chief executive officer, Barbara Nichols, told Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC) Chairperson Leonor Tripon-Rosero, in their phone conversation on Saturday, the CGFNS said on its website Sunday.

"During the conversation, Nichols assured Rosero that CGFNS was fully aware of, and concerned about how its decision might affect the June 2006 passers. Nichols noted, however, that the decision was final, and no useful purpose would be served by Rosero coming to the United States to make an ‘appeal’ of that decision," the CGFNS said.

This decision was made by its Board of Trustees, "the highest authority of that corporation," the CGFNS website said.

"There is no process or provision for an appeal or reconsideration of a Board decision. There is no higher authority than the Board of Trustees," Nichols told Rosero, according to the website.

Moreover, Nichols pointed out that the board's decision on the issue was "unanimous. There was not a single ‘No’ vote. "This decision of the CGFNS Board is final; the matter is settled."

Reached by phone on Sunday, Rosero declined to comment whether the task force would still leave for Philadelphia to appeal the decision in light of the CGFNS statement.

"I prefer that we issue a collective statement," Rosero said.

The task force was created after the CGFNS announced on Feb. 15 that it would deny the applications for Visa Screen Certificates of June 2006 nursing board passers unless they re-take the equivalent of the tainted Tests 3 and 5 of last year's nursing licensure exam.

The task force, headed by Rosero, is composed of government officials and private sector representatives.

The latest CGFNS statement said that it was Nichols who requested the telephone conversation with Rosero, which took place at 9 a.m. Manila time on Saturday.

Another point raised by Nichols during the conversation was that the decision of the CGFNS Board of Trustees "is required by US immigration law in circumstances such as this."

"In this case, because passers of the June 2006 Philippine nursing licensure exam were found to have a license that was not comparable to a US nursing license, the Board was required to determine that a VisaScreen Certificate may not be issued to such individuals," Nichols said.

"As evidence of its compassion and concern about the consequences of its decision, CGFNS provided an opportunity for the June passers to 'cure' their present ineligibility by re-taking the equivalent of Tests 3 and 5," she added.

"CGFNS will therefore gladly accept the passing test scores of any nurse who had the courage to re-take the licensure exam—in whole or in part—in December 2006. And it has urged the Philippine government to allow the June 2006 passers to re-take Tests 3 and 5 during 2007," Nichols said.

SOURCE

RES IPSA LOQUITOR!

[kurukutow]

That's the result of our PRC's stand on the retake issue.  Even if PRC thinks that they have a fullproof solution to the retake problem, the fact of the matter is, the US (who is a major nurse destination) thinks that if one is a june 2006 boards passer, he/she is still tainted with controversy. I believe that it is the US's prerogative to whom they should issue their visa screen certificates.  The retake is OPTIONAL.  If you don't wanna go to the US, then by all means, go elsewhere.

[wind jhitziu]

bt nlang dis june pa ako mag take

[waldner]

Too bad, Politicians and some Government officials are clinging on the issue for their own advantage. For example, Rep. Fuentebella of Negros wanted to go to the US and talk to the CGFNS officials. Not only the Representative but that was also the initial plan of PRC Chairman and also with the Phil. Nursing Association Head. Hmm...it seems everybody wanted to have a piece of the pie so that whoever gets the nod or reversal of the CGFNS will be declared as Hero. This act, however noble as it may seem should be stop because its taxpayer's money they will be using in going to the US. I admire Dante Ang and Sec. Brion for their practicality and acceptance of the fact. It is elementary that "CGFNS prerogative" is absolute and that discretion is lodge with the latter. Its just like saying "No ID, No Entry" vis-a-vis No retake, No Visa. Take it or leave it basis.

[Ambull]

in my own point of view eh dapat magretake nalang..
para narin kasi sa kanila(mga nurses) 'to eh..
wala tyo magagawa sa decision ng CGFNS
for them (CGFNS) eh parang walang credebility yung naging result ng exam because of the controversy.. d natin cla masisisi kung naging ganun ang decision nila.
kung ako rin cguro sa kalagayan ng CGFNS eh ganun din ang gagawin ko.
No offense sa mga nurses na involved pero point of view ko lang po ito.
I am not saying this for you to get mad, but for you to realize that this is for your own good.
ano ba kasi ang masama sa pagretake kung alam mo naman na papasa ka db?
sagot naman daw ng gov't ung retake ng exam eh..

I repeat...
Opinion ko lang po ito..

PEACE!!!