Days before the June 1 and 2 nursing board exams, 20-year-old Myla Bantog offered two eggs in St. Claire’s Parish in Quezon City to chalk up her chances of passing the test. She also prayed novenas in various parishes, one of which is the Lady of Manaoag Parish in Pangasinan, to seek spiritual guidance for the exams. She also sent and received good luck-text messages.
From the eggs to the prayers, these rites indicate the importance of the nursing profession to many Filipinos families. Around 65,000 nursing students are expected to take the exams on Sunday and Monday.
High costs
The stakes for taking up nursing are high. A nursing college education costs at least P300,000. But that’s not all. After finishing the four-year course, there are fees and other expenses for a series of qualifying exams.
Take the board exams today. Prior to taking these tests, nursing students spent around P10,000-P15,000 for review centers. Hundreds of pesos were shelled out for reviewer materials. They also paid a P900 exam fee.
And the expenses don’t stop after these exams.
Those who want to work in the United States, which is the dream destination for many nursing students, have to spend around P19,000-P25,000 to review for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), a standardized qualifying test.
But before they can take the NCLEX, they need to pass the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and English proficiency tests, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), to secure a CGFNS Certification Program Certificate.
Passing the CGFNS test is one of the requirements for an occupational visa in the US. Taking it means shelling out around $450 or around P19,000. In addition, the IELTS costs around P8,000.
Of course, there’s tuition to begin with, which ranges from P50,000 to P80,000 per semester.
The financial burden of a nursing education is inarguably big, but the fruits reaped from this profession are considered commensurate with the costs.
Nurses in the US with a one-year experience have a median salary of $50,000, or around P2 million. In Saudi Arabia, compensation for staff nurses ranges from $23,000 - $33,000, or around P1 million a year.
But these financial rewards will only be enjoyed if the nursing student becomes a practicing nurse.
Going down
So for those who have difficulty passing the nursing board exams, desperation often sets in.
“Magpakamatay na lang kaya ako (Maybe I should just kill myself),” said Flor (not her real name), a nursing graduate, who asked not to be named. She spoke with abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak last March, after she found out that she is no longer eligible to re-take tests III and V of the board exams for a third time.
Flor was one of those who took the controversial June 2006 board exams, where a leak took place. The Court of Appeals ordered the conditional retake of tests III and V, but the CGFNS put its foot down by insisting it would not issue VisaScreen certificates, required for entry to the US, for the June 2006 exam takers.
In December 2007, Flor took the tests for the second time but failed to pass. When abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak interviewed her in the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) last March, she was waiting in front of the office of PRC chair Leonora Rosero-Tripon. She was going to appeal to the chair to let her take the tests another time, even if it may mean revocation of her license.
“I am willing to give up my license. Just let me take the board exams again,” she said.
But even if she passes the tests, the data shows that her chances of landing a job in major job destinations are slim.
POEA data shows a decline in deployment of new hires. (See page 42 of POEA table). From a high of 13,822 deployed new hires in 2001, deployment decreased to 8,528 in 2006. Significant drops in deployment of new hires happened in the following receiving countries:
· Saudi Arabia: from 5, 626 in 2004 to 2,886 in 2006;
· United Kingdom: from 800 in 2004 to 139 in 2006;
· US: from 373 in 2004 to 133 in 2006;
· Kuwait: from 408 in 2004 to 191 in 2006;
· Qatar: from 318 in 2004 to 38 in 2006;
What then lies ahead for Filipino nurses?
In her study, “Producing the ‘World-Class’ Nurse: The Philippine System of Nursing and Education Supply,” Kristel Acacio, a doctoral candidate of the Department of Sociology in the University of California, said nursing graduates who can’t find a job abroad can go into three alternative fields: teaching, medical transcription, and call centers.
Acacio warned that if deployment of nurses continues to slow down, the Philippines will face a “great surge in unemployment as well as underemployment.”
Beyond nursing
Grace Abella, vice president of the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines told abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak in an earlier interview that students and parents should look beyond nursing and consider alternative courses such as accountancy, engineering and information technology (IT) courses.
“Companies here and abroad are always looking for accountants, engineers, IT experts. Students should take up courses related to such professions,” she said. Deployment of IT new hires has risen since 2004. (See table 26 of POEA table)
Another alternative is to take up science courses since many doctors and scientists have also left the country.
Dr. Manuel Francisco Roxas, chief of the Colorectal Surgery Division of UP-PGH, said the country badly needs scientists, agriculturists, and other professionals who can help improve Philippine competitiveness.
However, as long as the country does not pay its scientists well, Filipinos are expected to still gamble on nursing. Data from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) shows that nursing enrollees have gone up more than sixteen times since 1999, when only around 27,000 chose to take up nursing. In 2006, 453, 896 Filipinos enrolled in the nursing program.
Times have changed a great deal since the days of Florence Nightingale, the British nurse who committed her life to nursing because she wanted to serve the poor. For many Filipinos, nursing is now their best hope of becoming rich.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Dubai Lifestyle and leisure
Dubai has something for everyone. From genteel activities in the sunshine to extreme sports and major professional events - all played out in some of the best sporting facilities in the world.
If you enjoy observing the beauty of marine life, there are plenty of sites in and around the UAE where you can do so.
There are also plenty of places to observe nature in the UAE. Bird watchers in particular have the chance to observe some unique specimens at Ras al Khor wildlife sanctuary.
Or you could always take a trip to the UAE Falcon and Heritage Centre which is located off the Al Khail Road, just a couple of kilometers from the World Trade Centre.
Here you can witness one of the most traditional of Emirati pastimes.
Dubai is famous for many things - and in the sporting fraternity - it has a fabulous reputation for world class golf courses. The most famous can be found at the Emirates Golf Club.
Situated just off interchange five of the Shaikh Zayhed Road, it plays host to the lucrative Dubai Desert Classic event on the European tour.
Casual players can usually try their luck on one of the two courses. Elsewhere in Dubai, the Creek course offers the chance to play a challenging round with the backdrop of the city and Dubai creek.
The Montgomerie (designed by Colin Montgomerie) is situated a hefty drive or two away from Emirates Golf Club.
At Nad Al Sheba you can play 9 holes and there is some opportunity for floodlit games at night. There are also a couple of ice rinks, netball courts and athletics training facilities.
Multiple Dubai Desert Classic winner Ernie Els is also currently designing a course for the under construction Dubai Sport City.
Now even golf pales into comparison with the UAE’s national obsession - racing.
The UAE is a serious horse racing country and fittingly, Dubai is home to the richest race in the world.
Other major sporting events to take place in Dubai include the Dubai Duty Free tennis tournament, which recently has attracted the likes of World number one Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, both of the Williams’ sisters and Lyndsey Davenport.
Motor racing is rising in popularity in the emirate, and in the Dubai Autodrome the city boasts a Formula One standard race facility – which will play host to the A1 Grand Prix in January 2006.
Now most other sports pale into comparison with the UAE’s number one sport, horse racing.
The Dubai World Cup - with price money worth more than US$2m - is staged every March at the Nad al Shebah course.
It attracts the top horses, trainers and spectators from around the world and is one of the social events of the year.
There is also horse racing at the Jebel Ali racecourse, which is situated behind "The Greens" development, just off Interchange 5 of the Shaikh Zayhed Road.
If you like your racing a little slower, and a little more traditional, then you can always go to a camel race at Nad al Sheeba, a sport which has a large following among UAE nationals and which is phasing out the use of child jockeys.
Being a city next to the sea, you’d expect top quality water sports. Well, Dubai is home to top UIM Powerboat team 'Victory'.
The team, based in Dubai Marina have won the F1 title on several occasions.
The glitz and glamour of high powered watersport also comes to Dubai every November, as the city hosts a round of the world title series.
Gulf News Web Report
Published: September 13, 2006, 00:00
If you enjoy observing the beauty of marine life, there are plenty of sites in and around the UAE where you can do so.
There are also plenty of places to observe nature in the UAE. Bird watchers in particular have the chance to observe some unique specimens at Ras al Khor wildlife sanctuary.
Or you could always take a trip to the UAE Falcon and Heritage Centre which is located off the Al Khail Road, just a couple of kilometers from the World Trade Centre.
Here you can witness one of the most traditional of Emirati pastimes.
Dubai is famous for many things - and in the sporting fraternity - it has a fabulous reputation for world class golf courses. The most famous can be found at the Emirates Golf Club.
Situated just off interchange five of the Shaikh Zayhed Road, it plays host to the lucrative Dubai Desert Classic event on the European tour.
Casual players can usually try their luck on one of the two courses. Elsewhere in Dubai, the Creek course offers the chance to play a challenging round with the backdrop of the city and Dubai creek.
The Montgomerie (designed by Colin Montgomerie) is situated a hefty drive or two away from Emirates Golf Club.
At Nad Al Sheba you can play 9 holes and there is some opportunity for floodlit games at night. There are also a couple of ice rinks, netball courts and athletics training facilities.
Multiple Dubai Desert Classic winner Ernie Els is also currently designing a course for the under construction Dubai Sport City.
Now even golf pales into comparison with the UAE’s national obsession - racing.
The UAE is a serious horse racing country and fittingly, Dubai is home to the richest race in the world.
Other major sporting events to take place in Dubai include the Dubai Duty Free tennis tournament, which recently has attracted the likes of World number one Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, both of the Williams’ sisters and Lyndsey Davenport.
Motor racing is rising in popularity in the emirate, and in the Dubai Autodrome the city boasts a Formula One standard race facility – which will play host to the A1 Grand Prix in January 2006.
Now most other sports pale into comparison with the UAE’s number one sport, horse racing.
The Dubai World Cup - with price money worth more than US$2m - is staged every March at the Nad al Shebah course.
It attracts the top horses, trainers and spectators from around the world and is one of the social events of the year.
There is also horse racing at the Jebel Ali racecourse, which is situated behind "The Greens" development, just off Interchange 5 of the Shaikh Zayhed Road.
If you like your racing a little slower, and a little more traditional, then you can always go to a camel race at Nad al Sheeba, a sport which has a large following among UAE nationals and which is phasing out the use of child jockeys.
Being a city next to the sea, you’d expect top quality water sports. Well, Dubai is home to top UIM Powerboat team 'Victory'.
The team, based in Dubai Marina have won the F1 title on several occasions.
The glitz and glamour of high powered watersport also comes to Dubai every November, as the city hosts a round of the world title series.
Gulf News Web Report
Published: September 13, 2006, 00:00
How green is my desert
Dubai: Building developments are encroaching on wildlife in the UAE causing indigenous species to disappear.
Trekking through the wadis or hillsides will take you far off the beaten track to spot bright yellow, white or red petals. Prepare to don your walking boots and leave the car parked on the tarmac.
Walking up a small peak on rocky scrubland can bring you to an unforeseen patch of wild purple flowers and grasses. The hillsides have a green hue when seen from below, giving the usually barren landscape a spring-time feel.
Dr Reza Khan, director of Dubai Zoo and a keen botanist, knows all the nooks and crannies where the UAE's plants sprout after the rain.
Author of The Indigenous Trees of the United Arab Emirates guide for Dubai Municipality, Khan said wildflowers of the UAE are unknown to many people as they can be difficult to spot.
"Wild flowers have nowhere to grow anymore because their habitat is being taken up by the construction of roads or buildings. As soon as it rains some plants come to life, but with nowhere for them to grow it doesn't matter if it rains or not. Some can flower after 5 years," said Khan.
However Maerusa crassifolia is a shrub that is extremely rare nowadays.
"You used to find it a lot in the mountains, at the foothills of Hatta and Buraimi. They have disappeared because of overgrazing. Camels and goats just love it," said Khan.
"Wadi systems need to be protected. During the rainy season they can be like torrents and they are the natural irrigation systems of nature," said Khan.
Other plants have been used for centuries by bedouin men and women either as cures, painkillers or cosmetics and food.
For example the Fire bush (Calligonum comosum), known in Arabic as 'abal bush' is important as it stabilises sand. It has bright red, prickly lantern-shaped fruit which the bedouins used as a spice and the young shoots as a vegetable.
Many bedouin girls have rouged their cheeks with the bright red fruit. Also the burnt woody parts of the Eyelash plant (Blepharis ciliaris) locally known as 'kahil' or 'kohl', used to be mixed to make a black powder and applied to the eyes, both as a cosmetic or to soothe eye infections.
Wanderers in the desert might also come across the desert squash (citrullus colocynthis) called Hanzal in Arabic. It has a yellow bitter fruit unfit for human consumption.
More Jobs vacancy info on:
http://www.gnads4u.com/jobs
Trekking through the wadis or hillsides will take you far off the beaten track to spot bright yellow, white or red petals. Prepare to don your walking boots and leave the car parked on the tarmac.
Walking up a small peak on rocky scrubland can bring you to an unforeseen patch of wild purple flowers and grasses. The hillsides have a green hue when seen from below, giving the usually barren landscape a spring-time feel.
Dr Reza Khan, director of Dubai Zoo and a keen botanist, knows all the nooks and crannies where the UAE's plants sprout after the rain.
Author of The Indigenous Trees of the United Arab Emirates guide for Dubai Municipality, Khan said wildflowers of the UAE are unknown to many people as they can be difficult to spot.
"Wild flowers have nowhere to grow anymore because their habitat is being taken up by the construction of roads or buildings. As soon as it rains some plants come to life, but with nowhere for them to grow it doesn't matter if it rains or not. Some can flower after 5 years," said Khan.
However Maerusa crassifolia is a shrub that is extremely rare nowadays.
"You used to find it a lot in the mountains, at the foothills of Hatta and Buraimi. They have disappeared because of overgrazing. Camels and goats just love it," said Khan.
"Wadi systems need to be protected. During the rainy season they can be like torrents and they are the natural irrigation systems of nature," said Khan.
Other plants have been used for centuries by bedouin men and women either as cures, painkillers or cosmetics and food.
For example the Fire bush (Calligonum comosum), known in Arabic as 'abal bush' is important as it stabilises sand. It has bright red, prickly lantern-shaped fruit which the bedouins used as a spice and the young shoots as a vegetable.
Many bedouin girls have rouged their cheeks with the bright red fruit. Also the burnt woody parts of the Eyelash plant (Blepharis ciliaris) locally known as 'kahil' or 'kohl', used to be mixed to make a black powder and applied to the eyes, both as a cosmetic or to soothe eye infections.
Wanderers in the desert might also come across the desert squash (citrullus colocynthis) called Hanzal in Arabic. It has a yellow bitter fruit unfit for human consumption.
More Jobs vacancy info on:
http://www.gnads4u.com/jobs
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