Leak scandal depriving 17,000 nursing board passers of jobs - St. Luke’s, PGH, others not hiring
Leak scandal depriving 17,000 nursing board passers of jobs
St. Luke’s, PGH, others not hiring
By Veronica Uy
INQ7.net
Last updated 03:13pm (Mla time) 08/08/2006
(UPDATE) MANY of the 17,000 nursing graduates who passed this year’s licensure examinations are having a hard time looking for jobs because of the failure of government to satisfactorily resolve the scandal triggered by the leak of the exam questions.
Marco Antonio Sto. Tomas, vice president of the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing, lashed out at the Professional Regulatory Commission for releasing the results of the June 11 to 12 licensure exams even before the leakage issue can be resolved.
“The 17,000 or so who passed are in a predicament. A lot of them nahihirapan mag-apply at kumuha ng trabaho (A lot of them are finding it hard to apply for an find jobs),” Sto. Tomas, who is also dean of the College of Nursing of the Saint Joseph's College in Cavite City, told a Senate hearing into the scandal Tuesday.
“The international community is now looking at how we are going to solve this problems because they (the reviewees) themselves are questioning the integrity of the exam,” Sto. Tomas added.
Teresita Barcelo of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (PGH), confirmed Sto. Tomas’ statement, saying several medical institutions, including St. Lukes's, PGH, and the National Center for Mental Health are not hiring anyone from this batch of nominees.
“Sa abroad hindi pa, pero baka susunod na (Abroad, they haven’t stopped hiring yet, but it could follow),” she said.
During last weekend's CGFNS (Commission for Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) orientation here, Barcelo said the Americans repeatedly told the examinees, “You may fool Filipino examiners, but you cannot fool American examiners.”
Senator Richard Gordon noted that the health and safety of Filipino patients and the deployment of nurses abroad would be affected by the scandal.
“American hospitals, Japanese hospitals, European hospitals are watching us,” he said.
Gordon and Senator Rodolfo Biazon, head of the Senate committee on civil service and government reorganization, slammed the executive department for apparently preventing the official presence of the PRC, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) at the hearing.
Biazon noted that the letters sent by the three agencies explaining their refusal to appear before the inquiry appeared “to have been dictated” by one person as “even the location of (the) period” is the same.
Gordon lamented this, saying the executive department’s actions have been keeping the Senate from performing its duty. “We have a culture of cheating in this country. We have a tendency to want to beat the system, in the elections, in sports accreditations, and even in civil service exams,” he said.
Two members of the PRC Board of Nursing (BON) are facing administrative charges for the alleged leakage.
Despite the absence of PRC officials, PRC resolutions presented during the hearing identified the BON members as Anesia Dionisio and Virginia Madeja, who were both present at the hearing.
BON chair Eufremia Octaviano admitted that there was a leakage during the test.
The scandal stems from the complaint of examinee Rachel Cyndi-Erfe, who told the Senate that on both days of the exam, she saw other examinees wearing white jackets with R.A. Gapuz Review Center printed on the back reading photocopies of what she would later discover were leaked questions from the review center.
She has since been joined in her complaint by 91 other examinees and 425 intervenors.
Erfe’s lawyer, Cheryl Daytec-Yangot, said their own investigation showed that the leaked documents contained key words of the questions which came out in sets 3 and 5 of the licensure exam as well the answers.
She noted that the people who conducted the internal PRC fact-finding investigation and the subsequent NBI probe have not yet gotten in touch with the complainants.
Doctor Eleanor Artemia Gapuz, president and chief executive officer of the R.A. Gapuz Review Center, admitted that members of her staff reproduced the 18-page reviewer that Erfe saw a fellow examinee read prior to the actual test.
“We confirm that our staff with our students reproduced the manuscript after some of our students approached their drill master and asked permission to have them reproduced,” she said.
Senator Juan Flavier said he agreed with the proposal to have all the 42,000 examinees retake the licensure test.
FROM : PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/metroregions/view_article.php?article_id=14125
St. Luke’s, PGH, others not hiring
By Veronica Uy
INQ7.net
Last updated 03:13pm (Mla time) 08/08/2006
(UPDATE) MANY of the 17,000 nursing graduates who passed this year’s licensure examinations are having a hard time looking for jobs because of the failure of government to satisfactorily resolve the scandal triggered by the leak of the exam questions.
Marco Antonio Sto. Tomas, vice president of the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing, lashed out at the Professional Regulatory Commission for releasing the results of the June 11 to 12 licensure exams even before the leakage issue can be resolved.
“The 17,000 or so who passed are in a predicament. A lot of them nahihirapan mag-apply at kumuha ng trabaho (A lot of them are finding it hard to apply for an find jobs),” Sto. Tomas, who is also dean of the College of Nursing of the Saint Joseph's College in Cavite City, told a Senate hearing into the scandal Tuesday.
“The international community is now looking at how we are going to solve this problems because they (the reviewees) themselves are questioning the integrity of the exam,” Sto. Tomas added.
Teresita Barcelo of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (PGH), confirmed Sto. Tomas’ statement, saying several medical institutions, including St. Lukes's, PGH, and the National Center for Mental Health are not hiring anyone from this batch of nominees.
“Sa abroad hindi pa, pero baka susunod na (Abroad, they haven’t stopped hiring yet, but it could follow),” she said.
During last weekend's CGFNS (Commission for Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) orientation here, Barcelo said the Americans repeatedly told the examinees, “You may fool Filipino examiners, but you cannot fool American examiners.”
Senator Richard Gordon noted that the health and safety of Filipino patients and the deployment of nurses abroad would be affected by the scandal.
“American hospitals, Japanese hospitals, European hospitals are watching us,” he said.
Gordon and Senator Rodolfo Biazon, head of the Senate committee on civil service and government reorganization, slammed the executive department for apparently preventing the official presence of the PRC, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) at the hearing.
Biazon noted that the letters sent by the three agencies explaining their refusal to appear before the inquiry appeared “to have been dictated” by one person as “even the location of (the) period” is the same.
Gordon lamented this, saying the executive department’s actions have been keeping the Senate from performing its duty. “We have a culture of cheating in this country. We have a tendency to want to beat the system, in the elections, in sports accreditations, and even in civil service exams,” he said.
Two members of the PRC Board of Nursing (BON) are facing administrative charges for the alleged leakage.
Despite the absence of PRC officials, PRC resolutions presented during the hearing identified the BON members as Anesia Dionisio and Virginia Madeja, who were both present at the hearing.
BON chair Eufremia Octaviano admitted that there was a leakage during the test.
The scandal stems from the complaint of examinee Rachel Cyndi-Erfe, who told the Senate that on both days of the exam, she saw other examinees wearing white jackets with R.A. Gapuz Review Center printed on the back reading photocopies of what she would later discover were leaked questions from the review center.
She has since been joined in her complaint by 91 other examinees and 425 intervenors.
Erfe’s lawyer, Cheryl Daytec-Yangot, said their own investigation showed that the leaked documents contained key words of the questions which came out in sets 3 and 5 of the licensure exam as well the answers.
She noted that the people who conducted the internal PRC fact-finding investigation and the subsequent NBI probe have not yet gotten in touch with the complainants.
Doctor Eleanor Artemia Gapuz, president and chief executive officer of the R.A. Gapuz Review Center, admitted that members of her staff reproduced the 18-page reviewer that Erfe saw a fellow examinee read prior to the actual test.
“We confirm that our staff with our students reproduced the manuscript after some of our students approached their drill master and asked permission to have them reproduced,” she said.
Senator Juan Flavier said he agreed with the proposal to have all the 42,000 examinees retake the licensure test.
FROM : PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/metroregions/view_article.php?article_id=14125
i am one of the board passers this june 2006 nursing licensure exam. after hearing the news just now with regards to retaking the examination again. i think that would be so unfair!!! because you guys see that not everyone who took the controversial exam had a leakage or something and that includes me!! all the hardships and stress we have encountered before and after the nursing board is actually put to waste if we were to retake the exam!!Should you guys be fair enough not to discriminate all the 17,821 NURSING LICENSURE EXAM PASSERS because this people really really worked hard AND PRAYED for this!!! and we'll never know... 2006 JUNE BOARD PASSERS MIGHT BE THE BEST FILIPINO NURSES SO YOU GUYS BETTER WATCH OUT!!
Posted by
Anonymous |
7:40 PM
Pumasa na ako sa June 2006 Board. Its not true na hindi sila nag hihire ng nurses from June 2006 passers. Sa Philippine Heart Center kakasabi pa lang sa friend ko na may exam sa September. Malamang PGH hindi mag hire eh, eh UP yan eh, kasama sila sa nagrereklamo.. ANO BA YAN.. MAG ISIP.. DALI MA CONNECT. Sinasabi lang yan nila para ma pressure ang PRC na magpa retake. Biazon, Gordon and Flavier ano alam nyo sa exams? hello wag na kyo mag comment dahil hindi kayo nurses!! panay comment nyo sa media, eto naman media patol ng patol, mga may sira na talaga kayo sa ulo, sa tingin nyo pag pinaka retake nyo kami eh maalis yan tsismis ng LEAKAGE? dati na may leakage pwede ba, pumasa ako ng wala nun, kaya wala kayo karapatan na alisin sakin license ko! Besides NILABAS NA RESULTS.. nasa RA 9173 basta nilabas bawal bawiin. Hindi na pwede i question ang computaion and checking. Yung mga bagsak sa tingin nyo sasama sa retake kung maaga? eh plano ng iba sa DECEMBER NA so whats the use. MGA BOARD PASSERS.. LUMABAN NA TAYO! Ano ba yan buti pa mga bagsak alam mag retake they can move on.. EH MGA PASA.. KAMI PA PROBLEMADO ANG KAKAPAL NYO!
Posted by
Anonymous |
9:48 PM
i am one of the board passers and im really sad by what's going on with the issue. Its easy for them to say na mag retake, why?cla ba naghirap magreview at magbayad for that review?ang nahirapang mag answer ng questions?its so unfair!!!hindi lahat ng nag exam nag cheat!!!so consider nyo naman sana ang feelings namin.are you going to pay for our expenses pag nag retake?and if Philippine hospitals do not want us, we can take the foreign exams and prove to them that we can pass it.its what the international employers need, our certificate na nakapasa ng cgfns or nclex. you guys are being so unfair to us!!!!!
Posted by
Anonymous |
10:02 PM
gaano kayo kasigurado na pasado kayo? pumasa kayo sa ginawang statistical na ginawa ng BON, ndi dahil sa sagot nyo? ang daming naka 75 ang average? dami din naka 74? paano kung yung mga 75 ay mababa sa test 3 and test 5? sa tingin nyo papasa pa sila? paano naman yung 74 na matataas sa test 3 and 5? sa tingin nyo ba babagsak sila? daming qustions ngayong board. mas maganda retake para walang shadow na ng leakage. and btw, ung test 5 natin ndi naman tlga score natin yun. score ng ibang subjects yun. para bang yung english, math, pe, pilipino inaverage, tapos yung average nun ang score natin sa test 5. walang sense... yup. i think mawawala na yang leakage na yan. as of now. kasi nakatutok ang lahat sa board exam. and tingin ko, pag nakapasa ka sa december. mataas ang tingin sau. btw, yung mga BON, magreresign na lahat. Godbless sa atin. sana matapos na to. retake or not, review nalang tau ulit
Posted by
Anonymous |
12:08 AM
The postponement of the oathtaking or a retake of the board exams is punishing only the board passers not the real culprits. It's very inhuman for the senators and deans who suggested retake right away.... I am one of the board passers and i suffered stress and depression before and after the exams but i prayed for gods miracle to happen. Fortunately god heard my prayers and I passed without leakage. So why punished me? The PRC and BON should be held responsible for this leakage and they should be the only ones to be punished..... The UST and other schools who lodged this complaint should improved the quality of their nursing graduates so that next time they will have more board passers. Its unfair for those who passed the exams to be called incompetent by their own mentors.....
Posted by
Anonymous |
12:38 AM
retake is only for those who failed and not for the passers.... Or baliktarin na lang natin, yung bon at prc nalang ang bigyan ng exam at ikukulong ang bumagsak... mas maganda pa yun.....
Posted by
Anonymous |
12:45 AM
If they want a retake, dapat damay pati yung nakaraang batch dahil dami leakage at dati payan leakage leakage na yan.... dapat lahat ng nurses sa pilipinas magboard ule...
Posted by
Anonymous |
12:59 AM
Guys, I think we should do something about this, I am one of the board passers last june 2006. kailangan nating umalma kc parang inaaccused na tayo ng mga senators na ito! It would not be fair to have a retake,at sinong kukuha eh di tayo na lang mga board passers for sure, kc ung mga na failed sa december na kukuha.So ano yan parang tayo may kasalanan kaya tayo ang magreretake? Huwag tayong papayag!And napansin ko walang nagtatanggol sa mga board passers kapag may inquiry...sobra ta ito! Hindi na tama!
Posted by
Anonymous |
9:05 AM
I am one of the board passers of the June NLE. hindi ko maintindihan ang sitwasyon ko ngayon... I should review for CGFNS exam pero nagwowori pa rin ako kung talaga bang me re-take eh di dapat mag-review ulit ako ng MS at Psyche. Unfair talaga sa aming mga passers ang mga sinasabi ng mga senador. Lumuha ako ng husto during the review at halos hindi makatulog after the exam. I prayed really hard at wala kaming leakage. UTANG NA LOOB, nagsipag kami at honest ang mga naghandle ng review namin. In-house review kami at talagang naghirap kami. PWEDE BA isama sa investigation ang R.A. GAPUZ REVIEW CENTER... Inamin naman nila na pinazerox nila yung copy, dapat gisahin din sila saan galing iyon... Magaling din silang mag-alibi at parang hindi naman pinapansin ang participation nila... Magkano kaya ang involve???
Posted by
Anonymous |
9:06 AM
i passed the board exams ds june 2006 in good faith, i did it thru hardwork and dedication..i guess God did it for me and has reasons for making it possible..but now the issue on retaking is like a nightmare to us who passed! why do we suffer, we did our best for it we should not allow this to put to waste,..Guys..my co-passers please do something let the pipol hear your side!!!
Posted by
Anonymous |
11:14 AM
I really felt sorry for those fellow nurses who passed the recent June '06 NLE. I am the one whose name "did not appear" in the list of the PRC result. But allow me to say something. I am not here to add to your burdens, I have enough of that. We can do really nothing if these hospitals won't accept the 17,000 passers. They might be accused of biases,unfair treatment but that is their prerogative. And Don't say it as if you only deserve to pass. How about us, did we not give our best too? If we, who was deprived of a fair and balance treatment, the way PRC should treated the scandal then you passers should also accept the fact that your license has already a "stigma". Don't get mad. We ALL only hope that the soonest time possible we will be out of this nightmare. Remember WE ARE ALL (passers or not) victims here because of irresponsible decisions made by our supposed to be guardians of truth.
Posted by
Anonymous |
2:19 PM
May leakage na since birth of the NLE. :)
Pinaka-unfair sa lahat ung mga nafailed na walang leakage.
It is my great pleasure & a matter of personal pride that I passed the June 2006 NLE na WALANG LEAKAGE!
Willing ako na magretake provided na FREE ang lahat like board & lodging, food, fare and etc. (Posible kaya? :)
Para sa government: Kung gusto maraming paraan kung hindi maraming dahilan)
Para sa akin confident ako na makapass pa rin sa retake kasi nga pasado ako last exam taking into consideration that the PRC ruled to invalidate 25 questions in Test III and the entire last category,Test V. Kahit 375 items lang ung nacreedit pasado pa rin. Fair na rin ang retake para sa hindi pumasa na ang average ay 74 percent. Malay mo Test V sana ung makahila sa average nila which is very easy.
Wish ko lang na kapag matutuloy na ung REEXAMINATION, WALA na sanang LEAKAGE O KUNG ANO PA MAN para VERY FAIR na sa LAHAT. Para wala nang sisihan at illogical rationalizations.
Posted by
Anonymous |
3:04 PM
I am also one of the board passers and I find it unfair if we will asked to retake because of some griping failures. I know that I passed the board with all integrity and honesty so why should I undergo stressful days and nights again to satisfy these deans and those who failed. What if we ask you to retake the board exam as well? And for the senators to retake the bar (if ever they are lawyers)? Please think and rethink before you blurt out things. Besides, the local board is just 1 step. I know that I'll be able to prove my skills and knowledge by passing NCLEX and IELTS in the next few months.
It is just a press release that some hospitals in the US might not accept us. They are not even requiring Philippine license.Some are just asking if we passed and if yes, then, thats an added point.
Posted by
Anonymous |
5:53 PM
well, ung mga passer, u thank god para pumasa. so bakit takot kayo kumuha ulit. kung tlgang pumasa kayo... u take the retake. and test natin kung deserving kasyo. wala ng pagtatalunan d2 eh. kami we did our job din na magreview.. walang tulog.. unfair din naman sa amin ha. so sana para fair, retake. and dun tlga masasabi na kung sino tlga ang dapat pumasa. masarap pumasa ng walang leakage. pero ndi ba mas masarap pumasa ng walang halong irregularities?!
Posted by
Anonymous |
6:03 PM
kung sino ka man na naghahamon ng retake,,,call kami lahat na pumasa for take 2, granted na sasagutin MO lahat ng expenses naming 17,821 successful examinees, if then tapos ang usapan! YOU LOSER!
Posted by
Anonymous |
6:56 PM
if they're not going to hire us, then who cares?baket di lang sila ang hospital dito sa pilipinas noh!ala akong balak mag-apply sa knila, ang daming countries that we can practice our experise with!they should be running after us,ala naman silang dapat ipagmalaki sa 'tin dhil ubos ng mga nurses dito!
Posted by
Anonymous |
7:05 PM
bakit ako gagastos para sayo?! buti kung pumasa ka pa?! hahaha. Mas loser ka, pumasa ka may issueng leakage. sayang lahat. hahaha
Posted by
Anonymous |
11:50 AM
Let Us All MOVE ON!!! Kung pumasa ka na.. prepare na for foreign exams or apply ka na for job. KUNG DI NAMAN..E DI MAG RETAKE KA NA LANG! Wag ka na manghila ng makakasama mo pababa! SELF AWARENESS lang and ACCEPTANCE kailangan dyan. Kaso marami nasasabing nurse sila..wala nyan. Parang di pumasok sa kukote ang inaral sa Psychiatric Nursing. Kaya yung mga pumasa naman na gusto pa retake..may mga bagay na di matanggap sa sarili..Baka sa Mental Institution bagsak mo nyan..
Posted by
Anonymous |
2:32 PM
Hoy Dennis Cesar Bautista! Masyado mo ako pinahanga sa pagtestigo mo sa senate hearing re: NLE leakage. Buti na lang binunyag mo na binigyan kayo ng leakages ng mismong me may ari ng review center na pinagreviewhan nyo. Pero tol ng tingnan ko sa list ng passers ang name mo, diko nakita. Kaya pala tumestigo ka kasi bagsak ka! Binigyan kana ng leakage eh bumagsak ka parin! Utak talangka ka pala! Malamang kung pumasa ka, di kana tetestigo, kaso bagsak ka talaga kasi ang bobo mo! Ang lakas ng loob mo pang pumorma sa harap ng camera pero wala ka naman pala sa list ng passers!!! At yan ang dahilan kaya ka tumestigo!!!!
Posted by
Anonymous |
1:11 AM
Tama lang magkaroon ng RETAKE!!! Sige na magretake na kayo kasi bagsak kayo!!!! At dun sa mga pumasa, CONGRATZ sanyo lahat!!!! Kayong mga bagsak wag na kayo manghila ng iba, magaral na lang kayo ng maige para ipasa nyo ang RETAKE nyo!
Posted by
Anonymous |
1:32 AM