The National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN®) measures the knowledge and abilities necessary for entry level nurses. Competency and knowledge needs to be tested because we deal with lives and it is necessary before we work on any hospital legally. It is administered by Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT), which individualizes tests to match the unique competencies of each test taker. Each exam adheres to the NCLEX-RN® Test Plan, which describes the content and scope of RN competencies. The practices basic to nursing (e.g., nursing process, caring, teaching, learning, communication, documentation) are integrated throughout, and most questions require application and analysis of information.

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Taking the NCLEX-RN® Test on a Computer
■ First: You will receive general information about the exam and the testing center. Your time spent on this will not count.
■ Second: You will take a tutorial on how to use the computer to answer the questions on NCLEX-RN®. Your answers will not count toward your score, but the time you take will be subtracted from the total 6 hours you have for the exam.
■ Third: You will then be presented with real NCLEX-RN® items; there will be between 75 and 265 items. The test ends when it is 95% certain your ability is ↑ or ↓ the passing standard.

■ Answers may be selected or deleted several times if desired before confirming a final answer. You must answer every question. You cannot return to a previous question though.
■ A time-remaining clock is in the screen’s upper right-hand corner which you can hide if it causes anxiety. But clock timer would remain and cannot be hidden in the last 15 minutes of your 6-hour exam time.
■ A calculator on the computer is available for calculations.

■ Try not to wear any type of jewelry or charms on your day of examination because you will be asked to remove them. No earring, necklace, bracelet, watch would be allowed. If you insist not to remove your wedding ring, the testing center might allow you but a report on your Board of Nursing will be sent regarding this matter even after a tight inspection.

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Go to www.NCSBN.org to access an NCLEX tutorial to practice multiple choice and alternate format items on the computer.

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Good luck on your examination and we wish you all the best!

Nurses Notes

Your Source. Your Guide.

Several months ago, news of unemployment among Filipino nurses remained afloat with the number reaching up to about 400,000. Statistics from the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), particularly on its “Market Trend” analysis, revealed that while unemployment and underemployment is a fact in Philippine Nursing, there is inaccuracy in these reports. The DOLE and the Board of Nursing (BON) acted with dispatch to review available data which revealed that from 1952 to 2008 the country has registered or licensed 480,992 Filipino nurses out of 523,272 who actually passed the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examinations.

According to DOLE data the total number of Filipino nurses employed between October 2001 & 2007 was 58,000 (fifty eight which represented 3.86% of the total employed professional workers (1.5 million) reflected in the National Statistics Office, Labor Force Survey   as source of data. However, it is important  to consider that there  is actually a market slowdown starting

2006, when the demand for Filipino nurses started to plateau as a result of the retrogression in the US market and a change of nursing employment policy in the UK.  The previous high demand for Filipino nurse has kept our nursing pool in the country relatively large.  Despite the number of nurses reportedly deployed/employed there still is a slow-down in the hiring of newly passed nurses.  While this is a fact, the actual unemployment and underemployment figures would only range to about 80,000 and the developments in the international job markets remain to be bright and still promising.

Other data on nursing in the Philippines that are worthy to note are:

1. From 27,833 nursing enrolees recorded in academic year 2000-2001, there was a record high of 453,896 enrolees in academic year 2006-2007 or an annual average growth rate of 62%. (Source of data: CHED)
2. The number of nursing graduates showed an increasing trend for the period 2000– 2005, with 140.5% increase in the number of graduates in SY 2004 – 2005 (Source of data: CHED)
3. From 2001-2008, the number of board examinees was on the rise. The passing rate exhibited a declining trend from a high of 55.8% in 1998 to a low of 45.2% in 2006 or an annual average of 49.5%. In June 2008, the passing rate (43.1%) was lower than the average registered for the period 1998-2007. In addition, 1 out of every 5 colleges of nursing registers a “zero” passing mark, which is indicative of the questionable quality of education and/or decreasing quality of students admitted for the nursing profession. Source of data: PRC
4. From 1998 to June 2008, 224,961 did not pass the Philippines Nurse Licensure Examination. This figure is 32% higher than the 169,766 combined local and foreign demand for nurses.  What could  be done with this human resources in the country?
5. The migration of “experienced” nurses who are highly skilled (5-15 years) and specialists in their fields of expertise actually creates a vacuum in the local health care delivery system.  Most nurses locally employed are new graduates who lack experience and skills which pose serious implications on the quality of health care provided our own countrymen. One of the push factors for migration is the wide discrepancy in the salaries of our nurses employed One of the push factors for migration is the wide discrepancy in the salaries of our nurses employed locally and overseas (US$4,000- US; $700-1,500 in KSA; and US$180-220 in the Philippines)

As the results of the November 2008 Nurse Licensure Examination was released where 39,455 out of 88,649 passed, the challenge now is to put in place real ‘honest to goodness’ measures that will address long standing problems/concerns; measures that are proactive and meant to provide medium and long-term solutions and not temporary band-aid remedies.  It is to be emphasized that the data listed above impacts not only the economic life of the nurses but the health and well-being of the country as well.

A vigilant watch on the current global economic conditions and the responses of host economies will help prepare us as Filipino OFW nurses get affected by the global economic crises. Now is the time for all Filipino nurses to close ranks and consider  contingency measures for the collective good of the nursing sector to cushion the effects of the said global economic crisis which will definitely impact  the Filipino nurses, their families, and the country as a whole.

Source: http://www.bonphilippines.org/