Stakeholders move to uplift quality of nursing graduates

CEBU – Stakeholders from the Visayas region will gather in a public hearing on October 24 to discuss proposals aimed at uplifting the quality of nurses in the Philippines.

The proposals include extending the hours of clinical exposure and increasing the number of units in major subjects for Nursing students. The public hearing will be attended by the Commission on Higher Education and stakeholders from Regions 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Speaking at yesterday’s “Kapihan sa PIA,” CHED-7 Education Supervisor Jucel Ann Jumao-as said Nursing graduates today are reportedly less competent compared to graduates in the 1980s and the years before that.

Jumao-as said Nursing graduates particularly lack competence in communicating in English, an essential skill for the profession. In a scale of one to 10, 10 being the highest, Jumao-as said she would give recent graduates a six on quality and skills in communication.

With this rating, recent graduates could easily fail the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) since the passing rate for the exam is seven. In fact, Jumao-as said, a lot of nurses who have taken the exam have already failed.

The proposed policy guidelines and standards shall address the reported deteriorating quality of nursing graduates. Quality may be achieved by allowing Nursing students to have more hands-on experience and by giving more weight to critical subjects that would help enhance students’ knowledge and promote critical thinking.

Belen Gabato, the only Filipino member of the Board of Nursing in Nevada, USA, said the focus of health care services in the United States today is the patient’s safety.

Gabato said nurses lacking clinical skills and theoretical knowledge needed for critical thinking could have a difficult time giving quality care to their patients. Likewise, competence in communicating in English is very important for nurses who aspire to work abroad.

Jumao-as said only two schools in the region are considered centers of excellence in Nursing by the Philippine Nursing Board, basing on the schools’ record in the quality of its nursing graduates. These include Cebu Normal University in Cebu City and Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.

Jumao-as said most Nursing schools in Cebu have complied with requirements mandated by CHED while those that remain non-complaint are being monitored. – Jessica Ann Pareja/JMO (THE FREEMAN)