4,000 take nursing exams

Close to 4,000 Filipino nurses are taking the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to be held in Manila starting today.

Presidential task force on NCLEX chief Dante Ang yesterday reported that a total of 3,500 Filipino nurses have registered to take the US licensure examination.

“NCLEX examination will be held daily from Monday to Friday and we already booked a total of 3,500 examinees until December,” Ang disclosed.

Ang said 90 Filipino nurses will be among the first batch of NCLEX examinees, a majority of them from Metro Manila.

Nurses from neighboring countries have yet to express their intention to take the examination here, said Ang.

He added that extending the NCLEX to other areas in the country would depend on the number of examinees.

“If there is a surge in the number of examinees, US may probably allow examinations in Cebu and Davao,” he said.

According to Ang, each Filipino nurse who will take the examination in Manila will be able to save at least P100,000 that would be needed if they take the test abroad.

“But with this great opportunity comes a great responsibility for us to maintain the integrity of the examination. We should not endanger the credibility of the NCLEX here,” Ang said.

Ang urged Filipino nurses to refrain from taking any action that may compromise the holding of the US board examination in the country.

The US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. (NCSBN) earlier announced that NCLEX testing will be conducted in Manila to allow “greater customer service” to nurses who are applying for work in the US.

All security policies and procedures currently used to administer the NCLEX examination domestically will be fully implemented in the Philippines.

Foreign nurses aspiring to work in the United States are required to apply to the board of nursing in the state or territory where they wish to be licensed before registering for the NCLEX examination.  – Mayen Jaymalin