Nursing programs of 32 schools targeted for phaseout

Nursing programs at 32 schools will be phased out by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) this coming school year because of poor performance by their graduates on the board examinations, an official said yesterday.

Dr. Fely Marilyn Lorenzo, Technical Committee on Nursing Education head, said for the past five years, the schools registered below a 30-percent passing rate on the board exams.

Lorenzo said at present, "the Philippines is the best source of professional nurses worldwide... but many countries are threatening that position."

"China and India want a piece of that market," she said.

"If the quality of Filipino nurses abroad starts to (deteriorate), the market will readily move to other sources," she said in an interview.

Dr. Carmelita Divinagracia, ADPCN head, said the 32 affected schools could no longer accept freshmen students starting in June.

The existing students can complete their course under the strict supervision of CHED to make sure they receive quality education, she added.

The move is part of a multi-sectoral effort to ensure the quality of the country’s nursing education so that it continues to produce highly competitive nurses, she added.

The committee was formed to oversee nursing education in the wake of an increasing demand for nurses in foreign hospitals.

It is composed of CHED, the University of the Philippines Institute of Health Policy and Development Studies headed by Lorenzo, the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing (ADPCN) and other stake holders.

Because of the foreign demand for nurses, nursing schools have begun to mushroom in the country, prompting the committee to closely monitor their performances, particularly through board exam results.

A moratorium has been imposed for new nursing schools to curb the increase.

It was observed that only 15 percent of nursing schools nationwide were performing well.