‘Too many nursing students overcrowd hospitals’

Is there such a thing as too much tender, loving care?

According to a Pampanga lawmaker, there are too many student nurses in the Philippines, and their gentle ministrations are overcrowding the country’s hospitals.

"Patients cannot rest anymore in hospitals because of the number of nurses examining them. Previously, there were two student nurses to one patient. Now, due to the mushrooming of nursing schools, there are 15 nurses who will examine each patient," said Rep. Anna York Bondoc, also vice chairwoman of the House committee on health, during a meeting with President Arroyo at Malacañang last June 14.

The President and the Cabinet were being briefed on the medical manpower and education crisis by Bondoc, herself a medical doctor, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman Dr. Carlito Puno and members of the Board of Nursing of the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).

In 2001, Bondoc noted, there were 7,000 nursing graduates who took the nursing board exams. Last year, 26,000 graduates took the board exams.

Part of the increase may be due to higher demand for Filipino nurses in the United States.

There are a total of 429 nursing schools nationwide and last year alone, 200 new schools applied for permits. However, she noted, the number of training hospitals where students gain practical experience remained the same.

"The explosion of nursing schools is causing overcrowding in our tertiary training hospitals," said Bondoc.

During the meeting, Bondoc said, CHED cited a lack of qualified deans and teachers in the schools.

Puno also noted that most of the nursing deans are above 60 years old because they are the nurses no longer eligible to work abroad, she said.

Bondoc also said CHED had noted a decrease in the passing average for the nursing board exams.

In 2001, the board passing average was 54 percent. Last year, only 44 percent passed, Bondoc said, citing Puno’s data.

According to CHED, this was because enrollment in medical schools has decreased while nursing positions, especially in the provinces, remain unfilled.

"They (CHED) requested that the nursing migration be managed properly so that we do not lose all our qualified medical personnel and compromise our healthcare system. They also warned the public about spurious schools without CHED certification," said Bondoc.

Mrs. Arroyo, meanwhile, reportedly assured the Board of Nursing and PRC Chairman Dr. Leonor Rosero that she stands firmly behind maintaining the quality of education here so the country can remain competitive in the worldwide labor market for nurses.

There is need for about one million nurses in the United States up to the year 2010, according to Bondoc.

The President and her Cabinet members suggested that overseas employers assist schools in the Philippines in training nurses who will eventually be employed by them.

Bondoc suggested that student nurses try to take their practicums in training hospitals abroad through exchange programs, thus addressing the lack of training hospitals locally.

Bondoc also suggested that the CHED tap retired and returning Filipino nurses from overseas as deans and teachers. "They are a tremendous source of experience because of their long stay in the US," said Bondoc.