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DPH sets expectation for NCLEX flunkers
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Posted on Dec 18 1998
The Department of Public Health expects all nurses at CHC to have passed the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX, by next month, Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez said.
“We need this certification because we have set a standard (in line with federal requirements),” Villagomez said.
He said all newly hired nurses for the Commonwealth Health Center are NCLEX-certified. Those already on board have taken the exam and are expected to pass it.
NCLEX certification is required of nurses working in government-run hospitals in any United States territory. It is designed to measure nurses’ aptitude on basic U.S. health-care standard.
Former Gov. Froilan Tenorio issued a directive in 1996 requiring all foreign nurses to be NCLEX-certified in an attempt to ensure that their skills are at par with their U.S. counterparts.
Villagomez ordered all nurses at CHC to take NCLEX last May 1.
It was agreed that local nurses who fail the exam will be demoted to nursing assistants, while their foreign counterparts will be sent home.
Many failed the exam, some were forced to leave, and others opted to resign. Still others asked for another chance.
Since a nursing staff shortage is already apparent, the health department has agreed to retain about 40 of the manpower agency-hired foreign nurses who have earlier failed NCLEX on condition that the next test is their last chance.
