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CNMI needs to reposition self as an NCLEX certification site
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Posted on Nov 11 2008
The Northern Marianas can still gain from Filipino nurses taking the U.S. licensing examination, despite Manila now offering the test, according to the local nursing board.
The CNMI has seen a huge drop in the number of nurses taking the National Council Licensure Examination since Manila started offering the test in August last year.
Data from the Commonwealth Board of Nurse Examiners show that from August 2007 to July 2008, 130 nurses took the NCLEX at the PearsonVue testing center on Saipan. This is a drop of 71 percent from 461 test takers during the same period in the previous year.
But Bertha Camacho, a member of the Commonwealth Board of Nurse Examiners, said the Commonwealth could continue to profit from the NCLEX market by repositioning itself as a facilitation office for Filipino nurses who are seeking to be certified to take the test.
Based on information from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, there are 20,410 nursing tests taken in Manila since the city was designated as an international NCLEX site in February 2007.
According to Camacho, all nursing graduates are required to get the certification from a nursing board in the U.S. jurisdiction before they can take the NCLEX. Currently, the CNMI nursing board charges $110 for each certification. The fee differs from state to state.
But the Commonwealth is losing out on this revenue-generating opportunity because the nursing board lacks the manpower to do process applications. The nursing board has only one full-time employee.
“We need manpower to do the work that needs to be done,” Camacho said. She said the board needs funding for at least two administrative assistants and one clerk to ensure efficient processing of applications.
Sen. Paul A. Manglona has expressed support for the nursing board’s funding request. He pledged to bring it up as lawmakers draft the budget for fiscal year 2009.
