A leader of the House of Representatives on Sunday said Filipinos remain the most active job seekers in America, as a total of 4,580 Philippine-educated nurses took the US National Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for the first time in 2014.
House Assistant Majority Leader and Cebu Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. said the number of nurses who hope to obtain gainful employment in America is higher compared to the 4,034 Filipino nurses who took the NCLEX for the first time in 2013.
The number of Filipino nurses taking the NCLEX for the first time is considered a reliable indicator as to how many of them are trying to enter the profession in America, he said.
“The number is up 13.5 percent when compared to the 4,034 Filipino nurses who took the NCLEX for the first time, excluding repeaters, in 2013,” said Gullas, vice chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education.
The NCLEX refers to the National Council Licensure Examination administered by the US (National Council of) State Boards of Nursing Inc.
“A growing number of Filipino nursing graduates are taking the NCLEX so they can add having passed the exam to their credentials when they apply for jobs elsewhere, not necessarily because they expect to get hired by US hospitals anytime soon,” Gullas said.
Besides the Filipino nurses, the lawmaker said 915 Indians, 652 Canadians, 595 Puerto Ricans and 424 South Koreans also took the NCLEX for the first time in 2014.
Since 1995, a total of 157,368 Filipino nurses have taken the NCLEX for the first time.
At the height of the nursing boom in 2007, a record-high 21,499 Filipino nurses that took the NCLEX for the first time, Gullas said.
Meanwhile, Gullas urged Filipino nurses searching for greener pasture overseas to instead apply for jobs in the United Kingdom and the Middle East, where there is still ample demand for their skills.
Image credits: Roy Domingo