Editorial - The number keeps climbing but few jobs are available

Over 30,000 nursing graduates have joined the ranks of registered nurses after passing the licensure examinations given by the Professional Regulations Commission last December.

A graduate of Adventist University of the Philippines in Cavite topped the exams, which were held in Manila, Cebu, and other major cities. He led the 29,711 passers out of 84,287 examinees from across the country.

For years, Nursing has been the preferred course for many high school graduates. As the number one course in the country today, Nursing churns out tens of thousands of graduates a year.

But unlike graduates of computer-related courses who can easily grab opportunities in the field of Business Process Outsourcing, and Information and Communication Technology, Nursing graduates are having a hard time landing jobs these days.

While their number keeps climbing, few jobs are available. Hospitals have been picky in their hiring of new applicants. Only those who graduated from prestigious schools are prioritized.

This forces some of the new nurses to look for other employment away from their profession. But, unfortunately, majority of them end up jobless, still dependent on their parents.

The problem, however, is the lack of strict regulations. Nursing schools have been sprouting like mushrooms across the country. But authorities failed in the campaign to contain their number. This is the main reason why the country has a huge excess of nurses.

Authorities cannot deny the fact that the more schools are being allowed to offer Nursing course, the more they are jeopardizing the skills of new nurses. Many countries are beginning to doubt about the quality of Filipino nurses, as they began to impose stiff requirements.

For decades, Filipino nurses have been hailed as the best in the world. The demand for them was high. But today, new nurses had to endure strict screening and tough examinations before they can be accepted to work abroad.