Philippine Nurses Association President Melvin Miranda brings knowledge, expertise to MCU’s nursing program
MANILA, Philippines — The persistent commitment of Filipinos to the nursing profession has long been recognized. They have emerged as leaders in the healthcare industry, making substantial contributions across the globe. Hence, the pursuit of nursing as a college degree has become a driving force, pushing Filipinos to the forefront of this crucial industry as the demand for highly competent nurses keeps growing.
Moreover, the Philippines is the largest exporter of nurses worldwide. The country has consistently supplied nurses to the United States and Saudi Arabia for many decades. In recent years, other markets have emerged and opened for nurses including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Ireland.
As the world progresses and patients' needs change and evolve, the requirements and tools needed to excel in the nursing field have heightened. On the whole, the competitiveness in the field has also increased a great deal— especially when finding a job abroad.
MCU: A top, competitive player in the nursing industry
Among the key players in the nursing industry is Manila Central University (MCU), one of the oldest universities in the Philippines. But how does it keep itself relevant today, and make itself a top and competitive player in the nursing industry?
MCU’s nursing program is established as well, tracing its roots from 1947. MCU is also the first Philippine university to offer a 4-year nursing program. Currently, it is led by the university alumni and Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) President, Melvin Miranda.
The university’s current program distinguishes itself from other courses through its transformative education. This is given through the integration of Health/ Nursing Informatics in Nursing Skills Laboratories as well as innovative learning experiences through Community Immersions in Geographically Isolated Disadvantaged Areas as an integration of the Department of Health Program Thrusts on Universal Health Care.
As a major strategist of the university’s nursing program, Miranda’s vast and extensive experience has given him an understanding of how the nursing industry and profession have evolved throughout the years.
Aside from his PNA and MCU roles, he is also a Board of Trustee under the Council of Professional Health Associations (COPHA) of the Philippine Federation of Professional Associations (PFPA) as well as an Appointed Consensus Panel Member of the Department of Health and the Institute of Clinical Epidemiology of the UP Manila National Institute of Health initiated the updating of the 2004 Clinical Practice Guidelines on Periodic Health Examination (PHEX 2).
“Being the president of the PNA keeps me updated and grounded on what the country’s students currently need as aspiring nurses. At MCU we also try to provide avenues for our graduates to serve locally, even just for a time," Miranda shares.
"The other end of the situation of a lot of Filipino nursing graduates going abroad is the lack of nurses that this country is experiencing. As a university, we support our students with either dream and work to provide them with the best education possible to equip them as professionals.”
Aside from strengthening MCU’s international ties and affiliations, Miranda is also very hands-on with his university talks as well as his mentorship initiatives.
In line with the current rebranding and remodeling of MCU, management is making sure that their courses get the same upgrade as well, with their students’ future at the core of university efforts, activities and decisions.
Always moving forward
MCU is also affiliated with the ASEAN Academic Partnerships for International Internship and Credit Transfer Program and provides its students with International Scholarship Grants and Return of Service Program (Base Hospital and Affiliations) Strong Academe-Industry linkages for local employment and job placements.
“I have been serving MCU for 20 years and we have no plans of slowing down. We keep moving forward with the times,” Miranda says.
To add to their exciting modern upgrades in its system and tools, the university is having an overall renovation in partnership with Palafox for its aesthetic render. Furthermore, MCU has adopted multiple learning modalities for better learning experiences, learning continuity and to promote mastery learning, making for an better student experience.
The school continues to apply and elevate its educational standards from its different courses to produce globally equipped students.
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