NLE: 37, 679 new nurses, Ateneo de Naga student tops exam

ABS- CBNNews

MANILA, Philippines – The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Friday said a total of 37,679 out of 91, 008 examinees passed the Nurse Licensure Examination that was given last July.

The exam was conducted in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Dagupan, Davao, Iloilo, La Union, Legazpi, Lucena, Pagadian, Pampanga, Tacloban, Tuguegarao and Zamboanga last July 2010.

The members of the Board of Nursing are Carmencita M. Abaquin, Chairman; Leonila A. Faire, Betty F. Merritt, Perla G. Po, Marco Antonio C. Sto.Tomas (inhibited), Yolanda C. Arugay and Amelia B. Rosales (inhibited), Members.

The results of examination with respect to five (5) examinees were withheld pending final determination of their liabilities under the rules and regulations governing licensure examination.

Those who will register are required to bring the following

* Duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal
* Current Community Tax Certificate (cedula)
* 2 pieces passport size picture (colored with white background and complete name tag)
* 1 piece 1” x 1” picture (colored with white background and complete name tag)
* 2 sets of metered documentary stamps, and
* 1 short brown envelope with name and profession;

and to pay the Initial Registration Fee of P600 and Annual Registration Fee of P450 for 2010-2013.

Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.

The oathtaking ceremony of the successful examinees in the said examination in Manila as well as the previous ones who have not taken their Oath of Professional will be held before the Board on Monday and Tuesday, September 20 and 21, 2010, with morning (8:00 A.M.) and afternoon (1:00 P.M.) sessions at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City.

All must come in their white gala uniform, nurse’s cap, white duty shoes, without earrings, hair not touching the collar and without corsage.

Oathtaking tickets for the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby regions will be available at the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) at 1663 F.T. Benitez Street, Malate, Manila, from September 1 - 20, 2010 on a “first come first serve” basis.

All regional oathtaking schedules will be posted in the BON website: www.bonphilippines.org.


From AALA, Marianne Ruth Aquino to BAYER, Carmela Dawn Paloma


From BAYER, Chris Danne Bautista to CRISTAL, Mark Joseph Canawin


From CRISTE, Zyron Wendell dela Fuente to FLORES, Frederick JR Olavides


From FLORES, Gendy Melanrose dela Pena to LAZO, Joanne Beverly Rabaino


From LAZO, Jorena May Canonigo to NATIVIDAD, Sonia Mendaros


From NATNAT, Jovan Morales to REYES, Jennelyn Navarro


From REYES, Jennifer Bonnit to TOKUNAGA, Pristine Fernandez


From TOLDING, Kyrie Clarie Biang to ZUNO, Ralph Raymond Paras

CPR Simplified

Physical therapy grads from RP barred from taking US exams

JERRIE M. ABELLA, GMANews.TV
07/19/2010 | 11:17 PM

Filipinos have been temporarily disallowed from taking the licensure examination for physical therapist in the US following reports of cheating by a local review center.

In an exclusive report by GMA News’ Tina Panganiban-Perez on “24 Oras," the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy (BPOT) said the temporary suspension was imposed on physical therapy graduates from the Philippines, Egypt, India and Pakistan.

"We think it's not a ban, it's a temporary suspension. Second, we think it's not even [because of a] leakage, [but] because [there were] recalled [questions]," BPOT chair Dr. Rey Matias said in the report.

‘Pervasive security breaches’

In a statement on its web site, the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) said it suspended the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) testing for physical therapy graduates from the four countries due to “pervasive, ongoing security breaches."

The FSBPT said it is preparing a “separate, secure exam" for the graduates, expected to be completed in 2011.

“This necessary security measure is in response to compelling evidence gathered by the (FSBPT) reflecting systematic and methodical sharing and distribution of recalled questions by significant numbers of graduates of programs in the affected countries, as well as several exam preparation companies specifically targeted to these graduates," the statement read.

The FSBPT cited the case of the St. Louis Review Center in Manila, which it accused of sharing hundreds of live test items. It said this constitutes copyright infringement and cheating.

“The evidences taken from the hard copies of notes and flash drives showed exactly the same questions. Even the illustrations had the same figures as what were present in the board exam," explained BPOT member Bernadette Reyes.

According to the FSBPT, it is now pursuing criminal copyright charges against the owners of the review center.

The federation said it has invalidated the scores of examinees whom they believe to have benefited from the advance access to test questions. It also said the compromised items have already been removed from the exam.

The FSBPT earlier charged St. Louis for the same offenses, but the Philippine Department of Justice dismissed the case in 2009.

No regulator

The PRC admitted it cannot do anything about review centers even in light of accusations of cheating and copyright infringement.

“No particular agency or body is regulating the activities of review centers. Review centers are not under the jurisdiction of the PRC," said PRC chair Nicolas Lapeña.

A reviewer in St. Louis, identified only as Michelle, disputed in the “24 Oras" report the accusations against the center. “We have nothing to worry about. What they are saying about cheating is not true. If that were the case, don’t you think all examinees would have passed?" she said.

GMA News tried but failed to get in touch with the owners of St. Louis, whom the FSBPT identified as Gerard Martin, Roger Tong-An, and Carlito Balita.

A report in ABS-CBNNews.com said Balita, a radio announcer, has denied that he is one of the owners of the review center. He was quoted as saying that he was never engaged in review programs for physical therapists.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz had earlier said she had already directed the Philippine labor attaché in Washington to prepare a letter to US authorities to appeal the suspension.

She added they will also investigate the veracity of the accusations of cheating against St. Louis. - KBK, GMANews.TV

Nursing grads must be flexible to find jobs in US

DALY CITY, California – New nursing graduates are advised to be more patient and flexible in order to find jobs in the US.

Jaeann Milan graduated in 2008 with a nursing degree from the Philippines. She was expecting to find work right away when she went back to the US. Instead, she found herself applying and waiting for six months.

“I was discouraged, I almost moved to Los Angeles to try to find something there. But I just stayed here and waited it out. You just have to be patient,” said Milan.

A survey conducted in June 2009 by the National Association of Nursing Schools found that less than half of new graduates had no jobs by the time they finished school.

According to Priscilla Chua of Relief Nursing Services, hospitals are hesitant to hire new nurses because of the recession. She said hospitals spend an average of $50,000 to train each new hire.

With the high unemployment rate, many have lost their health care coverage. Also, budget cuts at state- and government-run hospitals have caused hiring freezes and hurt graduates’ chances for a job.

“I think there are still a lot of patients. It’s just that these nurses, they don’t want to change their jobs, they want to stay because of the recession,” Chua said.

But Chua said there are ways new nursing graduates can gain experience.

“You got to start somewhere. Start in long term care. Start through a nursing agency. Once you gain the experience, the hospitals will hire you. They’ll be more willing to hire you as a registered nurse,” added Chua.

Milan’s patience eventually paid off. She gained experience as a per-day nurse with a staffing agency and a job as a nursing school instructor. Milan has since become a full-time Registered Nurse at a hospital. --Balitang America

PRC Changes Nursing Exam Schedule

By Katherine Evangelista
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:23:00 01/13/2010

MANILA, Philippines—The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Wednesday announced that the 2010 licensure exam for nurses has been rescheduled.

In a statement, the PRC said that the nursing board examination for 2010 has been moved from June and November to July and December, following the Commission Resolution No. 2009-537 dated November 13, 2009.

Deadline for filing of applications for the July examination will be on April 14 for repeaters while first time examinees may file theirs until May 14.

For the December examination, repeaters may file their application until September 8 while deadline for first time examinees may file is on November 8, the PRC said.

G Spot: Hit or Miss?

Love or Lust. Naked Truth or Bull Crap. Agree or Disagree.

Believe it or not, I'm putting the "G" on the spot.

Read on...


CNN) -- Ladies (and gentlemen): Can you find the G-spot?

Women everywhere have read or heard that they may possess a secret pleasure zone inside their bodies that, if stimulated correctly, yields intense pleasure and even orgasm.

But this so-called G-spot has never been precisely identified as a concrete biological entity. Scientists are still arguing over what it is and whether it exists at all.

Researchers at King's College London in the United Kingdom have brought the elusive G-spot to the forefront with a study of more than 1,800 female twins.

The study suggests that there is no genetic basis for the G-spot and that environmental or psychological factors may contribute to whether a woman believes that she has a G-spot.

No physical examination

The new study is published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

But the lead study author, clinical psychologist Andrea Burri, isn't sure that the question was asked in a way that accurately got the information the researchers were seeking, as reflected in the study's discussion section.

Her team did not physically examine the women for the presence of G-spots but instead gave participants a survey asking whether they believed that they had a "so called G-spot, a small area the size of a 20p coin on the front wall of your vagina that is sensitive to deep pressure?" (A 20p coin is about the size of an American nickel.)

They found that 56% of respondents answered "yes" and that there was no genetic correlation.

But only about 30% said they were able to achieve orgasm during intercourse, which may indicate that women were confused by the G-spot question because stimulation of the G-spot is supposed to induce orgasm, she said.

The definition of G-spot in the study is too specific and doesn't take into account that some women perceive their G-spots as bigger or smaller, or higher or lower, said Debby Herbenick, research scientist at Indiana University and author of the book "Because It Feels Good."

"It's not so much that it's a thing that we can see, but it has been pretty widely accepted that many women find it pleasurable, if not orgasmic, to be stimulated on the front wall of the vagina," said Herbenick, who was not involved in the study.

Arousable women

The study also found correlations with personality components in women who did report having G-spots: For instance, these women tended to be more extroverted, arousable and open to experience, which may indicate a psychological component to the G-spot, Burri said.

More research is necessary to make more conclusive statements about whether the G-spot has a physiological basis, experts say.

"I don't think that these are invented experiences at all," Herbenick said. "And if at the end of the day, someone's invented something and they feel pleasure from it, then I think that's great."

The G-spot has been so difficult to identify because it is more of a physiological change -- akin to swallowing or urinating -- than an anatomic structure such as a nipple, said Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, California, who oversees the peer review process for the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Evidence

But a recent study that adds credence to the G-spot concept.

French researchers Odile Buisson and Pierre Foldès did ultrasounds of a small number of women having intercourse with men.

By looking at the changes in the vagina, the researchers found physiological evidence of the G-spot. This study is under review at the Journal of Sexual Medicine, Goldstein said.

The G-spot is named after Dr. Ernst Grafenberg, a gynecologist known for his research on female genitalia. He described this pleasure zone of the vagina in a 1950 paper.

The 1982 book "The G Spot: And Other Discoveries About Human Sexuality" made the term "G-spot" popular.

A small study by Italian researchers in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2008 found that women who were able to achieve vaginal orgasms had thicker tissue between the vagina and the urethra, where the G-spot is said to reside.

A minority of women say they ejaculate when they have a G-spot orgasm. Some sex researchers say this fluid comes from a gland that's near the G-spot area.

Men have G-spots too

Men also have a G-spot of sorts, below the scrotum and above the anus, Goldstein said, although it has not gotten as much attention as the more mysterious female G-spot.

Experts agree that the idea of the G-spot has put pressure on both women and their male partners to find some kind of hidden treasure that leads to orgasm from the penis alone.

"Initially, it was a good concept, because who wouldn't like the idea of 'push a button and get the best orgasm ever?' " Burri said.

But those women who can't orgasm from vaginal intercourse may feel inadequate, and knowing that the G-spot may not exist can take some pressure off.

Women should explore their bodies, find out what they like, and communicate that information to their partners, Herbenick said.

"Whether you call it your G-spot or the front wall of your vagina, or if you make up a silly name for it ... at the end of the day, it's what you like and how your body works," she said. (Elizabeth landau/ CNN)