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