DOLE might administer nursing exam retake

LABOR Secretary Arturo Brion said the Department of Labor and Employment is thinking of administering, through the Board of Nursing and with the help of the Professional Regulation Commission, a retake of Tests 3 and 5 given in the 2006 nursing licensure examination in order to satisfy the requirement of the US Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS).

The CGFNS said it will not issue US Visa Screen certificates to almost 17,000 passers of the 2006 board exams unless they retake the two tests whose questions were leaked to the examinees before the tests.

Visa Screen Certificate is a requirement for health professionals who want to travel to the US in order to get the appropriate visa.

Brion said a retake of the exams will be voluntary on the part of the passers. He said the CGFNS has already given a positive response to the idea pending the submission of a formal proposal in writing.

Brion also said the license issued by PRC to the passers are valid and will not be invalidated if the holder decides not to take part in the retake.

"The results (of the retake) will go directly to DOLE. The re-examination is for purposes of enhancing employability, not licensing. The licenses issued by PRC are valid. The re-exam will not have anything to do with the license issue," he said.