NLE Board Rating: Does It Really Matter?

I just don’t get it: Nursing graduates have always been advised to study hard and aim to be a board topnotcher by their schools and review centers only to found out afterwards that securing a nursing position is a pain in the ass even for the cream of the crop. I guess, unemployment is now the great equalizer amongst Filipino nurses.

Now the question is this: Does NLE Board Rating still matter nowadays? Is it fair to say that NLE will measure your potential and capabilities as a nurse here in the Philippines?

I won’t deny the fact that I once aimed to be a nursing board topnotcher. I even started pouring my time and effort in reading nursing books one year before the actual exam. I thought it would be a great way to give myself justice for not being hailed as our batch cum laude. It was painstakingly time-consuming but eventually, I was able to top various exams both in our school and in the review center where I signed up after graduation. I thought I was on my way to the top but after the results were released last August 2011, all I’ve got was a mere 81.20%, a board rating not even close to the top 20 slot. But I have moved on and realized in the long run that it’s not the true measure of one’s worth as a nurse and as a human being. I even know of someone who got an impressive rating although she always slept in class so what’s the point? Is it all a matter of luck? I don’t give a damn. And just so you know, I’m an underemployed nurse now, just like the other board passers and board topnotchers who took the same exam. I guess, I had a misconception because grades really won’t matter at all.

So what is my point here?

That most Filipinos have been trapped to the false idea that being on the top of the class will give someone a sure spot for employment and an easy ticket to success. We always love to rank people to know who is the best and who is the worst. We love to give recognitions and awards for the intellectually gifted and think that “studying hard” is the best cure for poverty. Well I’m telling you, we’ve been stuck to this deep-rooted culture long enough and its about time for us to meet reality face to face;we have to accept the fact that in Nursing, its quite easier to pass the NLE than to secure a decent job.It hurts but just like what they always say, REALITY BITES.

During these hard times, personality weighs more than the board rating. For instance, I had a clinical instructor before who got a 75% flat board rating but was able to secure a fulfilling job in Canada. Not only that, most of the nurses I know who work in the hospital have ratings that ranges from 75% to 80% and they were not even one of the top performers during their school days. Zig Ziglar once underscored that “It’s not the aptitude, but the attitude, that determines one’s altitude”.The point here is the success of a nurse doesn’t rely on his/her board rating but more on how he/she persevere despite adversities in nursing employment, negative attitudes of her co-workers, and almost unbearable responsibilities expected of a nurse. Board ratings are just written numbers and it only measure one’s entry-level competencies.

Nursing is not a battle of the brains, rather, it’s all about resiliency, flexibility, and positive outlook in life. If you got a low board rating, who cares? Grades won’t make you less or more of a person.

Only here in the Philippines that we rank board ratings and put so much importance to those who top the board exam. I mean, in NCLEX, you will be labelled only as either “pass” or “fail” without any rankings or whatsoever. I’m not bitter or sourgraping here so don’t get me wrong. I just want every Filipino nurses today to realize that employment will still remain as the most important goal for everybody at the end of the day. I’m not even encouraging nursing students to stop browsing their books and just sleep all day because I know that knowledge is still one of the three pillars of good nurse training. All I want to emphasize is this: your career as a nurse (if you really want to be a nurse) won’t stop if you fail the NLE or got a rating lower than you expected. There are a lot of challenging and fulfilling things that await you in the future only if you will learn to embrace your “calling”. And though I’m not an active nurse now, I will never forget the two things (far more important than grades and intelligence) that Nursing has taught me: LOVE AND CARING.

Where Are You, RN?

Guess what? The number of unemployed and underemployed registered nurses in the Philippines has now reached a staggering record of 324,520 after the reults of the July 2011 NLE was released publicly. It’s quite alarming to see how this latest addition of inexperienced nurses struggle to make ends meet like the rest of the previous batches. You can’t help but feel sorry as you  see their victorious smiles slowly turn into frowns of disappointment. How will they survive now that the chances of local nursing employment continue to be very slim and positons for existing nursing opportunities fill up so easily as fast as a blink of an eye? This is a question that still haunts the 324, 520 struggling nurses. Good thing they had learned that flexibility, resourcefulness, and determination can also be applied on the “outside world” and not just on their nursing duties.

Now that the present nurse-patient ratio is 1:50, it’s quite impossible to accommodate this growing number of aspiring nurses. So, where are they now? Where are you, RN?

You can see a big percentage of them (of course) answering calls and giving empathy to frustrated, verbally abusive, and demanding foreign nationals with heavy accents. We all know for a fact that the BPO industry continues to be a more financially rewarding career alternative not just for thousands of RNs but also to other professionals finding it hard to gain employment on their respective fields. CSRs, TSRs, Voice accounts, Non-voice chat/e-mail accounts, health care accounts, day shift or night shift accounts- – -name it and I assure you will find  nurses there wearing headsets and taking calls. I can’t blame them because if you try to search for nursing-related jobs in JobsDB or Jobstreet, you will see unlimited opportunities not in hospitals but in various call center companies with high attrition rates. I personally has nothing against call centers because I also became a part of the industry for a brief period of time and I know how hard it is to leave your profession and do something that even high-school graduates with proper trainings can do excellently.

How about the others? You won’t imagine the variety of jobs and industries that our fellow nurses have joined themselves into: Some work as med-reps, pharmacy assistants in certain drug stores, review assistants (RA) or national reviewers of various nursing review centers, freelance web writers/bloggers/editors (just like me), bank tellers, medical assistants, or online English teachers (especially for Koreans). Some are even trying to penetrate the entertainment and fashion industries by working as actors/actresses, movie directors, models, fashion designers, beauty pageant contestants, or even singers. Some even work as sales lady, hotel receptionist, fast food crew and  pawnshop attendant. I also know some RNs who now run their own business, most common of which are spas/massage parlors and online stores. And for others who really have the ‘heart’ to serve but not lucky enough to be employed, joining Philippine Red Cross as volunteers or instructors seem to be a ‘better’ option.

THIS IS THE REALITY. But are we blame-worthy? I don’t think so. We just don’t have a choice or better, THE OTHER CHOICE is not that practical nowadays. We also have our own families to support and feed and though working as volunteers (commonly abused nurses) or “paid” trainees (a euphemism of the former) will give us experience and certain competencies, it won’t provide us the needs to support our now ‘independent’ lives. Nursing is not all about money but admit it or not, nurses are also human beings who need money to feed, breathe, and live.

Perhaps some of these RNs-working-not-as-RNs chose to leave the nursing industry for good because they have realized that their passion is on something else or it could be due to sheer frustration or extreme need, that they opt to leave the profession ‘temporarily’ and still hope that life will be fairer for nurses in the near future. Whatever their reasons are, we have to remember that life is all about choices. Nurses are chosen by God; it’s a calling and not all of these 324, 520 unemployed/underemployed nurses are meant to be in this industry because they took Nursing due to family influences or out of wrong reasons. The present condition of our profession must be a way used by God to determine who will stay and who will not, who are those that have the ‘real heart’ to serve and who are those that think Nursing is just a ticket to get overseas employment.

RNs are now everywhere but to my fellow nurses who really have the heart and passion to be a nurse, please remember that it’s not what you do, but who you really are, that will define your essence as a nurse. Don’t quit because it’s still a long way ahead.You are not the only RN-working-not-as-RN in our country. On the other hand, if your heart doesn’t belong to Nursing, go ahead and pursue what you really want; you will only live once so you better do what you are passionate about. Nursing is not the end-all, be-all of opportunities in life. Do what you want and you better do it NOW.

How about you? WHERE ARE YOU, RN?

I Love Nursing But Nursing Doesn’t Love Me….

Don’t be alarmed. I’m not just “another” nurse-writer trying to post all my grievances to wash away every bit of optimism left in your system. Given the status quo, it’s very easy to spot a nursing article complaining about the dismal conditions of the nursing profession here, there, and blah..blah..blah. I find articles like these less and less appetizing and discouraging, let alone the debilitating effects it could bring to a lot of budding nurses seeking for an inspiration and drive to go on despite all the struggles in a nurse’s life. I want this article to be a breath of fresh air so I want to start with an enthusiastic remark: I LOVE NURSING.

The problem, however, is the fact that it’s just a one-sided love affair.

When I took up Nursing almost five years ago, my career path was undeniably clear: finish the course and decide afterwards whether I would pursue Medicine or look for a fruitful opportunity overseas. Looking back, I realized that I made that decision for myself without any forceful coercion from any of my loved ones. I really wanted to be a nurse and felt like the blueprint of my life dictated me to embrace Nursing with open arms. They always say that plans should be done using a pencil because plans do change and nothing is sure in this world. I almost did it using an indelible pen; that’s how sure I was for the path I’m going to take in life. I had struggled a lot during my nursing studies. However, the passion inside me continued to burn that even the death of my father months before my graduation didn’t stop me from getting my nursing degree and my hard-earned license. I took all necessary trainings and tried my luck to all hospitals I know exist. It didn’t work out. It’s not a walk in the park, you know, but I tried, tried, and tried. Now, years after I decided to be a nurse, an epiphany suddenly brought me back to reality: I LOVE NURSING but Nursing doesn’t love me.

The problem, now, are the questions that keep on bugging me.

Did I take up Nursing for the right reasons? Am I trying to force myself to love Nursing just because I want to work abroad? Do I really love Nursing? Do I feel this because I’m frustrated with Nursing and I’m an unemployed jerk?

These questions kept me awake at night these past few days and I couldn’t help but to look back on how it all began. I took up Nursing because it was in demand back then. The idea of helping people and reviving lives sounded exciting and fulfilling for me that I immediately grabbed the opportunity to pursue it. I wanted to be a hero and make my life useful. This search for purpose and meaning brought me to Nursing but it is during my college years that I felt otherwise; the emptiness and longing that I felt during my clinical rotations were signs that I was still in doubts if I really belong in this industry. I studied hard because I wanted to pass and kept on believing that I really had what it takes to be a nurse. I tried my best to shrug off all the questions I had in mind back then and envied my class mates who were good at what they do because they genuinely love their career choice and not just because they had NO choice. Last week, I was about to start my hospital training but after realizing that I’m half-hearted to pursue it, I quit at the last minute. I have forced myself to love Nursing but it’s about time to let go. I don’t  want to live the rest of my life doing something out of convenience and then make regrets when I’m old and graying. Now is the best time to heed my calling and continue to chase what I really wanted in life: TO BECOME A WRITER. I’ve been wanting to earn a Journalism degree but I’m always taken a back because I keep on listening to people who believe that nursing is a far more lucrative career than Journalism. That’s true. But life is all about choices and I think it’s about time for me to stand up for what I really want. I only have one life to live and I better do what my heart longs for regardless of what people might say.

Now, after spending years of bacbreaking studies and realizing in the end that my passion belongs to something else, do I REGRET TAKING UP NURSING?

DEFINITELY NOT!

I believe God has a marvelous plan for each one of us and I didn’t end up to be a nurse for no reason. I’ve learned a lot about life, death, people, and priorities during those times I’ve spent in my nursing school. I’m more versatile now and more open on dealing with different people with different kind of personalities, backgrounds, and beliefs. In addition to that, nothing can compare with the security that you feel for your family and loved ones now that you know what to do during emergencies, you have the knowledge that you can share about life and health, and you have the caring attitude that will see them through sickness and in health.

Being a nurse is not all about wearing white uniforms and the essence of ‘care’ will not just end inside the four corners of the hospital. I know a lot of stories similar to mine because not all registered nurses have the true guts, the drive, and the makings of a real NURSE. We can be a nurse and still pursue other careers that our hearts really belong to and still can make a difference. Nursing is not all about the title and financial rewards; it’s even deeper than just caring for patients and performing doctor’s orders. I still envy those nurses who are doing great despite all the struggles they face. I salute all nurses because nothing can compare with the dedication and bravery that they all show for the sick and dying patients.

I’m still thankful that God allowed me to take up Nursing. Without it, I will never realize that my heart belongs to something else. And wiothout it, I will never learn that life, per se, is a miracle.

I LOVE NURSING but Nursing doesn’t love me. But who cares? I know it’s about time to let go and try my luck somewhere else. I’m currently working as an editor and writer of a famous Filipino blog and also planning to work as a copyeditor and get my Journalism degree in the near future. There is no question that my heart really belongs here but still, NURSING IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I HAVE EXPERIENCED IN MY WHOLE LIFE.

Sayonara, Nursing! Until we meet again….

I’m sick. I’m broke. I’m a Nurse.

Don’t get me wrong. That statement above is not from my pessimistic point of view. These are just facts that I’m sure some of you can relate with. I’ve been battling with bouts of mild flu and annoying tonsillitis for four days now. I’m starting to recuperate now but being sick is the worst thing that a jobless nurse like me can get these days. I wasn’t able to get my certificate of passing at PRC, submit my requirements at Fabella, and take the exam at AFP- – - all because I’m sick. Well, to tell you honestly, that’s not the only reason why I missed the opportunity to take my exam for the AFP RN Residency Program. Do you want to know the other reason? Because I’m BROKE and BANKRUPT. My mom has nothing in her pocket to provide for my pamasahe. I’m supposed to be self-supporting now at my age so you can just imagine how terrible it is to beg for money. My ego was hurt tremendously. After surviving 4 years of backbreaking and ultra-stressful nursing studies, I never did expect that I will end up begging my mom to lend me money for my training fees. I don’t even have my own savings to spend for my jeepney fare and daily wanderings. I don’t want to have a negative aura but everytime I feel so all alone in this battle, I always come to the point of asking and reassessing myself about my real priorities in life or if I’m really destined to be a nurse. How I wish life could be a lot easier for all struggling nurses and opportunities abundant for all who deserve to stay in the nursing field. But life is unfair with its own twists and turns so who am I to expect that life will be perfect for all of us. It’s a risk that I took to choose the path of nursing and it’s something that continuously bothers me until now. Why did I choose to be a nurse? Why am I taking this path? Why do I keep on swallowing my pride and let my mom support me financially? Why am I still paying and not earning? My decision to pursue my profession brought me a lot of questions and a lot of doubts. I don’t need to answer these questions now because in God’s time, all pieces of the puzzle will fit in their right places – - that’s faith (nurses won’t survive these days without this, blelieve me!). It’s a struggle, I know, but I don’t have any choice but to continue what I have started and find some part-time writing jobs to at least lessen the burden I have brought to my mother. I didn’t pass the Nursing Licensure Exam for nothing. I still believe that I’m one of the chosen ones and even though money is a problem now, doing what fulfills me is far more important than anything else. I know I’m not alone in this dilemma. I can imagine thousands of unemployed nurses thinking what I’m thinking and experiencing what I’m experiencing. Giving up is as easy as ABC. But it’s a choice I won’t make. Ever. Being positive won’t harm us but focusing our attention to the deprivations and disadvantages that surround our profession will just bring more harm to our ego. Nursing is a divine calling and I’m happy that I took the risk to respond to it. Nothing is sure in this world so I strongly believe that none of the struggles we see now is permanent. Yes, I’m sick, broke, and penniless. But I’m a Nurse and I will win this fight no matter what. – Nars A. Ko