PNA Opposes Practical Nursing Program

The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), an umbrella organization of individual and different nursing groups in the Philippines, is resisting the imposition of practical nursing (PN) program upon the nursing profession in the Philippines, and insertion of PN by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) by means of a suggested ladderization of the nursing curriculum.

The Philippines, offering only the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, is possibly but not certainly the only country that makes ready nurses for specialized practice in the country and in foreign countries. The professional nursing program requires holistic theoretical training and hundreds of hours of clinical and community practice. In contrast to professional nursing program, practical nursing program needs lesser theoretical training and does not make ready a nurse for specialty practice like medico-surgical nursing.

The world demands for highly-skilled professional nurses as a substitute for practical nurses performing only basic nursing care. Practical nursing is perhaps popular short-term course like the caregiver course, but without any true job chances for the graduates. Presently, there is no local need for practical nurses in the Philippine health care delivery system.

There is an oversupply of nurses. AS a result there are unemployment and underemployment of numerous nursing graduates in the Philippines. Practical nursing program will make worse the unemployment because it will further increase the supply of nurses. What we need is employment to consume the oversupply of nurses.

[Via The Manila Times]