RP nurses appeal for fairness in NZ
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
An online campaign letter is now circulating to generate more support for Philippine nurses’ appeal to get a fair assessment from the nursing council in New Zealand.
“We are nurses from the Philippines who came to New Zealand in search of better employment opportunities so that we can use our professional training to meet the needs of New Zealand , at the same time, to build a better future for our families in the Philippines,” the network Philippine Nurses Speak Out stated in their online petition found on http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/philnursespeakout/.
The “Philippine Nurses Speak Out” and Migrante Aotearoa are campaigning for the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) to recognize the knowledge and skills of Filipinos who hold nursing as a second degree. The network aims to unite Filipino nurses to speak out for their rights and build support from the New Zealand public and concerned agencies “order to guarantee the rights of Filipino nurses to equal employment opportunity in New Zealand”.
“Much to our dismay, many of us who have taken up nursing as a second course have been rejected. We note that some second coursers who applied before 2008 were approved by the NCNZ. Since 2008, second coursers who were declined are frustrated that their competence was questioned when they hold essentially the same qualifications as those who were approved in the first quarter of 2008, 2007 and previous years,” the group said.
The campaign was launched after the registration problem of Filipino nurses was brought to public attention.
“Despite our track record in serving this country’s healthcare institutions adeptly, many of us were declined approval. The NCNZ doubted our competence and the quality of our educational background, reportedly because the Philippines is producing too many nursing graduates and has too many nursing schools,” said the group.
While the group understands that the economic crisis and the need to protect local nurses could be factors in the move of NCNZ to restrict the entry of Pinoy nurses seeking work in the country, it still appeals for consideration especially for distressed and stranded Pinoy second coursers in New Zealand.
“We request the NCNZ to give consideration to Filipino nurses who have already gained relevant work experience in New Zealand and applied for registration before recent changes in the application process were put in place,” it stated.
It explained that second coursers are those who completed degrees in Biology, Psychology, Dentistry, Medicine and others before taking up Nursing. Thus, they already gained credits and finished Nursing in less than four years in the Philippines.
The group further urged the NCNZ to consider the registration of second coursers currently in New Zealand who graduated from Philippine institutions that have a good track record in producing qualified nurses; and offer one-year training for second coursers currently in New Zealand as student nurses and consider the registration of those who are shown by this process to be competent to practice.
“We are hoping that a letter campaign across and beyond New Zealand will impact on the Nursing Council of New Zealand to consider our appeal,” the group said.
