December nursing exam gets 34% passing rate

MANILA -- At least one in three examinees passed the Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE) conducted in December 16 and 17 last year, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole).

Citing data from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Dole said 16,908 out of the 49,066 examinees will soon be named nurses, for a passing rate of 34.46 percent.

Dole added the figures account for the 53.17 passing percentage for first-time takers, or 11,538 out of 21,699 examinees, and for the 19.62 passing percentage for repeaters, or 5,370 out of the 27,367 examinees.

Meanwhile, the problem of unemployment among registered nurses in the country should not be a big concern, said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

She encouraged nurses instead to consider jobs in the emerging field of medical-related information outsourcing.

“With the growth trend in the healthcare information management outsourcing industry, healthcare careers now expand into various disciplines which open huge career opportunities for nursing graduates and allied medical professionals,” Baldoz said.

The emerging field refers to opportunities such as medical transcriptionists, billers, and health care secretaries.

According to the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), the healthcare outsourcing jobs have starting pays ranging from P14,000 to P18,000 while clinical appeals specialists employed in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry receive basic pay from P20,000 to P40,000 and may even go higher depending on the hours of work, typing speed, and type of employment the worker invests. (HDT/Sunnex)