Nurses unfazed by job-training ban

THE Philippine Nursing Association on Tuesday belittled the move of the country’s hospitals’ group not to accept nurse interns for on-the-job-training, saying it will not impair the nurses’ chances for employment.

In an interview at the sidelines of the Philippine College of Physicians’ health forum on the “Nurses Crusade”, executive director Maristela Abenojar told MST that hospital training is not actually required of a nursing board passer to be employed.

“It’s not a problem. The PHA’s decision not to accept nursing board passers as trainees will not matter, said Abenojar.

The 500,000-strong nurses’ federation lambasted Philippine Hospital Association national president Dr. Ruben Flores (inadvertedly referred to as Torres in the previous MST issue) for declaring on Sunday tprohibited its members from granting on-the-job training to nurse-interns.

Speaking to reporters at the same forum, Phil. Hospitals Association Board of Director member Dr. Contrado Brana said the ban was prompted by the nurses’ calling PHA as “exploiters of nurses.”

“It’s so unfair that we are being accused of exploiting nurses despite offering solution to the government’s pronouncement by giving inexperienced nurses actual skills. We are being put in a bad light,” stressed Brana, director of the South Cotabato General Hospital.

He said that PHA will look into complaints of exploitation of nurses where they are made to pay for what is supposed to be volunteer work.

He said that the PHA will impose sanctions on hospitals engaged in this practice.

Brana said they had already sent out letters to the PHA’s 3 vice presidents (for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) and also to council and chapter presidents ordering them to suspend training programs for nurse-trainees in all government and private member-hospitals.

Brana said the ban will remain in force until the feuding groups settle their differences.

In a separate interview, However, Abenojar said nursing graduates do not need the training rom hospitals to land a job. She said employers require nursing board passers to have “work experience” and not “hospital training”.

“Passing the board is already a guarantee that one can soon be employed as a nurse. There is no requirement for training, but for work experience,” she said. –Macon Ramos-Araneta, Manila Standard Today