Nursing Education in the Philippines: Nursing

Curriculum Now 5 Years

Nursing Education Update: Nursing Education the Philippines will never be the same again. Nursing, as a
course in college, may no longer be as attractive as before starting this school year. In my post “New
Philippine Nursing Curriculum and Opposing Views”, the Philippine Nursing Curriculum has dramatically
changed since the Commission on Higher Education’s issuance of CHED Memorandum Order (MO) No. 5,
series of 2008 otherwise known as “Policies and Standards for Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program”.
This CHED Memo makes BSN a five-year course.

Here in Ilocos Norte, Nursing schools have started the implementation of CHED MO this school year
(2008-2009). Many people (parents, students and teachers interviewed by this author) have protested either
in silence or explicit ways the implementation of CHED MO No. 5 saying that this will only add to the
burdens of parents and benefactors of Nursing students (usually relatives abroad).

From my initial findings, the new Nursing Curriculum in the Philippines will effect these changes:

• Instead of the usual 79 units taken up by first year nursing students, the new guidelines will
require students to take up 93 units in 2,632 hours.
• Additional 357 hours for hospital training or Related Learning Experiences (RLEs) which will
make RLEs 2,499 hours from the previous 2,142 hours
• 28 additional units or about three summers of schooling

For freshmen Nursing students, the “Theoretical Foundation in Nursing” is included in the first semester,
and “Fundamentals of Nursing Practice” in the second.

From a parent’s standpoint, these changes have huge impacts on their family’s finances and other
children’s education. Some parents I have interviewed said they might be forced to sacrifice the education
of some of their children just to give way to their child taking up BS Nursing. There is now more pressure
on the part of the Nursing student because family expectations have become higher.

From an educator’s standpoint, if CHED intended to “upgrade” or improve the existing Nursing
Curriculum, they should have included in the new one some foreign language subjects (French, German,
Norwegian or Spanish). This is because the ultimate goal of most Filipino Nurses is to go abroad and earn
more money. Since this is the case, why shouldn’t CHED include in the New Nursing Curriculum subjects
that will help our Nursing students communicate better with foreigners speaking languages other than
English? This is perhaps an oversight on the part of our policy makers. If CHED wanted to equip our
Nursing students with new tools, it should have been in the area of communication and NOT in the area of
Related Learning Experiences because Nursing students have enough RLEs. Well, that’s just my take.

Reference:
http://www.jpsimbulan.com/2008/08/12/nursing-education-in-the-philippines

Submitted by:
Tanchico, May Anne R.
BSN IV Sec 4 Group 12