Lured by higher pay and prospects of a better life, a total of 28,258 Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates from the Philippines have taken the United States licensure examination for the first time in 2024 amid hopes of finding lucrative employment in America, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo on Sunday said.
“The number of Philippine-educated nurses seeking to practice their profession in America remains very high, mainly on account of insufficient pay here at home,” he said.
“We are effectively pushing our nurses away due to low pay here at home,” he added.
He said 54 percent of BSN graduates from the Philippines who took the US licensure examination passed on their first attempt, while there were 36 percent of repeat takers.
Citing data from the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc., the lawmaker said a total of 5,869 nursing graduates from India also took their first US licensure examination in 2024, along with 3,740 graduates from Kenya, 2,662 graduates from Nepal and 2,636 graduates from South Korea.
Rillo is the author of House Bill No. 5276 seeking to boost the basic monthly pay of entry-level government nurse by 74 percent, or to P70,013 (Salary Grade 21).
A government nurse in the Philippines currently receives a basic pay of P40,208 (Salary Grade 15).
“Higher pay is still the best strategy for us to retain some of our nurses in the local health sector,” Rillo said.
The Philippines now faces a shortage of 127,000 nurses – a number that is expected to swell to 250,000 by 2030, according to the World Health Organization, Rillo said.