National Scams and Scandals
The nursing exam scandal in the Philippines stemmed from the alleged leakage of copies of the exams itself from members of the nursing board examination allegedly bribed by owners of popular nursing review centres. It has been said that at least two hundred questions were leaked. It has stirred the nursing industry because of the adverse effects it might do to nations that specially need the services of Filipino nurses. It has prompted President Gloria Arroyo to order the government body that administers nursing board examinations to be reorganized. Meanwhile, officials of the Philippine Regulatory Commission or PRC are blaming the nursing examinees themselves instead of acting responsibly on this crisis in the nursing industry. The Philippines is one of the major sources of nurses for countries that are undergoing scarcity of nurses such as the US, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Britain, among other nations. Now, the Philippine government is demanding the nursing board to conduct a retake of the nursing exam. This created a critical issue specially for those who passed the nursing board exam legitimately. Certainly, it would be unfair to them for their certification to be delayed because most of them have already made their own professional plans. Some staged protests to argue the retake of exams ordered by President Arroyo. Eventually, the order still prevailed and everyone was subjected to a retake. The scandal has died down and everyone has moved on. To this day, the nursing profession is still attracting a whole lot of students because of the big income potential that can be earned when able to graduate and practice nursing abroad in the future.