Health Carousel Philippines Provides Free Nurse Licensure Exam Training
On the morning of May 29, 2022, more than 600 prospective nurses who participated in a free Nurse Licensure Exam (NLE) Masterclass arrived to begin the grueling two-day professional licensure examination. Two weeks later, on June 10, 89% of the training participants were delighted to learn they had passed. That’s quite an impressive percentage and 21% better than the pass rate for all test takers.
The healthcare staffing agency Health Carousel Philippines funded and promoted the free, three-hour NLE Masterclass to best prepare aspiring nursing students. In addition, the agency secured two excellent nurse educators and trainers to ready the students. Dr. Ray Gapuz, Academic Director and Curriculum Designer, Ray A. Gapuz Review System, and Dr. Glenda Arquiza, Former Chair of the Philippines Professional Regulatory Board of Nursing, served as the lead instructors.
The high pass rate of NLE Masterclass participants has injected several dozen additional new nurses into the Philippines nursing workforce. And this is critically important at a time when a reported 40 percent of nurses in private hospitals have resigned since the pandemic began.
The training held in April wasn’t the first time Health Carousel Philippines conducted the NLE Masterclass. Twice in 2021, the Masterclass was held and successfully readied students for their professional exam. Combined, the three Masterclasses have provided more than 10,000 hours of free training to 2,700 nurses seeking entry into the profession.
“I highly recommended the Masterclass. One of the best lecturers is Sir Ray Gapuz. I learned a lot from him, and I hope you can help many more like me.” — Masterclass attendee and June 2022 NLE Passer
While most of the training participants were fresh nursing school graduates, several had previously taken and failed the NLE. One attendee who finally passed on her latest attempt stated, “Thank you for the opportunity to attend the Masterclass. It’s a big help to me and the words of wisdom and encouragement from Dr. Ray, never quit. In my case, it’s been eleven years since I last took the exam. I told myself for the first exam attempt, the second, and the third that God has a plan for each one of us. Now is the time that God’s will is for me to become a registered nurse.”
A Corporate Remedy for a Global Nursing Shortage
“Developing and funding programs like the Masterclass is the right thing to do,” stated Marivic Doctor, President of Health Carousel Philippines. “As an agency involved in the global movement of healthcare professionals, we see it as our duty to develop and resupply the nurses we recruit for career opportunities abroad.”
The Philippines is currently facing a shortage of nurses and other healthcare professionals as they continue to seek employment in other industries offering higher pay, move away from the bedside owing to the pandemic, and migrate and seek jobs overseas. These forces are key contributors to a shortfall of around 194,000 healthcare workers, according to the Philippines Department of Health (DOH).
Health Carousel Philippines and Health Carousel, LLC, have a history of seeking out and creating programs such as this NLE Masterclass to develop and grow the supply of nurses in the Philippines and across the globe.
“Thank you for the opportunity to attend the Masterclass. It’s a big help to me and the words of wisdom and encouragement from Dr. Ray, never quit. In my case, it’s been eleven years since I last took the exam. I told myself for the first exam attempt, the second, and the third that God has a plan for each one of us. Now is the time that God’s will is for me to become a registered nurse.” — Masterclass attendee and June 2022 NLE Passer
It’s part of their corporate culture, and collectively these efforts make up their joint “Light the Way” initiative that focuses on global nursing sustainability, ethical recruitment, and professional development. A few of their other corporate nurse sustainability endeavors include nursing faculty development scholarships, need-based scholarships, and nursing recognition programs.
Since our inception in 2004, Health Carousel has maintained its Light the Way initiatives, through which all our programs and activities promoting ethical recruitment practices and nursing sustainability globally have been funneled.
We are one of the largest U.S. healthcare staffing firms and have been awarded numerous industry awards, including Best of Staffing Diamond Award by ClearyRated and are listed on the Fastest-Growing US Staffing Firms by Staffing Industry Analysts.
Health Carousel and Health Carousel Philippines have received the status of Certified Ethical Recruiter by the Alliance for Ethical Recruitment Practices, a nonprofit organization that promotes the fair, transparent recruitment of global healthcare workers for employment in the USA. Health Carousel is a proud member of the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance and has achieved the Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission.
