Lured by higher pay and prospects of a better life, a total of 28,258 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates from the Philippines took the U.S. licensure examination for the first time in 2024, in hopes of finding lucrative employment in America, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo said on Sunday.
“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,” Rillo, vice chairperson of the House committee on higher and technical education, said in a statement.
“We are effectively pushing our nurses away due to low pay here at home,” Rillo stated.
Rillo estimates that 54 percent of BSN graduates from the Philippines who take the U.S. licensure examination pass it on their first attempt, while 36 percent of repeat test-takers make the grade.
Citing data from the U.S. National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc., Rillo said a total of 5,869 nursing graduates from India also took their first U.S. licensure examination in 2024, along with 3,740 graduates from Kenya, 2,662 graduates from Nepal, and 2,636 graduates from South Korea.
Rillo has championed the welfare of Filipino nurses. He is the author of House Bill No. 5276, which seeks to boost the basic monthly pay of entry-level government nurses by 74 percent, or to P70,013 (Salary Grade 21).
These nurses currently receive a basic pay of P40,208 (Salary Grade 15).
In the Senate, Sen. Raffy Tulfo has also been advocating for the passage of his Senate Bill No. 2694, which seeks to increase the basic pay of entry-level public nurses by 40 percent, or to P56,390 (Salary Grade 19).
Both bills seek to amend the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002.
“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. #
