Many are called but few are chosen. The old adage is applicable with the current high demand for nurses and the growing number of people who wants to pursue a career in this profession. It can be said that a nurse has to pass through the eye of a needle to be able to prove one’s worth and competence. Nurses who are deployed in other countries like USA undergo rigorous training and are required to pass a number of difficult examinations.

The following requirements are necessary to ensure the caliber of Filipino nurses deployed overseas. Selecting only the best from a roster of applicants left many frustrated and unable to fulfill their dream. An applicant who wants to be included in the cream of the crop often sought the services of review centers to prepare for examinations like National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

However many review centers lack US testing standards of USA in their curriculum. For this reason, many nurses fail to qualify in the said examinations.

To aid and give support to Filipino nurses, the Staffing America Corporation (SAC), an American staffing company has invested US$ 1 million to set up review centers in the country. The SAC is a leading nursing review and overseas recruitment firm based in US. Their services includes modern methodologies and review strategies for NCLEX and TOEFL examinations.

"The first review centers will be opened in the cities of Manila, Cebu, Davao, Isabela, Legaspi, and Baguio," informed the SAC executive director for Asia and Africa, Bobb von Weber.

The Philippines was chosen because of the great number of applicants to US hospitals coming from our country. The fact that even lawyers and doctors in the Philipines are taking up a degree in nursing encourages them to set up a review center in the country. The review center will even have American instructors together with local professors. Their target is a 97% passing rate for all enrolled nurses.

It is considered a good investment because a CNN report confirmed that the US will be needing two million teachers in the next five years. The firm’s programs director for NCLEX and English tutorial, Dr. Earl Conception informed that currently, there are more than 50,000 nursing candidates in the Philippines.

The firm’s programs director for NCLEX and English tutorial, Dr. Earl Conception informed that currently, there are more than 50,000 nursing candidates in the Philippines.