34 hospital staff likely to leave in June

Thirty-four hospital staff, including nurses and midwives, are likely to leave the Commonwealth Health Center if they fail to take and pass the NCLEX before June this year.

This is the number of hospital staff who are licensed by foreign endorsement in their country of origin. Under they law, a nurse or midwife can practice in the CNMI for a maximum of four years without taking the NCLEX exam, so long as they are licensed by foreign endorsement. After that period, they must take and pass the NCLEX.

Department of Public Health administrative services manager Marciana D. Igitol confirmed that there are 34 hospital staff members in 15 hospital units and wards of the Commonwealth Health Center who must now take and pass the NCLEX if they want to continue working at the hospital.

This includes:

* three staff members at the Pediatric unit;
* one in Public Health;
* four in Labor and Delivery, (these are the Fijian midwives);
* three in Obstetrician and Nursery;
* two in Hemodialysis, two in Medical;
* four in the Emergency Room;
* three in Women’s Care Clinic;
* three in Surgical;
* two in Psychiatric ward;
* three in the Operating Room;
* one in the Intensive Care Unit;
* one in Triage;
* one in the Family Care Clinic; and
* one in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

In 2006, there will be 16 nurses, including another four of the Fijian midwives, whose foreign endorsement licenses will expire. In 2007 there will be another 34 staff, including two Fijian midwives, who must comply with the NCLEX requirement.

Public Health deputy secretary Pete Untalan said that, despite the probable loss in staffing, the Commonwealth Health Center has already added two indigenous and one U.S. midwife who recently arrived on the island.

“Our staffing level will be more than adequate, with a total of nine midwives at the CHC,” he said.

He said there are also four staff obstetricians who are fully employed by the hospital. These obstetricians will help with deliveries and perform Caesarean sections, “of which none of the midwives are able to perform.”

Untalan said the department has also aggressively stepped up its recruiting efforts to hire additional midwives as well as Labor and Delivery nurses to fill vacant positions as they become available.