A total of 28,258 Filipino Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates took the US licensure examination for the first time in 2024, drawn by the promise of higher pay, better prospects and the opportunity to secure lucrative employment in the United States, according to Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo.

“The number of Philippine-educated nurses seeking to practice their profession in the US remains high, primarily due to insufficient pay here at home,” said Rillo, who is also the vice chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, in a statement on Sunday. “We are effectively pushing our nurses away because of low salaries here in the Philippines,” he added.

Rillo estimates that about 54 percent of BSN graduates from the Philippines pass the US licensure exam on their first attempt, while 36 percent of repeat test-takers succeed.

According to data from the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Rillo noted that 5,869 nursing graduates from India, 3,740 from Kenya, 2,662 from Nepal, and 2,636 from South Korea also took the US licensure exam for the first time in 2024.

Rillo has long advocated for the welfare of Filipino nurses. He is the author of House Bill 5276, which proposes a 74 percent increase in the basic monthly pay of entry-level government nurses, raising it to P70,013 (Salary Grade 21). Currently, these nurses receive a basic salary of P40,208 (Salary Grade 15).

Meanwhile, in the Senate, Sen. Raffy Tulfo has been pushing for the passage of Senate Bill 2694, which aims to increase the basic pay of entry-level public nurses by 40 percent, bringing it 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 emphasized.

The Philippines is currently facing a shortage of 127,000 nurses, a gap that is expected to grow to 250,000 by 2030, according to the World Health Organization.