Filipino Senior Nurse Michael Duque has recently been appointed by the UK Nursing Regulatory body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), as a Fitness to Practice Panel Member. He joins the regulatory body as the first Filipino nurse to hold such an esteemed and higly competitive position in the Council which exists to regulate the Nursing and Midwifery profession. His appointment comes after a rigorous 6-months screening and evaluation process which involves extensive mental, academic and psychometric testing on top of the regular hiring and interview processes.
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| Michael Duque |
From the more than thousands of applicants, only 150 progressed to the final stage of which only 50 were admitted to the screening-training program. Only 23 of those admitted passed the 2-days screening-training program and have been appointed. Duque who is the founder of the Philippine Nurses Association of UK (PNA UK), the current chairman of the Disaster Emergency Response and Relief Team (DERRT) and a respected community leader hopes that this will serve to inspire others to strive hard and bring honor to the Filipino as a whole and to Nursing as a profession. "I am humbled and honored to perceptively represent the Filipino Nurses in the UK's prime governing and regulatory body for nurses" Duque adds. Among their other duties and responsibilities as a member of the NMC Fitness to Practice Panel, he and his fellow panel members will ensure that nurses adhere to safe practices and determine errors and omissions in a nurse's practice. They will also act to serve the public interest and protection of the public through various individual endeavours.
Mr. Julius Labao, current President of the PNA UK is equally proud and confident that Duque will do his utmost to help educate fellow nurses and stand firm to help protect the public interest. "As a Profession and as Filipinos, we are honored to have Mr. Duque in the NMC." Labao adds further. Duque further encourages Filipino nurses and communities to get in touch for workshops and seminars which can help enhance and raise the standards of their own individual nursing practices while providing it in a safe environment.
