United Methodist Healthcare Recruitment (UMHR), a healthcare professional recruitment and staffing agency based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, visited Biliran Province State University (BiPSU) to explore a potential partnership in sending nursing graduates for employment opportunities in the US.

Ms. Rosemarie V. Policarpio, CEO of UMHR, personally introduced the agency to University President Dr. Victor C. Cañezo, Jr. during a courtesy visit on March 3, 2025.

Established in 2015, UMHR is a non-profit organization committed to providing quality healthcare professionals—including nurses, physical therapists, medical technologists, and caregivers—from the Philippines to the United States. The agency specializes in petitioning green cards for Filipino healthcare workers and managing the entire immigration and employment process.

Opportunity for a countryside university

CEO Policarpio emphasized that BiPSU is the only state university in the region they have visited so far, citing their interest in partnering with the university to bring its nursing graduates to the US.

“We believe that students coming from the countryside, like BiPSU, know more about taking care of themselves,” she said. “It’s important that they can take care of themselves to survive in the US and effectively care for their patients.”

She also shared that before visiting BiPSU, she conducted research on the university’s nursing program, particularly its licensure exam passing rate and employability of graduates.

Dr. Cañezo expressed pride in the university’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences (SNHS), emphasizing its commitment to producing competent and globally competitive healthcare professionals.

“We have a very competitive admission process in our nursing program, state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories, and highly qualified faculty members,” the university president said. “This is evident in our consistently high passing rates in licensure examinations and our 100% employability rate.”

UMHR’s Scholarship and Job Opportunities for BiPSU Nursing Graduates

During an orientation with BiPSU nursing students on March 3 at the university HAVC, CEO Policarpio outlined the benefits of the UMHR program, which include financial assistance for the local nursing licensure examination, free exam application and review for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), a standardized test required for nursing licensure in the US and Canada; and free processing fees for Visa filing, legal services, airfare, and two months of housing in the US.

She explained that UMHR has partnerships with 70 healthcare institutions across 20 US states. Nurses under the program may be deployed to high-paying locations such as Washington, New York, and Massachusetts.

“You will work a minimum of 40 hours per week and will be compensated $35 to $42 per hour [P2,027 to P2,433 per hour],” she shared.

Policarpio also highlighted that UMHR prioritizes fresh graduates, as the processing time for deployment takes around three years. During this period, applicants are encouraged to gain experience by working in local healthcare facilities.

Meanwhile, to formalize the collaboration between BiPSU and UMHR, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) will soon be signed, ensuring that BiPSU nursing graduates have a direct pathway to employment opportunities in the US.

[This aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.]