19 July 2023
Underboard nursing graduates will be utilized to complement the current supply of licensed nurses in both public and private hospitals while upskilling them to pass the Nurse Licensure Examination (NLE).
This is after the Commission and Higher Education (CHED), Department of Health (DOH), and the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), partnered to launch the entry of Clinical Care Associates (CCAs) to the healthcare system and a nursing review program that will be delivered by identified Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
CHED Chairman Popoy De Vera and Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa signed on Wednesday, July 19, the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) on the Implementing Guidelines for the Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program for CCAs.
“This JAO signing is very critical and important because it is one of the several long-term, medium-term, and immediate interventions that we have discussed with [our] the President to address the nursing shortage,” De Vera said.
“CHED has lifted the moratorium on the opening of new nursing programs and 54 HEIs have already applied. But even if all of the 54 HEIs are authorized to open new nursing programs, we will only be able to produce 2,052 additional nursing graduates by 2028,” he added.
He said that while the new graduates will augment the nursing workforce, the country will need additional interventions to produce more nurses.
“Only about 50 percent of nursing students pass the licensure exam; we have to look for the other 50 percent. How can we help them pass the licensure exam? We have to give them opportunities for re-skilling and upskilling, and assist them pass the licensure test. If we are able to do this, we can immediately produce new nurses, we don’t have to wait for 4-5 years to increase the nursing manpower. We can have more nurses within the year,” he added.
“One of the multi-sectoral strategies that we are currently working on specifically the Commission on Higher Education is this Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program or Clinical Care Associates, and hopefully you all are partnering with it,” Herbosa said.
The signing of the Joint Administrative Order is a significant milestone of collaboration and hard work for the government and private sector in response to the growing demands for healthcare workers.
“DOH as the lead in this implementation, we hope that we get the same solidarity from the private sector, CHED, other agencies, the Higher Education Institutions we got when we fought COVID-19, to deliver the Universal Healthcare Act of 2019,” Herbosa said.
“The government and the private sector need to sit down together and find ways to collaborate to produce solutions immediately. On the part of the Commission, we have mobilized our Higher Education Institutions, with a very good track record in passing the licensure test, to provide review classes,” De Vera said.
This recognizes the importance of capacitating our Nursing graduates to enable them to work and help the undermanned healthcare industry. It is one of the government initiatives directed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to be undertaken to address the shortage of nurses in our country.
“This project is a win-win solution for our nursing students, the healthcare industry, the private sector, and the government. Together with our HEIs, we are also developing a shorter Master’s program specifically targeting nurses who want to teach in nursing schools to increase enrollment,” De Vera added.
(SIGNED)
J. PROSPERO E. DE VERA III, DPA
Chairman
Commission on Higher Education and UniFAST Board
Philippines