CHED mobilizes HEIs to address PH's nurse shortage
Published Jul 19, 2023 06:41 am
In order to help address the nurse shortage in the country, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is utilizing Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to provide board exam review classes to nursing graduates.
DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa and CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III officially signed the Joint Administrative Agreement (JAO) on the Implementing Guidelines for the Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program for Clinical Care Associates (CCAs) on Wednesday, July 19 at the Seda Manila Bay in Parañaque City. (Photo courtesy of CHED)
"On the part of the commission, we have mobilized our higher education institutions, those who have a very good track record in passing the licensure test. If their students passed the licensure test well, then their review systems are good," said CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III during the ceremonial signing of the Joint Administrative Agreement (JAO) on the Implementing Guidelines for the Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program for Clinical Care Associates (CCAs) on Wednesday, July 19. This review classes program is one of the two policy objectives of JAO, one of which is hiring non-passers as CCAs in both public and private hospitals. Fifty-five HEIs applied to be part of the program, and Mapua University has already received its approval, he added. De Vera noted that these schools have a proven track record of producing licensed nurses. "We commit to participate. We commit to do our part in the agreement, and our higher education institutions...we organized them already," de Vera said. However, the official explained that this "long-term solution" to addressing the nurse shortage will only produce about 2,052 licensed nurses out of the approximately 10,000 nursing students until the end of the current administration. "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 said. Aside from this, de Vera said that CHED will soon roll out its plan to shorten the master's degree program for licensed nurses who plan on teaching at school, which is being discussed by the Commission En Banc. This will hopefully increase the enrollment rate in nursing, he said.
DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa and CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III officially signed the Joint Administrative Agreement (JAO) on the Implementing Guidelines for the Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program for Clinical Care Associates (CCAs) on Wednesday, July 19 at the Seda Manila Bay in Parañaque City. (Photo courtesy of CHED)
"On the part of the commission, we have mobilized our higher education institutions, those who have a very good track record in passing the licensure test. If their students passed the licensure test well, then their review systems are good," said CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III during the ceremonial signing of the Joint Administrative Agreement (JAO) on the Implementing Guidelines for the Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program for Clinical Care Associates (CCAs) on Wednesday, July 19. This review classes program is one of the two policy objectives of JAO, one of which is hiring non-passers as CCAs in both public and private hospitals. Fifty-five HEIs applied to be part of the program, and Mapua University has already received its approval, he added. De Vera noted that these schools have a proven track record of producing licensed nurses. "We commit to participate. We commit to do our part in the agreement, and our higher education institutions...we organized them already," de Vera said. However, the official explained that this "long-term solution" to addressing the nurse shortage will only produce about 2,052 licensed nurses out of the approximately 10,000 nursing students until the end of the current administration. "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 said. Aside from this, de Vera said that CHED will soon roll out its plan to shorten the master's degree program for licensed nurses who plan on teaching at school, which is being discussed by the Commission En Banc. This will hopefully increase the enrollment rate in nursing, he said.