In an effort to address the shortage of licensed nurses in both public and private hospitals, a program has been launched to integrate underboard nursing graduates, known as Clinical Care Associates (CCAs), into the healthcare system while providing them with upskilling to successfully pass the Nurse Licensure Examination (NLE).
This program is viewed as a crucial long-term, medium-term, and immediate intervention to combat the nursing shortage under the collaborative initiative of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of Health (DOH), and the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC).
On July 19, CHED Chairman Popoy De Vera and Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa jointly signed the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) to implement the Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program for CCAs.
“Only about 50% of nursing students pass the licensure exam; we have to look for the other 50%. 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,” Herbosa said.
“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,” he added.
The Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program, including the integration of Clinical Care Associates, represents a multi-sectoral strategy endorsed by the Commission on Higher Education.
Collaboration between government agencies, private sectors, and higher education institutions is deemed crucial to effectively implement this program and meet the growing demands for healthcare workers.
