THE COMMISSION on Higher Education, Department of Health and the Private Sector Advisory Council signed an agreement to address the nursing shortage in the country.

CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III and Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa signed on Wednesday, July 19, the Joint Administrative Order 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 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.

Herbosa, meanwhile, said that one of the strategies they are working on is the Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program or Clinical Care Associates.

“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,” he said.

“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,” the official added.

Aside from the upskilling program, CHED tapped HEIs to provide review classes for the Nursing Licensure Exam.

“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 said.