According to DOH chief eyeing nursing graduates for gov't hospitals | Inquirer News, Teodoro Herbosa, the secretary of health, stated on Thursday that he is considering the prospect of allowing nursing graduates to work in government hospitals prior to passing the licensing exam.
The nursing graduates will then have the chance to sit for and pass the test while employed, said Herbosa.
When asked if he intended to remove the licensing requirement for government nurses, Herbosa responded in an interview with ANC. The same as in the US, where board-qualified nursing graduates are accepted and given five years to pass the exam, he said he would make nursing graduates eligible so long as they have degrees from approved institutions recognized.
To help them pass the exam, Herbosa stated he would mentor them and pay for their instruction. Once they had passed the exam, he offered to provide them the full benefits of a certified nurse.
According to Herbosa, by doing this, the DOH would be able to fill its 4,500 open nurse posts and provide work for recent nursing graduates. However, he added that the likelihood will continue to be based on the Professional Regulation Commission and the nation's laws.
Herbosa bemoaned the fact that many nursing graduates work in other occupations when they need to be attending to patients in clinics or hospitals.
Since they must first pass the nursing board exams, nurses must now possess licenses before being hired by the government.
