FILE PHOTO Nursing students having their licensure exam.
MANILA, Philippines — The decision of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to push through with the first batch of this year’s nursing licensure examination will help ease the shortage in the healthcare workforce amid the pandemic, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said Friday.
Velasco made the remark after the PRC announced that the May 2021 examinations, which was initially moved to November, will instead push through in July. Moreover, a second examination for another batch of examinees will still be conducted in November.
“This is a welcome development as it would help ease health care workforce shortages that have become more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Velasco said in a statement.
Velasco was informed of the change in examination schedule in a letter from PRC Chairman Teofilo Pilando Jr. wherein the latter pointed out the need to augment the country’s healthcare workforce.
Pilando further said that the services of nursing graduates can be availed of during public health emergencies, citing Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Order No. 14, series of 2009, which provides that unlicensed nursing graduates may be given responsibilities similar to that of nursing aides in the hospital setting.
“Should they (nursing graduates) be employed as nurse attendants or aides, they should be under the supervision of a registered nurse of the facility,” Pilando said.
Velasco earlier appealed to the PRC and the Department of Health (DOH) to tap unregistered nurses to serve as health workers to boost manpower amid the country’s fight against COVID-19.