PRC: Nursing flunkers can’t have special work license  

MANILA, Philippines —  Nursing graduates who failed the board exam cannot be granted temporary or special licenses and work in state hospitals, according to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa earlier proposed that nursing board flunkers be allowed employment in government hospitals – under the supervision of registered nurses – to address the county’s medical staff shortage.

But PRC Commissioner Jose Cueto Jr. said in a radio interview yesterday that there is no law allowing the issuance of temporary or special licenses to non-board passers.

“Republic Act No. 9173, section 21 (allows) special or temporary permits, but only for licensed nurses from foreign countries,” Cueto said.

He added that the health secretary may give limited authorization to medical graduates during epidemics and national emergencies.

In Herbosa’s proposal, non-board passers with a 70-74 percent rating will be given four years to pass the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination.

After passing the board exam, they must sign a four-year return service agreement and work in government hospitals before they are allowed to work abroad.

Cueto said the Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment and the PRC will have to formulate a concept paper on the proposal’s implementation.

“One consideration is patients’ safety and quality assurance. What kind of supervision, what kind of guidance, those are very important,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Filipino Nurses United (FNU) opposed Herbosa’s proposal and warned that it could push more registered nurses to work abroad.

“How can you say that you appreciate registered nurses if you’re hiring non-registered nurses to take over their positions? Supervising the unlicensed nurses is also additional work,” FNU president Eleanor Nolasco said.

Nolasco added that the country has a big pool of licensed nurses that the DOH can hire instead of tapping the services of non-board passers.

Sen. Bong Go, for his part, supports Herbosa’s proposal.

“This will add to our health care workforce, they will have a job and more [nurses] will respond to the medical needs of Filipinos,” he said in a statement.

Go also said that the goal should be to continue improving the medical education in the country “to ensure enough number of qualified healthcare professionals.”

“The most important part is to elevate the nursing profession in the country to provide quality and affordable medical service to Filipinos,
especially the poor,” he added.