ON DUTY. A registered nurse while on duty in this undated photo. The Private Sector Advisory Council-Healthcare Sector Group (PSAC-HSG) assured that the government is taking steps to address the growing demand for nurses, including the continuous implementation of the Clinical Care Associates Program for underboard nursing graduates. (Photo courtesy of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte)
MANILA – Some 457 nursing graduates have availed of the government’s Clinical Care Associate’s (CCA) Program which aims to help them pass the board exams and augment the number of nurses in the country.
The Private Sector Advisory Council-Healthcare Sector Group (PSAC-HSG) bared this during a meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at Malacañang Palace.
Launched in September last year, the CCA program paves the way for the entry of underboard nurses into the healthcare system and a nursing review program that will be delivered by identified higher education institutions (HEIs).
PSAC Healthcare Sector Lead Paolo Borromeo, according to a Presidential Communications Office news release, reported to the President that the CCA program is gaining traction in helping the government establish a resilient and responsive healthcare system.
“Just happy to say, Mr. President that we continue building momentum for what we call clinical care associates’ program. The CCA program as you might recall is our attempt to help the thousands of underboard nurses, people who have graduated from nursing degree, but for one reason or another, they did not pass the test during their time,” said Borromeo, who is also the president and CEO of the Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc..
“And with the CHED’s leadership and guidance, with Chair Popoy’s championship, we developed the program to encourage both public sector and the private sector to look for the nursing underboards in their respective institutions and to try to enroll them in a review program so that they can take the test, which the next one I believe is in November," he said.
He said the first batch of 457 Clinical Care Associates (CCAs) has been matched to seven HEIs for board reviews.
The recruitment is ongoing for the second batch of CCAs for the May 2025 board examinations.
“To date, we have 457 CCAs out of 1,000 that we have budget for. So, we continue to look for more CCAs around the country. It’s a work in progress, I think 457 additional nurses, assuming all of them passed, will be a big addition to our list of nurses,” Borromeo said.
Also tackled in the meeting was the Enhanced Master’s Degree in Nursing Program, which was approved for pilot implementation in 17 HEIs by August this year.
This is in addition to the ongoing inter-agency collaboration on various programs such as bilateral labor agreements with other countries, Balik Nurse Program, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-Commission on Higher Education Credit Transfer.
Last month, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the government is eyeing to provide insurance, housing and other benefits for healthcare workers to encourage them to stay in the country and help address the shortage among them which is now at around 190,000. (PNA)
