Nurses shortage pushes DOH to tap underboard nurses, offer review aid

The Department of Health (DOH) has opened a free Special Nursing Review Program (SNRP) for underboard nursing graduates as part of efforts to ease the growing shortage of hospital staff.

Through the program, graduates who have yet to pass the licensure exam may work as Clinical Care Associates in government hospitals while receiving structured review sessions.

“While you are preparing to become a licensed nurse, you can now become a clinical care associate in DOH hospitals,” the DOH wrote in a statement.

According to the DOH, this dual-track arrangement allows hospitals to fill urgent workforce gaps in the healthcare setting.

This initiative also reflected President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive to DOH and the Commission on Higher Education in 2023 to have a joint initiative to address these gaps.

“[This] helps address the lack of health care workers in the country and give opportunity to underboard nursing graduates to attend tutorials or review classes so that they have a better chance of passing the board exam,” the president said.

Applications for the free SNRP may be filed until September 5, either through DOH hospitals, Centers for Health Development, or the official online portal.

This announcement comes as many public facilities continue to struggle with heavy workloads, with nurse-to-patient ratios reportedly reaching 1:40 in some wards.

The Filipino Nurses United (FNU) has repeatedly warned that such conditions compromise patient safety and drive nurses to exhaustion.

FNU President Eleanor Nolasco also emphasized that nurses should receive proper compensation.

Compensation remains a key concern, with private hospital nurses earning as little as 695 pesos a day, while government entry-level nurses receive 36,000 pesos a month.

“Dapat ‘yung nakabubuhay na sahod,” Nolasco stated in an interview.