Long wait’s over: 2021 NLE to push through in July

By Billy Begas

Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco on Thursday welcomed the decision of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to push through with the 2021 Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE) in July.

Velasco said this would help ease health care workforce shortages that have become more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Speaker has received a correspondence from PRC Chairman Teofilo Pilando Jr. recently informing him that the postponed May 2021 NLE was moved to July 3 and 4, while the November 21 and 22 schedule was retained for the second batch of this year’s nursing board exam.

Pilando said the PRC reconsidered the postponement as it “fully understands the need to conduct the NLE to augment the Philippine health care system during this public health emergency, while being also concerned with the safety and welfare of the examinees and examination personnel.”

Earlier, the PRC had postponed to November the first batch of the 2021 NLE originally scheduled on May 30 and 31 upon the request of the Philippine Nursing Association due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

This prompted Velasco to suggest that those who were supposed to take the May 2021 exam be tapped as complementary manpower amid the shortage of health workers in the country.

Velasco said these “underboard” nursing graduates can work under the supervision of a registered nurse or doctor through a special arrangement with the PRC.

Pilando said the services of nursing graduates can be availed of during public health emergencies.

He cited 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.

Velasco thanked Pilando for his “swift response and explicit plan of action to our call to immediately supplement our medical frontliners amid the continued threat of COVID-19.”

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)