Expenses for the board review of eligible nursing graduates will be shouldered by a private person or entity if they will work in a government hospital before going abroad, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa disclosed on Thursday.
Once they pass the board exam, the licensed nurses have to sign a four-year return service agreement stipulating that they will serve government hospitals before they can go abroad, Herbosa said.
The DOH chief did not identify the source of the offer except to say it was a “private sector who approached him about the offer to help nursing graduates in their board review.
“The private sector approached me and told me they will give scholarships to nurses who did not pass the board exam if they are hired in that position,” Herbosa said.
He said the bid jibed with the DOH’s plan to allow unlicensed nursing graduates to work in the government.
However, it is required that these nursing graduates should pass the board exam after a certain period of time.
Herbosa stressed that not all nursing graduates could afford the P25,000 tuition in review centers.
“How can a nursing graduate without a job afford to pay for a board review.
So how can the pass?” he noted.
“If I let them work as a nurse, not only will they help fill in the vacant position, but they will also surely pass the board exam in one or two tries,” the Secretary added.
To date, there are 4,500 vacant plantilla items for nurses in over 70 DOH hospitals. Macon Ramos-Araneta
Earlier, Herbosa said he was willing to employ unlicensed nursing graduates if they have diplomas from accredited nursing schools.
Once allowed to work in the government, he said nursing graduates could earn a starting salary of around P35,000 to P40,000, which will go higher with experience.