| February 2011 JOINT ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER No, 2011 0001 SUBJECT: Guidelines forthe Implementation of the Project RNheals (Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Service). I RATIONALE, The Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Service Project, otherwise known as RNheals, was conceptualized in response to the country’s constitutional mandate to make essential health goods and social services available to all Filipinos, especially the poor. ‘Thus, the Department of Health (DOH) in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) spearheaded a training and deployment project for currently unemployed nurses for the improvement of the local health sustems and support the country’s attainment of its Millennium Development targets. More specifically the project shall contribute to the eradication of poverty and hunger, promotion of gender equality, reduction of child mortality and improvement of ‘maternal health. Likewise, the project shall also be in line with the human resource requirements of the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT). The successful implementation of the project requires partnerships with other agencies and organizations like the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Interior and local government (DILG), the Professional Regulation Commission ~ Board of Nursing (PRC-BON), ippine Nurses Association (PNA), counterpart regional/provincial offices and the Local Government Units (LGUs). Henceforth, the following Guidelines are jointly issued by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and shall apply to all agencies and stakeholders involved in the implementation of the Project: RNheals OBJECTIVES A. General Objective RNheals aim to improve the delivery of health care and social services and create a pool of registered nurses with enhanced clinical and preventive health management competencies for the national and local public and private health sectors, B. Specific Objectives a, Increase nurses’ employability with enhanced clinical and preventive health management competencies b. Augment the nursing workforce in rural and unserved/underserved communities and health facilities through a competency based learning and deployment project; ¢. Address the proliferation of the so-called “volunteer nurses” (i.., working in hospitals without being paid, albeit, they themselves pay the hospital to obtain a certificate of work experience). Page tots elena. 2Il, SCOPE OF APPLICATION This Joint Administrative Order shall apply to the DSWD, DOLE, DOH, PRC-BON, DIL regional/provincial counterparts, Local Government Units (LGUs), PNA and all identified health “facilities by the DOH and all stakeholders nationwide involved in the implementation and development of RNheals Project until its completion 3 and their IV, DEFINITION OF TERMS Millennium Development Goals - A summary of commitments set by 189 countries at the Millennium Summit in 2000 to achieve development and poverty reduction, towards the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration Clinical Skills - Competencies required of registered nurses in their practice within health facilities econdary and tertiary-level care Public Health Skills - Competencies required of registered nurses in primary health care-level practic for the prevention of diseases. Conditional Cash Transfer - A social assistance and social development program that aims to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by providing families with cash grants to improve their health and education needs. . Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (APs) - is a poverty reduction and social development strategy of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education. BEmONC - (Basic Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care - A facility capable of performing obstetric functions and providing neonatal emergency interventions, Nursing Related Practice — refers to practice of the nursing profession through a salaried post either in government or private organization or in a private capacity. V. BENEFICIARIES 1. A total of 10,000 Registered Nurses shall undergo learning and development during their one (1) year deployment. 2. A total of 2.3 million households shall benefit from the delivery of health services VI. IMPLEMENTING MECHANISMS 1. Form partnerships with agencies that have common thrusts (ie, DOH, DSWD, DOLE, DILG, PRC-BON, PNA, LGUs and Non-Government Agencies) 2. Create a network of resource persons through partner agencies in strategic locations to maintain quality and standards of learning and development. 3. Create a network of resource persons through partner agencies in strategic locations to maintain quality and standards of leaming and development. 4, Design comprehensive learning and development competency courses that encompass. the priority needs of the country. 5, Structure recruitment and matching strat n rate of the nurses. 6. Develop monitoring and evaluation system of the project and the competencies gained by the Nurse volunteers. 7. Provide both competency and deployment recognition to increase employability of graduates of the project. Page 2ofs bert 1-2vu. A. IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES General Guidelines RNheals Project shall provide clin.tal and public health competency enhancement to nurses within 12 months. They shall rotate in their assigned hospital or rural health Unit for a period of six (6) months each and vice versa. It shall provide nurses to 1,221 identified municipalities in the country. The National Statistical Coordination Board’s (NSCB) City and Municipal Level Small Area Poverty Estimates - 2003, CCT areas and BEmONC health facilities shall be used to determine the areas for deployment. ‘Nurses under the project will be given a stipend of PhP 8,000.00 per month, GSIS group accident insurance, PhilHealth medical insurance, a Certificate of Competency and Employment after satisfactory completion of the project and will be considered for priority employment in government health facilities where vacant posts exist Likewise, LGUs are encouraged to provide additional allowance of PhP 2,000 minimum per month Nurses under the project shall be evaluated on a regular basis during the 12 month period Procedures in the Recruitment, Selection and Deployment of Applicants Recruitment and Selection Applicants shall apply to the project via the internet at www-dole.gov.ph Only nurses with an official and validated Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) license are eligible to app'y. Verification shall be done via the internet at www pre.gov.ph Criteria for selection will be as follows i, With valid nurse license issued by the PRC Resident/s of the identified municipality/s is a preference Preferably no nursing-related practice for the past 3 years Project NARS drop outs will not be considered v. Physically and mentally fit. A medical certificate from a government hospital is required. Period for Application: January 17 to February 4, 2010 Period of Deployment: February 14, 2011 to February 13, 2012 Deployment An orientation will be conducted on February 11-12, 201 Iprior to deployment; Schedule of rotations for clinical and public health rotations will be on a 6 month period as follows: 1 rotation from February 14 to August 13, 2011 and 2” rotation from August 14, 2011 to February 13, 2012; Nurses shall be properly endorsed to their facilities of assignment. To enhance and provide focus for the clinical and public health rotations, competencies shall be anchored on maternal/newborn/child health and nutrition. In this context, it emphasized that the following be considered in the selection of health facilities i, Must be or will be upgraded as BEmONC facility ii, For hospital facilities, levél II hospital iii, Authorized bed capacity of at least 50 iv, Provides Obstetrics and Pediatric services v. Identified as Pantawid Pamilya areas vi, Has the capacity to handle additional nurses In case of drop-outs, replacements shall be allowed i. Within the first month of the current rotation; ii, Start of the next rotation (clinical or public health). Page 30f5 beset t-2VII ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The following are the roles and responsibilities of partner agencies in the implementation of RNheals: Fens am oe meena -2 DOH Central Office and Centers for Health Development shall: Lead in the implementation of the learning, development and deployment of nurses through its Centers of Health Development and Teaching/Training Hospitals; Assess the quality of healthcare in the identified municipalities; Craft the orientation and t module for the volunteer nurses in collaboration with partner agencies for BEMONC Lead in the formulation of policies and implementation guidelines of the project collaboration with partner agencies; Lead in the orientation and exit conference of the nurses; Lead in the monitoring and evaluation of the project; Identify additional sites for deployment; Exercise administrative and technical supervision over the nurses. DSWD Central Office and Regional/Provincial Offices shall Identify participating municipalities and health facilities (CCT areas); Collaborate with DOH in the formulation of policies and implementation guidelines of the project; Craft the orientation and training module for the volunteer nurses in collaboration with partner agencies for the CCT areas; Oversee and monitor the project implementation; Provide resource persons in the orientation of partners on Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Participate as member of the team in the evaluation of the project; Exercise administrative and technical supervision over the nurses DOLE Central Office and Regional/Provincial Offices shall: Lead in the recruitment and seleétion of nurses in collaboration with DOH and DSWD; Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the project; PRC-BON and Regional Offices shalt Validate the licenses of nurse applicants; Assist in the formulation of orientation and training modules and related learning and development activities; Develop a Code of Discipline for the nurse in the project; In collaboration with PNA, conduct periodic competency assessment of the nurses; Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the nurses; Exercise administrative and technical supervision over the nurses. PNA and Provincial Chapters shall: Collaborate with partner agencies in the development of the training modules; Develop journal templates and competency assessment tools for nurses; Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of community based nurses; Exercise administrative and technical supervision over the nurses. DILG and their Local Government Units/Provincial Health Offices/Rural Health Units shall: Collaborate with the partner organizations in the full implementation of the project; Provide the necessary information needed by DOH and DSWD in the implementation of the project; Ensure the safet and securit of the nurses; Page dotsi Exercise administrative and technical supervision over the nurses; Fully support the leaming and development activities intended for the nurses with exposure to clinical and public health programs/projects/activities; Provide modest board and lodging whenever necessary: Provide logistics support to the nurses based on their regular resource allocation; Provide regular feedback to partner agencies on issues and concerns encountered during project implementation and make appropriate recommendations; Provide an additional allowance of P2,000.00 minimum per nurse per month; Fully comply with the provisions stipulated in the joint statement of the circular. IX. EFFECTIVITY These guidelines shall take effect immediately. tmelosmahitt.2 HON. ENRIQUE T. ONA. Secretary Department of Health a A aON, ‘ORAZON JULIANO-SOLIMAN Be Department of Social Welfare and Development Page ots