RN Heals 4 for 2013: Official Guidelines by the DOH

The Department of Health released last October 29, 2012 the Department Order No. 2012-0184 (DO 2012-0184) which states the guidelines for the implementation of the Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Service (RNheals) Project Batch IV. DO 2012-0184 lists the specifics and implementing guidelines of the RN Heals 4 for 2013. This guideline is more specific than the previous one.

The Order speaks of the following interesting points:

1. RNheals nurses are not ‘employed’ but rather are intended for learning and development. Nurses under the program are not regular employees but pre-service trainees. They are given stipend/allowances not salaries.
2. RNheals 4 tour of duty will be from January to December 2013. Nurses will be assigned in DOH Hospitals (Hospital Setting) or Rural Health Units (Community Setting.
3. Stipend/allowance for RN Heals 2013 is still 8,000 per month with PhilHealth and GSIS Insurance.
4. Nurses are to be awarded with Certificate of Completion after satisfactorily completing the RNheals program.
5. RN Heals 4 Recruitment and selection period will be from October 29, 2012 to November 2012.
6. Application forms shall be submitted directly to CHDs for community setting and DOH Hospitals for hospital setting.
7. Learn how to apply, with this guide.
8. ONLY NURSES WITH PRC LICENSE are eligible to apply.
9. Nurses who have previously engaged in RNHeals are not qualified to re-enter the project.
10. In case of absences, a fixed amount of Php 363.00 per day shall be deducted.
11. Stipend shall be given on or before every 10th and 25th day of the month.
12. Eight training hours per day shall be completed by the nurse.

Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

Department Order
No. 2012-0184

Subject: Guidelines for the Implementation of the Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Service (RNheals) Project Batch IV.

I. Rationale

The Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Service Project otherwise known as RNheals Project 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.

On February 14, 2012, RNheals was launched in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Professional Regulatory Commission-Board of Nursing (PRC-BON) and Philippine Nurses Association (PNA). RNheals is a learning and deployment project designed to mobilize registered nurses in identified priority areas to improve delivery of quality health care services. As such, RNheals is a collaborative effort of national and local government, government and private organizations and other stakeholders. While RNheals is envisioned to improve access of poor municipalities to quality healthcare with social services, RNheals specifically aims at increasing nurses’ employability by creating a pool of registered nurses with enhanced clinical and public health management competencies. Taken from Nurseslabs.com

RNheals does not intend to provide employment but rather learning and development. The nurses under RNheals are therefore not regular employees but pre-service trainees. They are given allowance/stipend not salaries and are deployed in areas where nursing services are mostly needed

II. Objectives

The Order aims to standardize the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of RNheals Project Batch IV at all levels.

III. Scope of Application

This Order shall apply to Department of Health Central Office, Centers for Health Development, Department of Health Hospitals, Rural Health Units and the Nurses involved in the implementation of RNheals Project Batch IV.  Taken from Nurseslabs.com

IV. Implementing Mechanisms

1. Strengthen nurses’ capabilities in the DOH Hospital and Rural Health Units as a form of technical assistance towards the delivery of the DOH thrusts in a well-coordinated manner.
2. Create a network of nurse preceptors in health facilities both in the DOH hospitals and RHUs to maintain quality and standards of nursing competencies.
3. Utilize a comprehensive competency based curriculum that blends both learning and development.
4. Structure a targeted recruitment and selection process to minimize attrition of nurses.
5. Establish a monitoring, evaluation and reporting system of the project. The DOH-CO, Regional Project Management Team, Provincial Management Team, Hospital Management Team in partnerships with agencies that have common thrust such as DSWD, DILG, Nurses Associations, LGUs and Non-Government Agencies shall be involved in the process.  Taken from Nurseslabs.com
6. Award a Certificate of Completion to nurses that will satisfactorily complete the project.

V. Implementing Guidelines

1. General Guidelines
   1. RNheals nurses shall be assigned in DOH Hospitals or RHUs as pre-service trainees for one (1) year from January to December 2013.
   2. A distribution list shall be provided by the HHRDB to all CHDs and DOH hospitals through their cluster heads per RHUs and DOH Hospitals. The CHDs shall finalize/reallocate the distribution considering capacity of accepting trainees/situation of receiving units/municipalities.
   3. The nurses under RNheals shall receive a monthly allowance/stipend of Php 8,000.00, PhilHealth Insurance premium of Php 2,400.00, GSIS Group Personal Accident Insurance premium of Php 500.00 and additional monetary or non-monetary benefits from the recipient health facilities.
   4. After the satisfactory completion of their learning and deployment, the nurses shall be awarded with a Certificate of Completion.
   5. The Center for Health Development (CHDs) through their respective cluster heads in close collaboration with the HHRDB and stakeholders shall monitor the implementation of the project.
2. Specific Guidelines
   1. Recruitment and selection period will be from October 29, 2012 to November 29, 2012. The Centers for Health Development and DOH Hospitals shall set their timelines for accepting applications and selecting the pre-service trainees within the prescribed period.
   2. Applicants shall accomplish the official RNheals Project application form which can be downloaded through the DOH website www.doh.gov.ph/rnheals [website is down, download the forms here]
   3. Applications shall be submitted directly to the Centers for Health Development for RHU applicants and DOH Hospitals for applicants interested in hospital training. Applications received by the RHUs, PHOs and DOH Central Office shall be forwarded to the respective Centers for Health Development and DOH Hospitals accordingly.
   4. Only nurses with official and validated Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) license are eligible to apply. Verification shall be done via the internet at www.prc.gov.ph
   5. Applicants shall undergo the recruitment and selection process by the CHDs for RHUs and DOH Hospitals in coordination with CHD-HRDU.
   6. Nurses must be physically and mentally fit. A medical certificate from a government health facilities is required before the start of training.
   7. Priority shall be given to nurses residing in the localities where the recipient rural health units/hospitals are located.
   8. Nurses who have been previously engaged in RNheals are not qualified to re-enter the project. Verification of previous RNheals shall be done via internet at www.doh.gov.ph/rnheals.
   9. Names of officially accepted applicants shall be forwarded to HHRDB through the CHDs/DOH hospitals for proper documentation on or before December 15, 2012.
   10. The duration of training will be from January 2013 to December 2013.
   11. The Php 8,000.000 allowance/stipend shall be given in full for pre-service trainees that has completed the number of training days per month. In case of absences, a fixed amount of Php 363.00 per day shall be deducted regardless of the number of training days per month. The stipend shall be released on or before every 10^th and 25^th day of the month.
   12. The RNheals nurses shall be enrolled in the PhilHealth iGroup Insurance and the GSISS Group Personal Accident insurance at the beginning of the year. The CHDs/DOH Hospitals shall have paid the premiums by January 2013. The GSIS insurance shall have the following coverage: Accident Death/Dismemberment of P500, 000.00 per person; Medical Reimbursement of P50, 000 per person; Bereavement Assistance of Php 10,000 per person. This post was taken from from Nurseslabs.com
   13. The RNheals nurses shall submit their Daily Time Record (DTRs) as basis for the allowance/stipend. This shall be duly approved by the Public Health Nurses/Municipal Health Office in the RHUs or Supervising Nurse/Nurse Training Office/Chief Nurse in the DOH Hospitals.
   14. The receiving facilities shall provide additional monetary or non-monetary incentives to nurses in any of the following but not limited to: training opportunities, meals or meal allowance, transportation or transportation allowance, communication allowance, modest board and lodging whenever necessary;
   15. The RNheals nurses shall undergo the Pre-Deployment Orientation prior to assumption of their assignment.
   16. The RNheals nurses shall sign a training agreement in pursuit of their commitment to enhance their competencies and complete the project. RNheals nurses who completed the training shall be awarded with a Certificate of Completion signed by the CHD Director or Hospital Chief as appropriate. Otherwise, they will only receive a certificate of attendance.
   17. The RNheals nurses are required to complete eight (8) training hours per day. Night duties are strictly not allowed. They are likewise paired with at least a regular staff nurse/public health nurse as a mentor/coach.
   18. The RNheals nurses shall be evaluated after module/rotation to measure their progress during the training period.
   19. The Centers for Health Development (CHDs) and DOH Hospitals through the finance unit shall submit a disbursement report every 10^th day of the month to Finance Service and HHRDB as well as a quarterly project monitoring report to HHRDB. This post was taken from from Nurseslabs.com
   20. The HHRDB shall prepare a comprehensive competency based curriculum guide for the DOH Hospitals and RHUs.

VI. Roles and Responsibilities

The following are the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in the implementation of the project:

1. The DOH Central Office through the HHRDB shall:
   • Lead in the management of the learning and deployment of nurses through its CHDs;
   • Sub-allot the funding requirements of the project to the CHDs and DOH Hospitals;
   • Prepare the nurses distribution list for approval by the Secretary of Health through the Cluster Head;
   • Oversee and monitor project implementation;
   • Prepare the RNheals competency based curriculum guide for the DOH hospitals and RHUs.
2. The Operational Clusters through the Centers for Health Development CHDs shall:
   • Coordinate with health facilities in their respective regions for their nurse requirements, validation of PRC licenses and ensure fair and objective recruitment, selection and deployment;
   • Brief the Local Chief Executives (i.e. Congressmen, Governors, Mayors) of the project to explore areas of partnerships and collaborate with the LGUs in the orientation and exit conference of the nurses;
   • Ensure the enrolment of nurses to PhilHealth Insurance and GSIS Group Personal Accident Insurance at the start of training and lobby with the head of the receiving facility for the provision of additional benefits;
   • Manage the funds intended for the project including the preparation of the payroll and remit the corresponding allowances/stipends to the bank; This post was taken from from Nurseslabs.com
   • Lead in the monitoring and evaluation of the project through the Regional and Provincial Management Team and submit the Fund Utilization Report, Program Implementation Review Report, Monitoring Report including competency assessment of the nurses and list of accepted RNheals to the DOH Central Office.
   • Provide the nurses with Certificate of Completion after the satisfactory completion of the project or a Certificate of Attendance as appropriate.
3. The Department of Health (DOH) Hospitals shall:
   • Ensure fair and objective recruitment, selection and assignment process of the nurses assigned in their areas;
   • Validated the PRC license of accepted nurses;
   • Lead in the training and development of nurses including the orientation and exit conference in accordance to the project Training Design;
   • Ensure the enrolment of nurses to PhilHealth Insurance and GSIS Group Personal Accident Insurance at the start of training and provide additional monetary or non-monetary incentives to nurses in any of the following but not limited to: training opportunities, training allowance, meals or meal allowance, transportation or transportation allowance, communication allowance, modest board and lodging whenever necessary.
   • Manage the funds intended for the project including the preparation of the payroll and remit the corresponding allowances/stipends to the bank. This post was taken from from Nurseslabs.com
   • Lead in the monitoring and evaluation of the project through the Regional and Provincial Management Team and submit the Fund Utilization Report, Program Implementation Review Report, Monitoring Report including competency assessment of the nurses and list of accepted RNheals to the DOH Central Office.
   • Provide the nurses with Certificate of Completion after the satisfactory completion of the project or a Certificate of Attendance as appropriate.
4. The Nurse trainees shall:
   1. Conform and complete the learning and development plan prepared by the Project;
   2. Abide with the Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses, the Hospital/RHU Rules and Regulations, and the Code of Discipline and Rules and Regulations prescribed by the RNheals Project;
   3. Communicate promptly to the immediate supervisor for concerns regarding learning and development assignment, issues and concerns;
   4. Prepare and submit reports as prescribed by the project.

VII. Effectivity

These guidelines shall take effect immediately

(Sgd) Enrique T. Ona, MD, FPCS, FACS
Secretary of Health

Source: Department of Health

Found through:

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