Metro Manila, Philippines – Johnson & Johnson Philippines, Inc. and the University of the Philippines-College of Nursing (UPCN) announce the launch of, Nurse LEAD, a certificate course program that aims to strengthen Filipino nurses’ competencies to reduce the health worker coverage gap in the country.
“There is more to a nurse’s role than just providing direct care to patients. In situations where a doctor is unavailable, nurses step up to perform the roles of public health officers and lead healthcare operations to bring out the best outcome,” said Professor Sheila R. Bonito, Dean, UP College of Nursing.
Launched on International Nurses’ Day, the Nurse LEAD Program, is supported by the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, led by UPCN in collaboration with the Johnson & Johnson Center for Health Worker Innovation. The 160-hour course will cater to practicing Filipino nurses in the local public health system and consist of both online and face-to-face sessions, focusing on building capacities for delivering primary healthcare services, leadership and management skills, and fostering collaborative practice among relevant disciplines.
The online component of the course will cover 120 hours, run on a learning management platform hosted by UPCN, with four-hour study sessions for 20 days spread within 7-8 weeks. Meanwhile, the face-to-face component will cover 40 hours, with 5-day sessions at the UPCN facility and field visits in partner-communities in Marikina and Manila City.
Professor Bonito added, “With this program, we want to empower our country’s nurses so that they can comfortably take on leadership, management and supervisory roles within the health unit, implement health programs, and engage in community organizing activities that would help us move the Universal Healthcare model forward.”
As a company, Johnson & Johnson has supported the nursing profession for over 120 years. The Johnson & Johnson Center for Health Worker Innovation focuses on five areas, namely Training & Education, Leadership & Management, Connection & Integration, Respect & Recognition, and Well-being & Resilience for frontline health workers, who are at the heart of community-based primary health systems worldwide.
Johnson & Johnson Philippines, Inc. President and Managing Director Raghu Krishnan shared, “We recognize that nurses are uniquely positioned to bring innovation, knowledge, and resourcefulness to improve patient outcomes. And as one of the countries that contributes to the global workforce of nurses, we are excited to be launching this program with the UP College of Nursing. With our collective support for Filipino nurses, we believe that we can truly elevate and transform healthcare, as we work together to building a stronger health workforce.”
The UP College of Nursing is a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Leadership in Nursing Development, and has been recognized as the country’s premiere nursing school, with specialties in the areas of advocating patient safety, evidence-based practice, interprofessional education, and nursing research.
To know more about how Johnson & Johnson supports nurses worldwide, you may visit this link for more details: https://nursing.jnj.com/our-nursing-commitment
