AN ACT TO AMEND CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED EIGHT HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "PHILIPPINE NURSING LAW."

• Number: Republic Act No. 4704
• Sections: 15

Section 1

SECTION 1. Section two of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 2. Name and composition of the Board.—The Board shall be known as the Board of Examiners for Nurses and shall be composed of a chairman and four members who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the commission on appointments, from a list of twelve nominees of registered nurses if recognized standing in the Philippines, as may be certified equally by the officially recognized national association of nurses in the Philippines and possessing the qualifications prescribed in section four of this Act."

Section 2

SEC. 2. Section four of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 4. Qualifications of Board members.—The members the Board shall, at the time of appointment:

Be a citizen and resident of the Philippines;

Be a registered nurse, a holder of the degree of master of arts in nursing conferred by a reputable school, university, duly recognized by the government with preference for holders of higher degrees in nursing: Provided, however, That present members who are not holders of masters degree are not affected until after the end of their respective terms;

Be mentally and physically fit and not over sixty-five years of age;

Have had at least ten years of successful practice of the profession prior to appointment;

Not have been convicted of any offense involving moral turpitude;

Not be a member of the faculty of any school college or university during one year immediately preceding appointment as member of the Board of Examiners where undergraduate nursing or where any branch of the nursing course is taught, nor have directly or indirectly any pecuniary interest in such institution."

Section 3

SEC. 3. Section five of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 5. Term of office.—The members of the Board shall hold office for a term of three years or until their successors shall have been appointed and duly qualified: Provided, That the members of the first Board appointed under this Act shall hold office for the following terms: One member for one year, one member for two years, and one member for three years: Provided, further, That upon the approval of this amendatory act, new chairman and members of the board shall hold office for a term of three years and may be reappoint but only once a term of three years: Provided, furthermore, That the chairman and members of the present board shall continue to serve until the unexpired portion of their terms and may be reappointed but only once for a term of three years: Provided, furthermore, That the member serving the last year of his term shall automatically come chairman of the board and Provided, finally, That in case there are two or more members serving the last year of their terms in the board, the most senior of them shall automatically become the chairman.

"Any vacancy occurring within the term of a member shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term only. Each member of the Board shall qualify by taking the proper oath of office prior to entering upon the performance of his or her duties."

Section 4

SEC. 4. Section seven of Republic Act Numbered Eight mired seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 7. Compensation of the Board Members.—The members of the Board shall each receive as compensation a fee not exceeding ten pesos per capita of the candidates examined: Provided, That the said compensation shall in no case exceed eighteen thousand pesos yearly."

Section 5

SEC. 5. Section thirteen of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 13. Clinical and public health nursing facilities.—No hospital, school, college or university shall be permitted to operate a school, college or institute of nursing unless such hospital, school, college or university shall establish and operate a base hospital with at least one hundred authorized beds to be available for occupancy by medical, (including communicable) surgical, obstetric and pediatric patients: Provided, That such schools, colleges or universities actually operating a duly recognized school of nursing may be allowed to establish and operate home hospital of at least fifty authorized beds and to affiliate with other hospitals for the remaining balance necessary to fulfill the one hundred authorized beds base hospital requirement for training purposes: Provided, further, That no hospital in such arrangement shall have less than one hundred beds at its disposal and Provided, finally, That not later than January 1, 1971, all schools, colleges, universities must have already established such capital of at least one hundred authorized beds as prescribed herein.

"Schools, Colleges or universities offering courses to on the undergraduate and/or graduate levels should also make necessary provisions for required experience of students in nursing school hospitals and public health nursing agencies."

Section 6

SEC. 6. Section fourteen of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 14. Qualifications of faculty members.—The dean director or principal of the school, college or institute of nursing should be a qualified nurse with the following minimum qualifications:

Must be a holder of a master's degree in nursing: Provided, that nothing in this act shall be construed to disqualify those who have already been considered qualified and actually occupying the position of dean, director or principal, before the effectivity of this amendatory Act: and provided, however, that deans, directors or principal of school, college or institute of nursing occupying such positions before the effectivity of this amendatory Act shall, from January 1, 1967, be given a period of five years within which to qualify under the provisions of this Act;

Must have had at least three years of acceptable experience in teaching and supervision in schools, colleges or institute of nursing;

Must be a registered nurse; and

Must be a Filipino citizen.

The instructors in clinical nursing courses should be registered nurses with the following minimum qualifications:

Must be holders of the bachelor's degree in nursing;

Must have majored in the particular subject or subjects which they teach and holders of certificate in teaching from an authorized school, college or university in addition to the degree in nursing;

Must have had at least a year of acceptable hospital nursing experience."

The instructor in public health nursing should be a nurse with the following minimum qualifications.

Must be a holder of a bachelor's degree in nursing, and a major in public health nursing, and a holder of a certificate in teaching public health nursing from an authorized school, college or university in addition to the degree in nursing;

Must have had at least one year of acceptable experience in public health nursing; and

Must be a registered nurse."

Section 7

SEC. 7. Section fifteen of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 15. General entrance requirements to schools, colleges and universities of nursing.—Applicants desiring to enter any hospital school, college or institute of nursing must show evidence of completion of at least one year of college work in a recognized educational institution. Areas of study should include courses in the physical, biological, social and behavioural sciences and humanities: Provided, That chemistry, psychology and zoology shall be included.

Section 8

SEC. 8. Section seventeen of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 17. Scope of practice of nursing.—A person shall be deemed to be practicing professional nursing, within the meaning and intent of this Act, who shall, for a fee, salary, or other reward, or compensation, perform professional services such as:

Undertaking responsible nursing care and supervision of medical, communicable, mental health and psychiatric patient, surgical, orthopedic, eye, ear, nose, and throat emergency, urologic and gynecologic, pediatric, obstetric and geriatric patients, involving the whole management of care, requiring the application of principles based upon the biological, the physical and social sciences;

The observation of symptoms of physical and mental conditions and needs requiring evaluation or application of principles based upon the biologic, the physical, and behavioural sciences;

The accurate reporting and recording of facts, including evaluation of the whole case;

The supervision of others contributing to the nursing care of patients;

The execution of nursing procedures and techniques;

Direction and education to secure physical and mental care; and

The application and execution of legal orders of physicians concerning treatments and medication: Provided however, That this provision shall not apply to students in schools and colleges of nursing who perform nursing services under supervision of their instructors and professors of nursing and to exchange professors of nursing."

Section 9

SEC. 9. Section eighteen of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 18. Holding of examination.—Examination for candidates desiring to practice nursing in the Philippines shall be given by the Board not earlier than one month but not later than two months after the official closing of the semestral term prescribed by the Department of education, to be held in Manila or at such other time and place as may be deemed necessary and expedient by the Board subject to the approval of the Commissioner of Civil Service and the President of the Philippines."

Section 10

SEC. 10. Section twenty of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 20. Qualifications of applicants.—In order to be admitted to the nurse examination, an applicant must, at the time of filing his or her application therefor, establish to the satisfaction of the Board that:

He or she is a citizen of the Philippines, or a foreigner: Provided, That the country of which or she is a subject or citizen permits Filipino nurses to practice within its territorial limits on the same basis as the subject or citizen of such country: And Provided, further, That the requirements for admission to school and for graduation as nurse in said country substantially the same as those provided under this Act;

He or she is at least eighteen years of age: Provided, That in case of a successful examination, the applicant shall not be permitted or licensed to practice until he or she is twenty-one years of age;

He or she is in good health and is of good moral character;

He or she had finished a standard academic high school course or its equivalent in a school, institute, colleges or university legally established and duly recognized by the Government;

He or she has at least received a diploma as graduate in nursing, bachelor of nursing or bachelor of science I nursing from a school, college or university duly recognized by the government in which the following courses are taught to nursing students: anatomy and physiology, microbiology, chemistry, psychology, social problems of nursing, history of nursing, and professional adjustments; nursing fundamentals including introduction to medical sciences, pharmacology, therapeutics; nutrition and diet therapy; medical nursing, communicable disease nursing, general surgical nursing, pediatric nursing, obstetric nursing, geriatric nursing, nursing in surgical specialties like orthopedics, gynecology, urology, eye, ear, nose and throat ping, emergency, operating room and neuro-surgery; mental health and psychiatric nursing and public health nursing.

Section 11

SEC. 11. Section twenty-one of Republic Act Number Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 21. Scope of examination.—The examination for practice of nursing in the Philippines shall consist of tests in writing, the scope of which shall be determined Board taking into consideration the teaching plan of all schools legally established and duly recognized by the government. It shall be the duty of the board to prepare the schedule of subjects of the examination, which shall include medical nursing, general surgical nursing, nursing in surgical specialties, obstetrics nursing, nursing of children, communicable disease nursing, public health nursing, professional adjustments, mental health and psychiatric nursing and fundamentals of nursing. The following shall be integrated in the examination in clinical nursing courses: anatomy and physiology, microbiology, pharmacology and therapeutics, and social foundations of nursing. It shall submit the same to the President of the Philippines for approval through the Commissioner of Civil Service and publish in a newspaper of national general circulation, the same as approved at least two months before the date of the examination wherein they are to be used. Any alteration or amendment that may be made in the said schedule shall likewise be approved by the President of the Philippines, through the commissioner of civil service."

Section 12

SEC. 12. Section twenty-two of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 22. Ratings in the examination.—In order to pass the first examination, a candidate must obtain a general rating of seventy-five per cent in the written test, with no rating below sixty per cent in any subject. An applicant who fails in the first examination but obtained seventy-five per cent in each of at least seven of the subjects may be permitted to take a second examination on t subjects in which examinee obtained below seventy-five per cent. In order to pass in the second examination the candidate must obtain at least seventy-five per cent in each of the repeated subjects: Provided, That an applicant who failed again in the set of subjects repeated the second examination must take re-examination on subjects: Provided, further, That should he or she still fail in this second re-examination, the applicant shall required to pursue a refresher course of study prescribe the board and to show proof of the completion such course before he or she will be admitted to examination".

Section 13

SEC. 13. Section twenty-three of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 23. Report of results of examination.—The Board of Examination for Nurses, shall, within one hundred twenty days after the examination, report the rating obtained by each candidate to the Commissioner of Civil Service. The board shall likewise furnish copies of the ratings obtained by each subject by each candidate as well as the questionnaires used in the examination to the respective schools, colleges or universities of nursing and to the Bureau of private schools."

Section 14

SEC. 14. Section twenty-six of Republic Act Numbered Eight hundred seventy-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 26. Fees for examination and registration.—Applicants for examination for the profession of nursing shall pay an examination fee of fifty pesos. Successful applicants shall pay a registration fee of twenty pesos."

Section 15

SEC. 15. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved, June 18, 1966.