AN ACT TO AMEND CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED EIGHT HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN

Case Overview and Summary

Summary of Republic Act No. 4704

Name and Composition of the Board of Examiners for Nurses (Section 1, 2)
- The Board shall be known as the Board of Examiners for Nurses.
- It shall be composed of a chairman and four members appointed by the President of the Philippines from a list of 12 nominees certified by the officially recognized national association of nurses.

Qualifications of Board Members (Section 2, 4)
- Must be a Filipino citizen and resident.
- Must be a registered nurse with a master's degree in nursing from a reputable school, with preference for higher degrees. Current members without a master's degree are exempted until the end of their terms.
- Must be mentally and physically fit, and not over 65 years old.
- Must have at least 10 years of successful nursing practice prior to appointment.
- Must not have been convicted of any offense involving moral turpitude.
- Must not be a faculty member of any nursing school or have any pecuniary interest in such institutions for one year prior to appointment.

Term of Office (Section 3, 5)
- Members shall hold office for 3 years or until their successors are appointed and qualified.
- The first Board members shall have staggered terms of 1, 2, and 3 years.
- Upon approval of this Act, new members shall hold office for 3 years and may be reappointed once.
- Current Board members shall continue to serve until the end of their terms and may be reappointed once for 3 years.
- The member serving the last year of their term shall automatically become the chairman.
- Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term only.

Compensation of Board Members (Section 4, 7)
- Members shall receive a fee not exceeding 10 pesos per candidate examined, but not exceeding 18,000 pesos yearly.

Clinical and Public Health Nursing Facilities (Section 5, 13)
- Nursing schools must establish and operate a base hospital with at least 100 authorized beds for training purposes.
- Schools currently operating may establish a 50-bed home hospital and affiliate with other hospitals to meet the 100-bed requirement until January 1, 1971.
- Provisions must be made for student experience in nursing school hospitals and public health nursing agencies.

Qualifications of Faculty Members (Section 6, 14)
- The dean, director, or principal must have a master's degree in nursing, with exceptions for those already in the position before this Act.
- Instructors in clinical nursing courses must have a bachelor's degree in nursing, a major in the subject they teach, a teaching certificate, and at least 1 year of hospital nursing experience.
- Public health nursing instructors must have a bachelor's degree in nursing with a major in public health nursing, a teaching certificate, and at least 1 year of public health nursing experience.

General Entrance Requirements (Section 7, 15)
- Applicants must have completed at least 1 year of college work, including courses in physical, biological, social, and behavioral sciences, and humanities, with chemistry, psychology, and zoology as required subjects.

Scope of Practice of Nursing (Section 8, 17)
- Practicing professional nursing involves:
- Undertaking responsible nursing care and supervision of various types of patients.
- Observing symptoms and applying principles based on biological, physical, and behavioral sciences.
- Accurate reporting and recording of facts, including evaluation of the whole case.
- Supervision of others contributing to nursing care.
- Execution of nursing procedures and techniques.
- Direction and education to secure physical and mental care.
- Application and execution of legal orders of physicians concerning treatments and medication.

Holding of Examination (Section 9, 18)
- Examinations shall be held not earlier than 1 month but not later than 2 months after the official closing of the semestral term prescribed by the Department of Education.
- Examinations shall be held in Manila or at other places deemed necessary and expedient by the Board, subject to approval.

Qualifications of Applicants (Section 10, 20)
- Must be a Filipino citizen or a foreigner whose country allows Filipino nurses to practice on the same basis, with substantially the same requirements for admission and graduation.
- Must be at least 18 years old, but cannot practice until 21 years old.
- Must be in good health and of good moral character.
- Must have finished a standard academic high school course or equivalent.
- Must have received a diploma or degree in nursing from a recognized school, with courses in specified subjects.

Scope of Examination (Section 11, 21)
- The examination shall consist of written tests determined by the Board, considering the teaching plan of all recognized schools.
- Subjects 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.
- Anatomy and physiology, microbiology, pharmacology and therapeutics, and social foundations of nursing shall be integrated in the clinical nursing courses.
- The schedule of subjects must be approved by the President of the Philippines through the Commissioner of Civil Service and published at least 2 months before the examination.

Ratings in the Examination (Section 12, 22)
- To pass the first examination, a candidate must obtain a general rating of 75% in the written test, with no rating below 60% in any subject.
- If a candidate fails but obtains 75% in at least 7 subjects, they may take a second examination on the failed subjects.
- To pass the second examination, the candidate must obtain at least 75% in each repeated subject.
- If the candidate fails again, they must take a re-examination on all subjects.
- If the candidate still fails, they must pursue a refresher course prescribed by the Board and show proof of completion before taking a fourth examination.

Report of Results of Examination (Section 13, 23)
- The Board shall report the ratings obtained by each candidate to the Commissioner of Civil Service within 120 days after the examination.
- The Board shall furnish copies of the ratings in each subject and the questionnaires used to the respective nursing schools and the Bureau of Private Schools.

Fees for Examination and Registration (Section 14, 26)
- Applicants for the nursing examination shall pay an examination fee of 50 pesos.
- Successful applicants shall pay a registration fee of 20 pesos.