History and Legal Foundation of Philippine Nursing

Academic Qualifications and Professional Certification in Nursing

• Updated Qualification for Faculty and Nurses: The formal qualification for nurses or faculty members within the academic sphere has been updated. The required standard is now a Master’s Degree in Nursing or its equivalent qualification.

• Creation of the Nursing Certification Council (NCC): In

$1999$

    The Nursing Certification Council was established under the authority of the Board of Nursing. This was formalized through the following resolution:

    Board of Nursing Resolution No.

    $14$

• Supervision and Specialty Certification: The Nursing Certification Council is tasked with supervising the implementation of new programs. These programs are conducted and managed by Specialty Certification Boards.

• Implementation of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN): The improvement of these certification processes and educational standards directly prompted the commencement of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) within the Philippines.

Legislative Changes in Philippine Nursing Law (2001 to Present)

• The Philippine Nursing Act of 2002: During the period spanning from

    $2001$

    to the present, a major shift in nursing legislation occurred with the enactment of Republic Act No.

    $9173$

• Relationship to Previous Legislation: Republic Act No.

    $9173$

    was enacted to entail specifically documented changes and updates to the existing policies that were previously established under Republic Act No.

    $7164$

• Scope of Legislative Changes: The revisions under Republic Act No.

    $9173$

    underscore several critical areas of nursing regulation, including: * Specific requirements for Nursing Faculty. * Specific requirements for the Dean of Colleges of Nursing. * The formal conduct and procedures for the Nursing Licensure Exam (NLE).

Chronological Evolution of Nursing Colleges in the Philippines

• University of Santo Tomas (UST) College of Nursing: Recognized as the first College of Nursing in the Philippines. It was established in

    $1877$

• Manila Central University (MCU) College of Nursing: Established in June

    $1947$

    MCU holds the distinction of being the first college to offer the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) as a

    $4$

    year program.

• University of the Philippines (UP) College of Nursing: Established in June

    $1948$

• Far Eastern University (FEU) Institute of Nursing: Established in June

    $1955$

• University of the East (UE) College of Nursing: Established in October

    $1958$

Historical Milestones and Professional Organizations

• Early Qualified Nurses: In

    $1909$

    three females successfully graduated and were recognized as "qualified medical-surgical nurses."

• Establishment of the Filipino Nurses Association (FNA): The national organization for Filipino nurses was established in

    $1921$

    This organization is currently known as the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA).

• Leadership and Founding of the PNA:
  • First President: Rosario Delgado.
  • Founder: Anastacia Giron-Tupas.