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EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, 7281

Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

AN ACT AMENDING CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT 9173
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE PHILIPPINE NURSING ACT OF 2002, PROVIDING
FOR AN ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAM

Filipino nurses going abroad has been such a common occurrence. In the US for
example, Filipino nurses have become practically an integral part of the American
health system that they have started their own national organization, the Philippine
Nurses Association of America. The migration of the nurses has such a positive
economic effect in the Philippines. Nurses going abroad can eam as much as 20 times
what they were making back home.

The skills and qualities of our nurses can be further developed beyond grooming them
to be sent abroad. This can be done by improving our nursing education to give room
for advanced programs. Advanced nursing education programs have the capacity to
further catapult our nurses to realize greater opportunities through the opening up of
leadership roles. By doing so, we can elevate our status further to be recognized as a
producer of leaders, experts, and authorities in the field of nursing.

In this proposal, the basic program for nursing education should include community
integration and immersion to encourage more graduates to work in a community
setting. Admission to the basic program for nursing education shall require passing a
National Nursing Admission Test (NNAT). The curriculum and the related learning
experiences must be in accordance with the national nursing core competency
standards to promulgated by the board and implemented through the policies,
standards, and guidelines of the CHED.

There shall also be a graduate program for nursing education which shall be a post
baccalaureate nursing program, which builds on the experiences and skills of a nurse
towards to mastery, expertise, and leadership in practice, research, and education.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is hereby earnestly sought.

LUIS R F. VILLAFUETE, JR


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Queson City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, 7281

Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

AN ACT
AMENDING CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT 9173 OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS THE PHILIPPINE NURSING ACT OF 2002, PROVIDING FOR AN
ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAM

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the "Advanced Nursing Education
Act of 2020".

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the State to
assume responsibility for the protection and improvement of the nursing profession by
instituting measures that will result in relevant nursing education, humane working
conditions, better career prospects and a dignified existence for our nurses.

Section 3. Section 25 of Republic Act No. 9173, otherwise known as the Philippine
Nursing Act of 2002 is hereby amended to read as follows:

“Section 25. [Nursing Education Program—The- g-education shall provide-cound

NURSING EDUCATION. - NURSING EDUCATION SHALL REFER TO THE
FORMAL LEARNING AND TRAINING IN THE SCIENCE AND ART OF NURSING
PROVIDED BY HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS DULY RECOGNIZED AND
ACCREDITED BY THE CHED


THERE SHALL BE STANDARD BASIC AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS FOR
NURSING EDUCATION WHICH SHALL BE ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7722, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "CHED LAW".

Section 4. A new Section 26 is hereby inserted after Section 25 of RA 9173, to read
as follows:

“SECTION 26. BASIC AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS FOR NURSING EDUCATION.
- THERE SHALL BE A BASIC PROGRAM FOR NURSING EDUCATION WHICH
SHALL PROVIDE SOUND LIBERAL AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION, AND
SHALL EQUIP BASIC NURSING STUDENTS WITH THE NECESSARY
COMPETENCIES FOR ENTRY-LEVEL SAFE AND QUALITY NURSING PRACTICE.
THE CURRICULUM AND RELATED LEARNING EXPERIENCES SHOULD
INCLUDE COMMUNITY INTEGRATION AND IMMERSION TO ENCOURAGE MORE
GRADUATES TO WORK IN A COMMUNITY SETTING. ADMISSION TO THE BASIC
PROGRAM FOR NURSING EDUCATION SHALL REQUIRE PASSING A
NATIONAL NURSING ADMISSION TEST (NNAT). THE CURRICULUM AND THE
RELATED LEARNING EXPERIENCES MUST BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE
NATIONAL NURSING CORE COMPETENCY STANDARDS TO
PROMULGATED BY THE BOARD AND IMPLEMENTED THROUGH THE
POLICIES, STANDARDS, AND GUIDELINES OF THE CHED.

THERE SHALL ALSO BE A GRADUATE PROGRAM FOR NURSING EDUCATION
WHICH SHALL BE A POST BACCALAUREATE NURSING PROGRAM, WHICH
BUILDS ON THE EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS OF A NURSE TOWARDS
MASTERY, EXPERTISE, AND LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE, RESEARCH, AND
EDUCATION. SUCH PROGRAMS WILL DEVELOP HIGHLY SPECIALIZED SKILLS
NEEDED FOR NURSING PRACTICE IN THE VARIOUS FIELDS OF ADVANCED
NURSING, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO; ADVANCED PRACTICE
NURSING, AMBULATORY CARE NURSING, CRITICAL CARE NURSING,
PALLIATIVE CARE NURSING, REHABILITATION NURSING, AND OTHER
SPECIALIZED FIELDS OF ADVANCED NURSING. IT SHALL INCLUDE A
MASTER'S DEGREE AND DOCTORATE DEGREE IN NURSING FOUNDED ON
THE PHILOSOPHIES, AND THE SCIENTIFIC BODY OF KNOWLEDGE AND
PRACTICE. GRADUATE PROGRAM FOR NURSING EDUCATION SHALL BE
OFFERED ONLY IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AS PRESCRIBED BY
THE PREVAILING CHED POLICIES, STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR
GRADUATE EDUCATION.

THE FACULTY-TO-STUDENT RATIO MUST BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE
STANDARD TO BE DETERMINED AND PRESCRIBED BY THE CHED.”

Sec. 5. Section 26 of RA 9173 is hereby renumbered to Section 27.


Sec. 6. Section 27 of RA 9173 is hereby renumbered and amended, to read as follows:

"Section 2[7]8. Qualifications of the Faculty. — {A-member-of the faculty in-a-college
of nursing teaching professional-courses- must:

(1) BASIC PROGRAM FOR NURSING EDUCATION. A MEMBER OF THE
FACULTY IN A COLLEGE OF NURSING TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
COURSES:

(a) MUST BE A REGISTERED NURSE IN THE PHILIPPINES AND HOLDER
OF A CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION AND A CURRENT PROFESSIONAL
IDENTIFICATION CARD ISSUED BY THE COMMISSION;

(b) | MUST HAVE AT LEAST THREE (3) YEARS OF NURSING PRACTICE;

(c) MUST BE A HOLDER OF A MASTER'S DEGREE IN NURSING,
CONFERRED BY A UNIVERSITY DULY RECOGNIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF
THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES; AND

(D) MUST HAVE THE APPROPRIATE CERTIFICATE OF NURSING PROFICIENCY,
OR ITS EQUIVALENT, TO BE ISSUED BY THE BOARD OF NURSING.

(2) GRADUATE PROGRAM FOR NURSING EDUCATION. - A MEMBER OF THE
FACULTY TEACHING GRADUATE PROFESSIONAL COURSES:

(a) | MUST FOLLOW PARAGRAPHS (A) AND (B) ABOVE ON BASIC NURSING
EDUCATION; AND

(b) MUST BE A HOLDER OF A DOCTORAL DEGREE IN NURSING
CONFERRED BY A UNIVERSITY DULY RECOGNIZED BY THE
GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES.


SECTION 7. SECTION 28 OF RA 9173 IS HEREBY RENUMBERED AS SECTION 29,
AND ALL SUCCEEDING SECTIONS OF THE SAME ACT ARE HEREBY
RENUMBERED ACCORDINGLY.”

Section 8. Implementing Guidelines. — Within thirty (30) days after the effectivity of
this Act, the Board and the Professional Regulatory Commission, in coordination with
the Commission on Higher Education and other concerned government agencies, shall
formulate such rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
The implementing rules and regulations shall be published in the Official Gazette or in
any newspaper of general circulation.

Section 9. Separability Clause. — Should any provision of this Act be declared
invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions unaffected thereby shall remain valid
and subsisting.

Section 10. Repealing Clause. — All other laws, decrees, executive orders,
proclamations and other executive issuances, which are not consistent with or
contrary to the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed or amended.

Section 11. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
complete publication in the Official Gazzette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,