Nursing as a profession and RA 9173

Nursing Practice I always opens with the question of what makes nursing a true profession and how Philippine law regulates it. Expect several items on RA 9173, the Board of Nursing, and the legal scope of what a registered nurse may do.

What makes nursing a profession

A profession is more than an occupation. Classic criteria include:

• A specialized body of knowledge gained through prolonged formal education
• Service orientation, placing client welfare above personal gain
• A code of ethics that guides conduct
• Autonomy and self-regulation through a professional organization
• Accountability for one's own practice
• Continuing education and research that grow the knowledge base

Nursing meets all of these. It has a distinct science (nursing theories, the nursing process), a legal basis (RA 9173), a code of ethics for Filipino nurses, an accredited professional organization, and licensure through the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Roles of the professional nurse

The NLE loves matching a scenario to a role. Learn these by function, not by label:

Role	Core function	Sample cue in a stem
Caregiver	Direct care across the health-illness continuum	Bathing, medications, comfort measures
Advocate	Protects client rights and voices client choices	Nurse questions an order or supports refusal
Educator	Assesses learning needs, teaches, evaluates learning	Discharge teaching, return demonstration
Counselor	Helps clients cope emotionally and psychosocially	Newly diagnosed client verbalizes fear
Manager	Coordinates care, delegates, allocates resources	Charge nurse making assignments
Researcher	Uses and generates evidence for practice	Applying a new evidence-based protocol
Change agent	Initiates and manages improvements in the system	Leading a hand hygiene campaign

RA 9173: the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002

RA 9173 governs nursing education, licensure, and practice in the Philippines. High-yield provisions:

• The Board of Nursing (BON) is composed of a chairperson and six members, appointed by the President of the Philippines from nominees, under PRC supervision.
• BON members must be Filipino citizens, RNs holding a master's degree, with at least ten years of nursing practice, and must not be affiliated with a school of nursing or review center during their term.
• To take the licensure exam, a candidate must be a citizen of the Philippines (or of a country with reciprocity), of good moral character, and a holder of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
• A passing general average is 75 percent, with no rating below 60 percent in any subject. An examinee who scores below 60 in any subject must repeat the entire examination.
• The certificate of registration may be revoked or suspended for unprofessional conduct, gross incompetence, malpractice, fraud in obtaining the license, or practicing while impaired.

Scope of nursing practice under RA 9173

A registered nurse independently provides nursing care: assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation; health promotion and education; and execution of legal, written physician orders regarding treatments and medications. Key limits to remember:

• Nurses administer treatments and medications only with a written, valid order, except in emergencies where standing protocols apply.
• Suturing perineal lacerations and giving intravenous injections require special training as provided by the law and BON regulations.
• Nursing care during labor and delivery is within scope, but internal examination in an abnormal delivery belongs to the physician.

Continuing professional development

The Continuing Professional Development law requires renewing professionals, including nurses, to earn CPD units for license renewal. CPD keeps competence current through seminars, formal study, and self-directed learning. Registration with the PRC is renewed every three years. Practicing with an expired license is illegal practice, so tie CPD, renewal, and accountability together when answering.

Key points

• Profession criteria: specialized education, service orientation, code of ethics, autonomy, accountability, ongoing research.
• BON: chairperson plus six members, presidential appointees, under the PRC.
• NLE passing standard: 75 percent general average, nothing below 60 in any subject.
• Scope: independent nursing care plus dependent functions that need a valid written order; IV therapy and perineal suturing need added training.
• When a stem asks who protects the client's choices, the answer is the advocate role; who coordinates and delegates, the manager role.
• If the stem describes teaching plus evaluating learning, choose educator over counselor; counselor items focus on feelings and coping.