The Board of Nursing, as stated in Section 3, Article III of the Nursing Act of 2002, is composed of a Chairperson and six members (1) appointed by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, (2) from among two recommendees, per vacancy, of the Philippine Regulation Commission, (3) chosen and ranked from a list of three nominees, per vacancy, of the accredited professional organization of nurses in the Philippines (Philippine Nurses Association).
- Qualifications of the Chairperson and Board members are as follow: (a) be a natural born citizen and resident in the Philippines, (b) be a member in good standing of the accredited professional organization of nurses, (c) be a registered nurse, holder of a master’s degree in nursing, education, or other allied medical profession (mandatory for the Chairperson; while only a majority of Board members must have a master’s degree), (d) have at least ten years of continuous practice prior to appointment, the last five years of which must have been in the Philippines, and (e) not convicted of any offense involving moral turpitude.
- Disqualifications and Prohibitions (Section 5, Article II) of the Chairperson and the Board members must (a) immediately resign from any teaching position or review program in any institution, agency, or instrumentality in both government and private sectors, (b) not have any pecuniary (financial) interest in or administrative supervision over any institution offering Bachelor of Science in Nursing, including review classes.
- Term (Section 6, Article III): the Chairperson and Members of the Board of Nursing shall hold office for a term of three years and until their successors have been appointed and qualified (the hold over period), provided that the Chairperson and Members of the Board may be reappointed for another term. Any vacancy filled by an ad interim appointment for the unexpired portion of the term only. Oath-taking is performed prior to the performance of one’s duties.
- Removal (Section 11, Article I) of a Member of the Board of Nursing may be due to (a) continuous neglect of duty or incompetence, (b) commission or toleration of irregularities in the licensure examination, and (c) unprofessional, immoral, or dishonorable conduct.
Term vs Tenure
“Term of Office” is a period during which an appointee, e.g. the Board of Nursing, can validly hold their office/public position as a matter of right. “Tenure of Office”, however, is the period during which the appointee is physically/actually occupying their public office. One’s term is fixed, while their tenure may be shortened in cases of removal, disqualification, or incapacitation.
The Board of Nursing is given the following Powers and Duties as written in Section 9, Article II of the Nursing Act of 2002:
- Conduct the licensure examination for nurses.
- Issue, suspend, and revoke certificates of registration for the practice of nursing.
- Monitor and enforce quality standards of nursing practice.
- Ensure quality nursing education by inspection and recommendation to the CHED. The Board may open and close colleges of nursing and/or nursing education programs upon written recommendation to CHED.
- Conduct hearings and investigations to resolve complaints against nurse practitioners, with the power to issue subpoena ad testificandum (respondents and witnesses) and subpoena duces tecum (documents).
- Promulgate a Code of Ethics in coordination and consultation with the Philippine Nurses Association.
- Recognize nursing specialty organizations in coordination with the Philippines Nurses Association.
- Prescribe, adopt, issue, and promulgate guidelines, regulations, measures, and decisions as may be necessary for the improvement and advancement of the nursing profession.