Nursing history explains why Filipino nursing looks the way it does today: a university-based profession, regulated by a national board, organized in a professional association, and strongly shaped by service abroad. Board questions on history usually ask for who, what, and when — the first school, the first law, the founder of the national organization — and for the ideas of Florence Nightingale that still guide practice.
History is usually taught in periods:
| Period | Main features |
|---|
| Pre-colonial | Care of the sick was a family and community task; healers (often called babaylan) combined herbal remedies with ritual and spiritual care |
| Spanish period (1565–1898) | Care was given mainly by religious orders in church-run hospitals and hospices; nursing was a charitable, religious duty, not a trained profession |
| Revolutionary period (1896–1901) | Women organized care of wounded revolutionaries; Melchora Aquino (Tandang Sora) fed, sheltered, and cared for wounded Katipuneros and is honored as the "Mother of the Katipunan" (also called the Mother of the Philippine Revolution) |
| American period (1898–1946) | Formal nursing schools opened, English became the language of instruction, the first nursing law and the first board examination were introduced, and the national nurses' organization was founded |
| Post-war and modern period | Nursing education moved to colleges and universities, nursing laws were updated (1953, 1991, 2002), and Filipino nurses became one of the largest groups of internationally recruited nurses |
Global background that is also tested
- Florence Nightingale — improved sanitation and care of soldiers during the Crimean War, used statistics to show that environment affects mortality, and founded the Nightingale Training School at St Thomas' Hospital, London, in 1860, the model for secular, trained nursing.
- Her environmental theory focuses on fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet, diet, and drainage — manipulating the environment so that nature can heal.
- Ethel Gordon Fenwick campaigned for state registration of nurses and helped found the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in 1899, the international federation of national nurses' associations.
Milestones in Philippine nursing (verified)
| Year | Event |
|---|
| 1906 | The Union Mission Hospital Training School for Nurses opened in Iloilo, founded under Protestant missionaries; it continues today as the Central Philippine University College of Nursing, described as the oldest running nursing school in the country |
| 1919 | Act No. 2808, often called the first true nursing law, created the Board of Examiners for Nurses |
| 1920 | The first board examination for nurses was given |
| 1922 (September 2) | The Filipino Nurses Association (FNA) was founded at a meeting of about 150 nurses presided over by Anastacia Giron-Tupas |
| 1929 | The FNA was admitted as a member of the ICN at its congress in Montreal |
| 1953 | Republic Act No. 877, the Philippine Nursing Law, regulated nursing practice |
| 1958 | The last week of October was declared Nurses' Week by President Carlos P. Garcia |
| 1966 | The FNA was renamed the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) |
| 1991 | RA 7164, the Philippine Nursing Act of 1991, replaced the older regulatory framework |
| 2002 | RA 9173, the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, the law in force today |
| 2003–2004 | The Board of Nursing issued the implementing rules of RA 9173 (Board Resolution No. 425, s. 2003) and the Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses (Board Resolution No. 220, s. 2004) |
Themes that link the periods
- From religious charity to profession — care moved from religious orders and families to trained, licensed nurses.
- From hospital training to university education — today every registered nurse must hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing to take the licensure examination.
- From no regulation to strong regulation — each nursing law raised standards for education, licensure, and practice.
- From local to global — early ICN membership and later international migration made Filipino nurses part of the global workforce.
Nightingale's legacy in Philippine practice
- Emphasis on environment, hygiene, and infection prevention
- Observation and accurate recording as the basis of nursing care
- Nursing as a distinct discipline with its own training, separate from medicine
- Use of data (statistics) to argue for better care
History is not only for exams. It helps a nurse:
- Understand professional identity — Filipino nurses have a long tradition of organized practice (a national organization since 1922), which supports advocacy for better standards and welfare today.
- Explain regulation — current rules (licensure, Code of Ethics, CPD) are the latest step in a century of laws; knowing where they come from makes them easier to follow and to improve.
- Apply Nightingale's principles — ward ventilation, cleanliness, safe water, waste disposal, and quiet rest still reduce infection and support recovery, especially in crowded public hospitals and rural health units.
- Respect culture — traditional healing practices remain part of many communities; a nurse who knows their history can work respectfully with families who consult traditional healers while promoting safe, evidence-based care.
- Understand migration — the long history of Filipino nurses working abroad explains current issues such as staffing shortages, retention strategies, and international recruitment ethics.
- Carry the professional tradition — uphold the standards built by earlier generations: competence, compassion, and integrity.
- Participate in the professional organization — the Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses asks nurses to be members of the accredited professional organization (the PNA) and to take part in the growth of the profession.
- Advocate — early leaders organized nurses to improve education and working conditions; nurses today continue this through their organizations, research, and legislation.
- Teach and mentor — pass on professional values to students and new nurses, as the first Filipino nurse leaders did.
- Keep learning — the modern profession requires continuing professional development, a direct continuation of the push for trained, qualified nurses.
- Every nursing law in the country's history shared one purpose: protecting the public by allowing only qualified, licensed people to practice nursing.
- The current law is RA 9173 (Philippine Nursing Act of 2002). It repealed earlier nursing laws and is still in force; bills proposing a new comprehensive nursing law have been filed in Congress, but none had been enacted as of the most recent check. Always check the current law before relying on older review materials.
- The Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses (Board Resolution No. 220, s. 2004) replaced the older code promulgated under RA 877 and P.D. No. 223.
- Historical figures and dates should be cited accurately; mixing up laws (e.g., calling RA 7164 the current law) is a common and costly error.
Case 1. A nursing student is asked which law first created a board to examine nurses in the Philippines.
Correct answer: Act No. 2808 (1919), which created the Board of Examiners for Nurses; the first board examination followed in 1920. Why: RA 877 (1953), RA 7164 (1991), and RA 9173 (2002) came later.
Case 2. During a community visit, a family says they first brought their feverish child to a local traditional healer.
Correct action: listen without judgment, assess the child (including danger signs), explain why the child needs health facility care, and work with the family's beliefs where they are harmless. Why: care of the sick in the Philippines has deep community and spiritual roots; respecting them builds trust, but safety comes first, consistent with the Code of Ethics (culture and values are respected, but welfare and safety take precedence when they conflict).
Case 3. A ward has poor ventilation, crowded beds, and overflowing waste bins.
Correct action: improve airflow, spacing, cleanliness, and waste disposal and report the environmental hazards to the nurse manager. Why: this applies Nightingale's environmental theory — correcting the environment so that the client's natural healing can work.
- Confusing the founding dates: the national nurses' organization was founded in 1922 (as the FNA) and renamed PNA in 1966; ICN membership came in 1929.
- Naming the wrong current law: the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 (RA 9173) is current, not RA 877 or RA 7164.
- Attributing ICN's founding to Nightingale: the ICN (1899) was championed by Ethel Gordon Fenwick.
- Placing the first nursing school in Manila: the first school (1906) was in Iloilo under Protestant missionaries.
- Thinking history is irrelevant to practice: many current rules (licensure, ethics, education standards) are direct results of historical reforms.
- Mixing Philippine history with other countries' history: questions about the Philippine board, law, or organization need Philippine answers.
- Nightingale: Crimean War, environmental theory, statistics, first secular training school at St Thomas' Hospital (1860)
- ICN founded 1899 (Ethel Gordon Fenwick's campaign for registration)
- Spanish period: care by religious orders; nursing as charity
- Melchora Aquino (Tandang Sora): cared for wounded revolutionaries — "Mother of the Katipunan" (Mother of the Philippine Revolution)
- First nursing school: Union Mission Hospital Training School for Nurses, Iloilo, 1906
- Act No. 2808 (1919): first true nursing law — Board of Examiners for Nurses; first board exam 1920
- FNA founded September 2, 1922, presided by Anastacia Giron-Tupas; ICN member 1929; renamed PNA in 1966
- Nurses' Week: last week of October (proclaimed 1958)
- Nursing laws: RA 877 (1953) → RA 7164 (1991) → RA 9173 (2002, current)
- Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses: Board Resolution No. 220, s. 2004