Nurses as Political Animals
Content
Ma. Traceza Nicole G. Magno 1POL2
Sept. 22, 2013 Prof. Ronald M. Castillo
MEETING HALFWAY: CONNECTING NURSING AND POLITICS THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL SIMILARITIES I. INTRODUCTION Without debasing the discipline and profession, images of people in white uniforms caring for the ill, disabled, and dying come to mind upon hearing the term “Nursing” while images of men in black, gray, and navy suits having a discussion in huge halls come to mind at the mention of Politics. Indeed, Nursing and Politics are two very different disciplines and professions but since they both involve leadership and management, is it not possible for them to intersect somewhere? This paper aims to answer this question by looking into the nursing profession presumably through examining the structure of the Philippine Board of Nursing and relating it to one of the country’s political institutions – the Congress. II. DISCUSSION A. Nurses as Political Animals Based on the researcher’s understanding of the term, a political animal is a person interested in social and political issues, especially one who participates actively in them. As citizens of the Philippines, nurses primarily participate in politics through the right of suffrage. In addition to that, out of the 530,000 college graduates of 2013, 3% (16,219) are nurses (INQUIRER.net, 2013). Assuming that there are, in the least, more than 70 other undergraduate programs wherein the remaining number of college graduates shall be distributed, 3% is already a substantial number. Therefore, the researcher deduces that every nurse’s decision to stay and work in the country, seek greener pastures abroad, or change into another career greatly affects the country’s GDP and GNP. In relation to this, nurses have been participating in JPEPA (JapanPhilippines Economic Partnership Agreement) wherein nurses, together with other professionals, can practice their professions in Japan provided that they meet the requirements (Senate of the Philippines, 2007). However, to establish a deeper connection between Nursing and Politics, the researcher takes into consideration the institution of nurses which represents them as professionals: the Philippine Board of Nursing. According to R.A. 9173, as the board represents a job sector, they lobby to Congress any proposed amendment to any law with direct relationship to the practice of nursing.
B. Similarities and Differences between the Philippine Board of Nursing and the Congress Aside from the focuses which will be discussed below, there are many other aspects in which we can associate the Philippine Board of Nursing with the Congress such as according to term/tenure of both institutions, compensation, extent of power etc. Nevertheless, the ones presented here are the most notable in the researcher’s opinion: As to composition. According to R.A. 9173, the Board is composed of a Chairperson and six (6) members. They shall represent the three (3) areas of nursing, namely: nursing education, nursing service, and community health nursing. In comparison, the Congress is composed of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the nation itself while the House of Representatives represents areas not of study but of geographical areas (districts), minor parties, and marginalized sectors (De Leon, 2005). As to qualifications. As stated by R.A. 9173, board members, like senators and representatives shall be natural-born citizens of the Philippines. They should be a member good standing of the accredited professional organization of nurses; a registered nurse and holder of a master’s degree in nursing; and not have been convicted of any offense involving moral turpitude. Similarly, though the constitution does not require it, senators and representatives must be of high educational attainment and political experience in order to gain people’s confidence. R.A. 9173 also states that board members must have at least ten (10) years of continuous practice, 5 years of which are in the country, prior to appointment whereas the residence requirements for senators and representatives are two (2) years and one (1) year respectively. As to the process of selection. Unlike senators and district representatives, who are directly elected by the people, board members shall be appointed by the president of the Republic of the Philippines from among two (2) recommendees of the Professional Regulation Commission, chosen and ranked from a list of three (3) nominees, per vacancy, of the accredited professional organization of nurses in the Philippines who possess the qualifications prescribed in Section 4 of RA 9173. As to duties and powers. In accordance with R.A. 9173, the board’s main duty is to prescribe policies as may be necessary for the improvements of the nursing practice and make and conduct the nursing licensure examination. Conversely, the congress’ main power is to enact laws. However, the board must, in the execution of their duty, submit to the Professional
Regulatory Commission while the congress must enact only laws which conform to the Constitution. III. CONCLUSION As discussed above, Nurses are political animals because they participate through the right of suffrage and through the Philippine Board of Nursing which lobbies to congress regarding policies related to Nursing. Nurses also help with the international relations of country not only by making Filipinos known abroad as hospitable but also through participating in international agreements such as JPEPA (Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement). In the end, Nursing and Politics are two different yet related matters basically because nurses and politicians are part of the state as Filipino citizens; and their decisions, whether big or small affect the country. But more importantly, because political animals may have varied interests but they will always structure these interests into institutions according to the same manner.
REFERENCES
Congress of the Philippines. (2002, October 21). Republic Acts. Retrieved from Republic of the Philippines House of Representatives 16th Congress: http://www.congress.gov.ph/download/?d=ra_results De Leon, H. S. (2005). Textbook on the Philippine Constitution. Quezon City: Rex Printing Company Inc. INQUIRER.net. (2013, July 8). 16,219 Pass Nursing Board. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from Inquirer News: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/440635/16-219-pass-nursing-board Senate of the Philippines. (2007, September). Policy Brief. Retrieved from Senate Economic Planning Office: http://www.senate.gov.ph/publications/PB%202007-01%20-%20JapanPhilippines%20Economic%20Partnership%20Agreement%20%28JPEPA%29,%20An %20assesment.pdf
Sept. 22, 2013 Prof. Ronald M. Castillo
MEETING HALFWAY: CONNECTING NURSING AND POLITICS THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL SIMILARITIES I. INTRODUCTION Without debasing the discipline and profession, images of people in white uniforms caring for the ill, disabled, and dying come to mind upon hearing the term “Nursing” while images of men in black, gray, and navy suits having a discussion in huge halls come to mind at the mention of Politics. Indeed, Nursing and Politics are two very different disciplines and professions but since they both involve leadership and management, is it not possible for them to intersect somewhere? This paper aims to answer this question by looking into the nursing profession presumably through examining the structure of the Philippine Board of Nursing and relating it to one of the country’s political institutions – the Congress. II. DISCUSSION A. Nurses as Political Animals Based on the researcher’s understanding of the term, a political animal is a person interested in social and political issues, especially one who participates actively in them. As citizens of the Philippines, nurses primarily participate in politics through the right of suffrage. In addition to that, out of the 530,000 college graduates of 2013, 3% (16,219) are nurses (INQUIRER.net, 2013). Assuming that there are, in the least, more than 70 other undergraduate programs wherein the remaining number of college graduates shall be distributed, 3% is already a substantial number. Therefore, the researcher deduces that every nurse’s decision to stay and work in the country, seek greener pastures abroad, or change into another career greatly affects the country’s GDP and GNP. In relation to this, nurses have been participating in JPEPA (JapanPhilippines Economic Partnership Agreement) wherein nurses, together with other professionals, can practice their professions in Japan provided that they meet the requirements (Senate of the Philippines, 2007). However, to establish a deeper connection between Nursing and Politics, the researcher takes into consideration the institution of nurses which represents them as professionals: the Philippine Board of Nursing. According to R.A. 9173, as the board represents a job sector, they lobby to Congress any proposed amendment to any law with direct relationship to the practice of nursing.
B. Similarities and Differences between the Philippine Board of Nursing and the Congress Aside from the focuses which will be discussed below, there are many other aspects in which we can associate the Philippine Board of Nursing with the Congress such as according to term/tenure of both institutions, compensation, extent of power etc. Nevertheless, the ones presented here are the most notable in the researcher’s opinion: As to composition. According to R.A. 9173, the Board is composed of a Chairperson and six (6) members. They shall represent the three (3) areas of nursing, namely: nursing education, nursing service, and community health nursing. In comparison, the Congress is composed of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the nation itself while the House of Representatives represents areas not of study but of geographical areas (districts), minor parties, and marginalized sectors (De Leon, 2005). As to qualifications. As stated by R.A. 9173, board members, like senators and representatives shall be natural-born citizens of the Philippines. They should be a member good standing of the accredited professional organization of nurses; a registered nurse and holder of a master’s degree in nursing; and not have been convicted of any offense involving moral turpitude. Similarly, though the constitution does not require it, senators and representatives must be of high educational attainment and political experience in order to gain people’s confidence. R.A. 9173 also states that board members must have at least ten (10) years of continuous practice, 5 years of which are in the country, prior to appointment whereas the residence requirements for senators and representatives are two (2) years and one (1) year respectively. As to the process of selection. Unlike senators and district representatives, who are directly elected by the people, board members shall be appointed by the president of the Republic of the Philippines from among two (2) recommendees of the Professional Regulation Commission, chosen and ranked from a list of three (3) nominees, per vacancy, of the accredited professional organization of nurses in the Philippines who possess the qualifications prescribed in Section 4 of RA 9173. As to duties and powers. In accordance with R.A. 9173, the board’s main duty is to prescribe policies as may be necessary for the improvements of the nursing practice and make and conduct the nursing licensure examination. Conversely, the congress’ main power is to enact laws. However, the board must, in the execution of their duty, submit to the Professional
Regulatory Commission while the congress must enact only laws which conform to the Constitution. III. CONCLUSION As discussed above, Nurses are political animals because they participate through the right of suffrage and through the Philippine Board of Nursing which lobbies to congress regarding policies related to Nursing. Nurses also help with the international relations of country not only by making Filipinos known abroad as hospitable but also through participating in international agreements such as JPEPA (Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement). In the end, Nursing and Politics are two different yet related matters basically because nurses and politicians are part of the state as Filipino citizens; and their decisions, whether big or small affect the country. But more importantly, because political animals may have varied interests but they will always structure these interests into institutions according to the same manner.
REFERENCES
Congress of the Philippines. (2002, October 21). Republic Acts. Retrieved from Republic of the Philippines House of Representatives 16th Congress: http://www.congress.gov.ph/download/?d=ra_results De Leon, H. S. (2005). Textbook on the Philippine Constitution. Quezon City: Rex Printing Company Inc. INQUIRER.net. (2013, July 8). 16,219 Pass Nursing Board. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from Inquirer News: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/440635/16-219-pass-nursing-board Senate of the Philippines. (2007, September). Policy Brief. Retrieved from Senate Economic Planning Office: http://www.senate.gov.ph/publications/PB%202007-01%20-%20JapanPhilippines%20Economic%20Partnership%20Agreement%20%28JPEPA%29,%20An %20assesment.pdf
