Nursing is more than just a profession in the Philippines; it is a cultural legacy. Filipinos are known worldwide as the “gold standard” of healthcare, blending technical excellence with an innate sense of malasakit (compassion). From the busiest hospitals in Manila to the frontlines of global healthcare, the Filipino Nurse is a symbol of resilience and heart.
But before you can join this prestigious rank of global healers, you must conquer the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (NLE). This is your gateway to becoming a Registered Nurse (RN), and preparation is the key to turning your “Ar-En” dreams into reality.
Detailed Breakdown of NLE Subjects (NP I – V)
📢 NLE EXAM ALERT: The Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLE) is structured into five core areas (Nursing Practice I to V). Each area consists of 100 situational, multiple-choice questions designed to test your clinical judgment based on the 11 Key Areas of Responsibility set by the PRC Board of Nursing.
1. Nursing Practice I: Community Health Nursing (CHN)
- Focus: Care of individuals, families, population groups, and communities in various settings (home, school, workplace).
- High-Yield Topics:
- Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI): Current Philippine vaccine schedule and cold chain management.
- Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI): Triage system (Pink, Yellow, Green) for pediatric care.
- COPAR: Phases of Community Organizing Participatory Action Research.
- Public Health Programs: Tuberculosis Control, National Nutrition Program, and Environmental Sanitation.
2. Nursing Practice II: Care of Mother & Child (MCH)
- Focus: Comprehensive care from pre-conception to postpartum, and pediatric nursing from newborn to adolescence.
- High-Yield Topics:
- Pregnancy: Signs of pregnancy, Leopold’s Maneuvers, and prenatal care.
- Labor & Delivery: Stages of labor, pain management, and APGAR scoring for newborns.
- Complications: Gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and postpartum hemorrhage.
- Pediatrics: Growth and development milestones (Duvall’s stages), infant nutrition, and common childhood diseases.
3. Nursing Practice III: Med-Surg Nursing (Part A)
- Focus: Care of adult clients with physiologic alterations, specifically focusing on oxygenation, fluids & electrolytes, and perioperative care.
- High-Yield Topics:
- Fluid and Electrolytes: Interpretation of laboratory values (Hypokalemia, Hyponatremia).
- Respiratory: COPD, Pneumonia, Asthma, and Ventilator management.
- Perioperative Care: Pre-operative assessment, intra-operative safety, and post-operative complications.
- Cardiovascular: Hypertension, Coronary Artery Disease, and ECG rhythm identification.
4. Nursing Practice IV: Med-Surg Nursing (Part B)
- Focus: Continuation of medical-surgical nursing, focusing on metabolic, endocrine, gastrointestinal, and neurological alterations.
- High-Yield Topics:
- Endocrine: Diabetes Mellitus (management and acute complications like DKA), Thyroid disorders.
- Gastrointestinal: GERD, Peptic Ulcer Disease, Hepatitis, and Cirrhosis.
- Neurological: Stroke (CVA), Head Injury, and Seizure disorders.
- Musculoskeletal: Fractures, Cast care, and Traction management.
5. Nursing Practice V: Psych Nursing & Legal Aspects
- Focus: Care of clients with maladaptive behaviors, mental health disorders, and emergency/disaster situations, along with legal/ethical nursing practice.
- High-Yield Topics:
- Mental Health: Therapeutic communication techniques, Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, and Anxiety disorders.
- Crisis Intervention: Suicide risk assessment and management.
- Legal: RA 9173 (Philippine Nursing Act of 2002), informed consent, negligence, and malpractice.
- Emergency: Triage principles in mass casualty situations.
The Professional Goal: Turning “Student” into “RN”
Mastering the subject breakdown of Nursing Practice I to V is essential to passing the NLE, but true success lies in integrating this knowledge with safe, competent, and ethical clinical judgment. The Board of Nursing isn’t just testing what you know; they are testing how you will protect your patients. As you prepare for the upcoming examination, remember that the “RN” at the end of your name is not just a title—it is a promise of care, expertise, and malasakit to the Filipino people and the world. Stay disciplined, trust your training, and take that final step toward your professional calling.