NLE Fundamentals of Nursing: The Base Under All Five NPs
NP I on the NLE is Community Health Nursing, not Foundations — but fundamentals still run through every Nursing Practice test. The nursing process, vitals, asepsis and ethics-legal basics to own.
By Super Tutor Team
A lot of NLE review material still labels NP I "Foundations of Nursing". That's out of date. On PRC's current programme, Nursing Practice I is Community Health Nursing — Care of Individuals, Families, Population Groups and Community — and we cover it in our NP I community and public health guide. There is no separate Fundamentals paper.
Fundamentals hasn't disappeared, though. PRC's programme lists "Fundamentals of Nursing including Professional Adjustments" among the major subject areas the five tests draw on, and names the nursing process as the framework for all of them. So the basics — the nursing process, vital signs, asepsis, ethics and law — run underneath every NP test. This guide covers that foundation: the concepts that give you the most leverage, where reviewers leak points, and how to drill them without burning hours on trivia.
What the Fundamentals Foundation Covers
PRC doesn't publish a separate item count for fundamentals, because it's spread across all five tests. These are the content blocks worth owning:
- The nursing process — assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation.
- Vital signs and physical assessment — temperature, pulse, respirations, BP, pain, head-to-toe technique.
- Asepsis and infection control — medical vs surgical asepsis, isolation precautions, PPE sequencing.
- Health and illness concepts — Maslow, homeostasis, levels of prevention, Erikson, growth and development.
- Ethical-legal and professional foundations — RA 9173, the Code of Ethics, informed consent, documentation.
- Fundamental skills — bed-making, hygiene, mobility, comfort measures, basic IV.
Notice what's missing? Nothing flashy. No exotic conditions. These basics reward reviewers who got them right the first time. That's why pacing matters — drill them early, then revisit weekly so the reflexes stay sharp.
The Nursing Process: The Framework Behind Every Test
If you only had a week for fundamentals, you'd spend it here. ADPIE — Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation — is the framework PRC's programme names for the nursing care tested across all five Nursing Practice papers. Get the rhythm wrong and you'll second-guess yourself on every "what should the nurse do first" item for two days straight.
Assessment Always Comes Before Action
This is the single rule that solves more items than any other. When the stem describes a stable patient and offers four reasonable actions, the answer almost always begins with assess, auscultate, check, observe, or monitor. The exception is when ABC is on the line — airway compromise, breathing failure, or active bleeding — where you intervene immediately.
Nursing Diagnosis vs Medical Diagnosis
Items frame this as a fact pattern asking which option is a nursing diagnosis. Medical diagnosis names the disease (pneumonia, diabetes mellitus). Nursing diagnosis names the human response (impaired gas exchange, ineffective breathing pattern). NANDA-I phrasing rules — "related to" and "as evidenced by" tell you it's a nursing diagnosis.
SMART Goals
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound. Expect scenario items where three of four options are vague ("the patient will feel better") and one is properly framed ("the patient will ambulate 50 feet without assistance within 48 hours"). Drill the SMART filter and these become free points.
Asepsis and Infection Control: The PPE Sequence
The PPE donning and doffing sequence is basic safety content, and reviewers who memorised it backwards in school keep missing it.
Donning Order
- Hand hygiene
- Gown
- Mask or respirator
- Goggles or face shield
- Gloves
Doffing Order
- Gloves
- Goggles or face shield
- Gown
- Mask or respirator
- Hand hygiene
The logic: don clean to dirty, doff dirty to clean. Hand hygiene bookends both. If a fact pattern asks which step the nurse should do next and you've drilled the sequence, you don't think, you respond.
Isolation Precautions
Standard, contact, droplet, airborne. Tuberculosis is airborne (N95, negative-pressure room). Pertussis is droplet (surgical mask, private room). MRSA is contact (gown and gloves, private room or cohorted). Isolation pairing is worth drilling until it's automatic — infectious conditions are named in NP III's title, and communicable disease control is central to NP I.
Vital Signs: The Basics to Know Cold
Normal ranges first, technique second, abnormal interpretation third. Items can pull from all three layers.
- Adult HR — 60–100 bpm. Bradycardia under 60, tachycardia over 100.
- Adult RR — 12–20. Bradypnea under 12, tachypnea over 20.
- Adult BP — under 120/80 normal, 120–129 elevated, 130/80 and above hypertensive (latest AHA staging).
- Pediatric vitals — vary by age. Memorise infant (HR 100–160, RR 30–60), toddler (HR 90–140, RR 22–37), school age (HR 75–118, RR 18–30).
- Temperature routes — oral, axillary, tympanic, rectal, temporal. Rectal is most accurate; temporal is least invasive.
Technique items: which arm for BP after a mastectomy (the unaffected side), how long to count an irregular pulse (full minute), where to assess apical pulse (left 5th ICS midclavicular line on a healthy adult).
Ethical-Legal Foundations
PRC's programme says the exam tests whether you practise nursing in line with existing laws and legal, ethical and moral principles. RA 9173 — the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 — anchors this. Memorise these:
RA 9173 Essentials
- The Board of Nursing is composed of a Chairperson and six members, appointed by the President from PRC's recommendees.
- Practice without a licence is punishable by fine and imprisonment.
- To pass the NLE you need a 75% general average with no subject below 60% (Sec. 15).
- The Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses (BON Resolution No. 220, s. 2004) governs professional conduct.
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units are required for licence renewal under RA 10912.
Informed Consent
The physician obtains informed consent for medical and surgical procedures. The nurse witnesses the signature and ensures the patient understands. If a patient asks a clarifying question that suggests they don't understand, the nurse stops the process and notifies the physician — they don't re-explain the procedure themselves.
Confidentiality and the Data Privacy Act
RA 10173 governs patient information. Items frame breach scenarios — discussing a patient in the elevator, posting on social media, sharing records without authorisation. The pattern is consistent: report up the chain, document the incident, follow institutional protocol.
Maslow's Hierarchy: The Priority Anchor
Maslow is sometimes asked about directly, but mostly it sits underneath priority items. The order:
- Physiological — airway, breathing, circulation, food, water, elimination, sleep
- Safety — physical safety, security, freedom from fear
- Love and belonging — relationships, intimacy
- Esteem — self-respect, recognition
- Self-actualisation — personal growth, fulfilment
When two options both look like nursing actions, the one addressing a lower-level need wins. Pair Maslow with ABC (airway, breathing, circulation) and you've got the priority engine that solves most scenario items, whichever NP test they're in.
Where Reviewers Leak Points on the Basics
Three common patterns:
- Reading too fast on "first action" items — the stem usually contains a hidden cue. Skipping the cue costs you the item.
- Confusing nursing actions with medical actions — calling the physician is rarely the first answer unless the patient is unstable. Nurses assess, intervene within scope, then escalate.
- Ignoring developmental theory — Erikson's stages, Piaget's cognitive milestones, growth and development markers. They look like trivia, but Human Growth and Development is Part 2 of NP II.
How to Drill the Fundamentals
Four-week sprint that works:
- Week 1 — Nursing process, ADPIE, NANDA phrasing, SMART goals. 50 MCQs daily.
- Week 2 — Vitals, physical assessment, basic skills. Pair with anatomy refresher.
- Week 3 — Asepsis, infection control, isolation. Drill PPE sequencing daily.
- Week 4 — Ethical-legal, RA 9173, Code of Ethics, Maslow, Erikson. Mixed practice.
For pacing across all five Nursing Practice papers, see the NLE pacing strategy guide. For the broader review structure, the Complete NLE Guide 2026 covers the schedule, the five NP tests, eligibility and pass rates.
How Super Tutor Helps With the Basics
Super Tutor's NLE reviewer has chapter content in 11 study formats, practice quizzes at three difficulty levels, an AI tutor that explains why an answer is correct when you ask, a study planner, and full mock exams drawn from 4,300+ questions. Plans start at ₱249 a month with auto-pay (cancel anytime) or ₱299 to pay once for 30 days, and ₱1,999 covers a full year, paid once.
If you've already missed a cycle, the NLE retake strategy covers subject-targeted review. The NLE Preparation Guide and NLE Board Review use case walk through a full review structure. Confirm announcements with PRC.
FAQ
Is NP I still Foundations of Nursing?
No. On PRC's current programme, NP I is Community Health Nursing (care of individuals, families, population groups and community). Fundamentals of Nursing is one of the major subject areas the five tests draw on, not its own paper.
How much of the exam is straight recall?
PRC doesn't publish a split. Its programme tests outcomes like applying knowledge and performing safe care using the nursing process, so expect plenty of application — case scenarios that test whether you can pick the priority action — alongside definitions, normal ranges and legal provisions.
Do I need to memorise NANDA diagnoses verbatim?
No. Memorise the structure ("problem related to etiology as evidenced by manifestation") and the most common 30–40 nursing diagnoses. Recognising one when you see it is the actual skill.
Is the Code of Ethics tested heavily?
PRC doesn't publish topic counts, but practising within legal and ethical principles is one of the outcomes the exam tests. Know the Code's obligations to clients, co-workers, society and the profession, and the core ethical principles behind it — autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, veracity, fidelity and confidentiality.
Where to Go Next
Sources
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