A bumper crop came from Cebu Normal University (CNU), which produced 12 of them, including the second placer, Kristen Erika Hife Pino, who earned a rating of 85.4.
CNU was among the nation’s top three performing schools with a 100 percent passing rate after all its 172 examinees hurdled the exam.
“This is a double victory. We are very happy that we sustained our passing rate and at the same time, we have 12 topnotchers,” said Dr. Glenn Pesole, CNU’s vice president for administration.
The third placer was Joey Gonzalez dela Torre Jr. of CNU who earned a rating of 85 percent.
There were five topnotchers from Velez College, one from Southwestern University and one from the University of Cebu or a total of 19 from Cebu schools.
On a national scale, the other two schools with a 100 percent passing rate were Chinese General Hospital College of Nursing and Liberal Arts with 207 examinees and the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila with 50 examinees.
A total of 27, 823 passed the Nursing Licensure Exam last June said the PRC, which posted results on its website.
Pesole, who is the OIC president of CNU, said the results validated the recognition given last year by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) which declared the school’s nursing program a Center for Excellence.
“We really screened our students. The second factor is our facilities, and the devoted teachers who used proper strategies to teach students,” Pesole said.
Each board topnotcher will receive a cash reward of P10,000 to P15,000 from the school, he said.
The faculty of CNU’s College of Nursing, were overjoyed by the results when Cebu Daily News called for comment.
Jillian Bejoc, a level III coordinator in the college, said this year’s batch of examinees did not only work hard in the review, but were active in extra-curricular activities.
“Although we’ve seen some who obviously performed well in academics, dili sila mopahalata sa ilang power. Kalma ni sila, (They aren’t showy about their abilities; they are a calm group).”
She said the school was fortunate to have attracted the best students.
CNU started its nursing program in 1982.
However, the heydey of high enrollment figures across the country has passed.
With an oversupply of nurses and slowdown in hiring abroad, good performance in the licensure exam is no guarantee of landing a job, said Pesoles.
He said new nurses need to be patient and persevere in applying for work as well as to demonstrate commitment to their profession.
“There are so many schools offering a nursing program, but hospitals that hire are few. Nursing graduates can’t also go abroad immediately,” Pesoles said.
He said student numbers are decreasing in a situation where several graduates and registered nurses are waiting to land a job.With Correspondent Tweeny M. Malinao