A GRADUATE from Southwestern University Phinma (SWU Phinma) has made history after securing the 10th place in the list of passers of the May 2023 Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE).
With an average rating of 89.60 percent, Nathaniel Dean Gador Arcipe from Moalboal town in southwestern Cebu is the lone Cebuano topnotcher.
"It still feels like a fever dream. It has not sunken in yet that I was able to achieve such feat," Arcipe told SunStar Cebu on Saturday, June 10, 2023.
Arcipe graduated from SWU Phinma’s College of Nursing in June 2022. He was a university scholar.
He said passing the licensure exams, much alone becoming a topnotcher, feels surreal, yet, he saw the achievement as a full circle moment.
"I did not anticipate how fast paced the happenings were because when I was studying college, it felt like it was a very slow process. I admit it was not an easy path to get here," Arcipe said.
"Now that I have obtained the license, it feels like it is an end of an era. I think I am now onto the next chapter," he added.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Saturday, June 10, that 10,764 out of the 14,346 examinees, or 74.94 percent, passed the NLE.
Arcipe said he did not expect that he will make it to the top 10 as he did not want to put himself under pressure.
But he said his loved ones were constantly wishing him well to perform well in the licensure exams, which fueled him to do so.
"Their positive talks and manifestations for me to pass the licensure examinations and even to become a topnotcher, it really boosted me," he said.
Arcipe said he wants to proceed studying to achieve his master’s degree in Nursing while pursuing his professional career, as he was offered a job opportunity by his university.
Cristin Bagang Pangan from the University of the Philippines-Manila topped the examination with a rating of 91.60 percent.
Meanwhile, there are five top performing schools with a rating of 100 percent passing rate. These are Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila with 195 passers; Angeles University Foundation with 157; Cavite State University with 143; Bukidnon State University with 87; and Southern Luzon State University-Lucban with 61.
The licensure exam was conducted by the Board of Nursing in different locations in the country on May 28 to 29, including Cebu.
Other testing sites were in the National Capital Region, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Pagadian, Palawan, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, Zamboanga, and Palawan.
The PRC also stated that the date and location for the oathtaking ceremony of the newly-passed nurses have yet to be announced. (KJF)