A GRADUATE from the Southwestern University (SWU) PHINMA secured the 10th place in 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 sunk 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 that passing the licensure exams, let alone becoming a topnotcher, felt surreal; yet, he saw the achievement as a full circle moment.
“I had no idea how quickly things were occurring because when I was studying in 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 that 10,764 out of the 14,346 examinees, or 74.94 percent, successfully hurdled the NLE.
Arcipe revealed that he did not expect to make it to the list of topnotchers since he did not want to put himself under much pressure.
However, he said his loved ones were constantly wishing him well in the licensure exams, which fueled him to do his best.
“Their positive talks and manifestations for me to pass the licensure examinations and even to become a topnotcher really boosted me,” he said.
Arcipe said he wants to take a master’s degree in Nursing, while pursuing his professional career by taking advantage of the job opportunity offered by his alma mater.
Cristin Bagang Pangan from the University of the Philippines-Manila topped the examination with a rating of 91.60 percent.
The top five performing schools with 100 percent passing rate are the Pamantasang 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 and 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 and Zamboanga.
The PRC said the date and location for the oathtaking of the newly passed nurses have yet to be announced. (KJF WITH TPT)