Nursing Licensure Examination: CNU grad best nurse

CEBU, Philippines — After eight years, Cebu Normal University is celebrating again a historic milestone after Chariemae Nuñez Cañazares garnered the highest score (92.6%) among the 29,349 passers in the November 2024 Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination (PNLE).

And her call for is for working conditions of nurses to improve and for salary offers to increase.

Yesterday, in a media appearance along with her fellow CNU topnotchers, Cañazares said the primary issue they have observed in nursing in the Philippines is the imbalance between working conditions and salaries.

“Ang amoang call, to make it very simple, (is) improve working conditions for nurses and also improve offers sa ilang salary. Unta pod mo-coincide ang sweldo sa ilahang workload,” she said.

Despite this concern, she and five other CNU topnotchers expressed their commitment to serve and give back to the country.

“As of the moment I have two options, either mo-proceed ko og medicine or mu-practice ko og nursing dinhi,” said Cañazares, their batch’s top 1 student.

The Balamban native also shared a message to aspiring nursing students and those aiming to top the board exam.

“Enjoy the journey and at the same time take your lessons and concepts seriously and absorb them,” Cañazares said.

She added that her four years in college served as the "best foundation" for a smooth-sailing three to five months of review for the board exam.

She revealed that Dr. Emiliano Ian B. Suson II, the former dean of their college, was the one who inspired and motivated her to aim for the top spot. She said that Dr. Suson pushed her to achieve more, which gave her the drive to excel and become a topnotcher.

The Professional Regulation Commission announced the PNLE results yesterday.

The other CNU graduates who placed in the Top 10 were Marc Emmanuel Arepal Estillore (91.80 %), top 4; Jaymi Loise Basilla Abellana (91.60%), top 5; Liza May Collamar Salas (91.40%), top 6; Laarni Jane Acibo Durango (91.20%), top 7; Mae Jyn Bartido Rosalita (91%) and Mary Angelique Jore Tabasa (91%), top 8; Roy Justin Harani Erandio (90.80%), top 9; and Jeremiah Paul Capangpangan Ureta (90.60%), top 10.

These topnotchers are among the 71 “Batch Halcyon” examinees of CNU, who all passed the PNLE, making the school as among the top performing schools of the country among those with 50 to 99 examinees.

This marks the 13th straight year that CNU’s CNU College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences achieved a passing rate of 100%.

In an interview, Dr. Laurence Garcia, CNU College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences dean, said there is actually no secret ingredient to CNU’s preparation in producing topnotch graduates in every PNLE.

He said CNU makes sure that the students are “well taken care of” while they are at the university for four years.

“They are treated not just as students but as children. They have their advisers, level coordinators, and the Parents-Teachers Association,” Garcia said.

“So, the coordination between the students, the parents, and the faculty members I think, is what makes them feel at home,” he added.

“I think mao nay pinaka importante nga recipe for success kay students would feel nga wala sila pasagdi. This is our way to ensure nga ang investment sa government, dili masayang,” he further said.

He said that annually, they receive at least 5,000 applications, but only 100 of them are accepted because as a state-funded university, CNU has limited slots for nursing students.

“So, these students, kung naa pay cream of the crop, they are the creamiest,” Garcia said.

Also, just like Cañazares, Estillore said he wants to take up a doctor of medicine degree or work as a nurse in the country.

He said she was grateful for his sister, Guadamarie Angeli, who was also a CNU topnotcher and a topnotcher in the June 2012 PNLE.

“She always inspires me to be greater than her, to do my best and she never pressured me to become a topnotcher, but she guided me” he

Durango and Erandio, on the other hand, shared similar thoughts, which is to practice nursing in the Philippines first to gain experience before exploring other opportunities, as they believe there are many paths available for nurses.

“I am interested in exploring other options that I have through my license and from thereon I will see…what my options could be, whether to go abroad or not,” Durango said.

She said that her father and her brother were always there to support her, especially during her review sessions leading up to the board exam.

“I owe this to my mom who is already in heaven, I believe that she is my angel who has gotten me not only the review journey but also my entire nursing journey in CNU,” Durango said.

Erandio, on the other hand, expressed his gratitude to his family members for their unwavering support throughout his nursing journey.

He said that despite his family members being based in Leyte, with his father working abroad, they always made sure to check on him and provide encouragement, never failing to support him every step of the way.

Abellana, for her part, said she sees herself working as a nurse in the Philippines rather than abroad. She said she had her doubts about being a nurse but her family encouraged her to to do her best and follow what her heart wanted.

“In my immediate family, I am the first healthcare-related professional. So, I have to thank my family. They didn’t pressure me….(they) supported me in everything that I did,” she said.

Tabasa, meanwhile, expressed her desire to stay in the country and pursue further education, such as a master’s degree in nursing.

She dedicated her achievement to her grandmother, who passed away a week after her graduation last May.

“It was a bit heavy for me to start the review without her. Pero during the review I really realized nga it was through her,” she said.

Since their batch started online classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Tabasa shared that her grandmother, a doctor by profession, served as her personal teacher at home.

When her grandmother got sick, she became her first patient, and Tabasa took care of her, noting that it was a hands-on learning experience.

“All of my achievements in college are definitely because of her… The moment I passed the board exam, she was the first person that I really want to hug but wala na siya,” Tabasa said.

“Mamita, if you are listening, thank you for being my teacher in college and for being my first patient,” said Tabasa as tears fell from her eyes.

Cash reward

For her feat, Cañazares will receive on Dec. 5 a P100, 000 cash incentive from CNU, as an award for her exemplary performance.

Meanwhile, the CNU topnotchers who placed second to fifth will get P60,000 each while the rest would get P40,000 each.

Aside from the CNU students, the PNLE topnotchers who are also from Cebu schools are Roxxane Virgie Bebanco Libron (Top 9) from Cebu Doctors University, and Adrianne Lauren Torres Ozaraga and Kert Bea Labus Rom, both from Velez College and both ranking 10th

Aside from CNU, Cebu Doctors' University, with 200 examinees, and Velez College, with 168 examinees, also achieved a passing percentage of 100%, making them among the top performers among schools with 100 or more examinees, according to the Professional Regulation Commission.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Medical Center and Cebu Institute of Technology-University were also declared as top performing schools after garnering a passing rate of 98.59% and 97.96%, respectively, in the said examination.— (FREEMAN)