THE COLLEGE of Nursing has suffered a considerable drop in its passing rate in the Nursing licensure examinations— from 99.7 percent last year to 92. 3 percent last June. The passing rate is the College’s lowest in 54 years as only 300 out of 325 passed.
Last year, 334 out of 335 examinees passed the board exams.
Despite the decrease in passing rate, 18 Nursing alumni made it to the Top 20.
Evalour Galia, a magna cum laude graduate, placed third with a score of 86 percent. The other Thomasians in the top 20 were former Nursing Central Board of Students president Earl Francis Sumile, sixth (85.6); Rosario Pineda and Rosario Pinkie Siapno, eighth (85.20); Ralph Majora and Gaudee Vine Cocjin, 11th (84.6); Iris Mignon Padiernos, Jillian Marie Socorro Santos, and Diana Elena Quing, 14th (84); Ethel Grace Fernandez, 15th (83.8); Caroline Diane Alarcon,16th (83.6); Arnolyn Bautista and Jenny Jimenez, 17th (83.4); John Paul Bernardo, Gian Carlo Torres, Brenda Uy, and Ronald John Francisco, 18th (83.2); and Ruby Vanessa Ramiro, 20th (82.0).
College of Nursing Dean Glenda Vargas cited overconfidence and irregular attendance in review classes as the main factors that caused the drop. “We never had a complete attendance during the review classes, which I think could be a factor,” she said.
Vargas also noted that the examinees were mostly shifters from the College of Science and the College of Rehabilitation Sciences.
“This batch is composed of a lot of shifters from Science and P.T. Maybe, since (Nursing) is only their second choice, they are probably not in their best when they took the exam,” Vargas said.
However, Vargas said this batch received the same treatment as the previous batches.
“The College gives them what they need. The tests and screening we give are the same, but it is up to (the students) what they make of it,” Vargas said.
Despite the decline in performance, the College’s status as a Center of Excellence will not be affected because UST still had the most number of passing graduates.
“Even if the passing rate did drop, there are still a few who made it to the Top 20. Besides, those who took the first and second place are Medicine graduates who took the licensure, so for us, Evalour is still the number one,” Vargas said.
Vargas said they have already contacted those who did not make it so they could attend the review classes and take the exam in December. She noted that they are still going to give the same review classes.
Meanwhile, Faculty of Engineering alumnus Alexander Tan got a score of 87.5 percent to place fifth in the Electronics and Communications Engineering licensure examinations last April.
However, the total number of UST graduates who took the exams is not yet available as of press time.
Last year, Jake Baluyut got a rating of 86.90 percent to place seventh. Jennifer B. Fortuno and Teodoro Lorenzo A. Fernandez
