CKC tops Samar private schools’ nursing exam passing rate

By GINA SUELLO-SORILO
March 15, 2008

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar  –  Christ the King College (CKC) has achieved the highest passing percentage of examinees among private nursing schools in Samar provinces in the December 2007 Nursing Licensure Examination conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Twenty-seven out of 54 first batch of examinees from CKC passed, giving the Catholic Franciscan educational institution a passing rate of 50 percent. The national passing percentage is forty-three percent.

Other private nursing schools in Samar like Colegio de San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila in Catarman, Northern Samar has 41 percent passing rate followed by Our Lady of Mercy College in Borongan City, Eastern Samar with 29 percent then Eastern Visayas Central College also in Catarman with 4 percent passing rate.

Only 26 board passers were presented to the media in the press conference held recently at the school’s audio-visual room.

The school’s nursing department dean Robelita Negradas-Varona said there are supposed to be 27 passers as published but there could be another one whose name was not just printed so she will formally communicate to the Board of Nursing to clarify this matter.

Those who successfully hurdled the exams are: Norman Balen, Blas Bartolome, Eustaquio Rente Biliran, Murphy Manlapaz, Roger Rostata, Elias Tomnob Jr., Marchelle Advincula, Lady Daryl Alandino, Ida Vanessa Bartolome, Mary Joy Kristine Bulan, Lovely Celada, Ruby May Copada, Liza Decenilla, Roxanne Guande, Lucille Icalina, Marilyn Omayon, Gale Orlansa, Roxanne Jane Perola, Cristina Jane Sandajan, Mia Suzette Sevallos, Glorimae Solano, Sharon Talahiban, Francia Mariz Tarrayo, Neloa Tarrayo, Joanna Kristine Torculas and Joy Thea Uyloan.

Nursing board passer Francia Mariz Tarrayo attributes the students’ success to the quality of education that their instructors have taught them apart from the lot of hard work and prayers.

“These batch here are very good students because with all the difficulties that we have they have done their best. First year, they have difficulty of the program like curriculum; second year, they don’t have dean and third year, they don’t have base hospital… kahirapan din ng buhay because college of nursing is more expensive than other colleges,” College President Fr. Prisco Cajes said.

Dean Varona pointed out that if only the curriculum was followed well, they will not only have a 50 percent passing percentage.

“When I came here, we had many problems especially on the curriculum. During their first two years, they really did not follow the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) standard curriculum,” she said adding that the subjects were disorganized. Some major subjects that were supposed to be offered in the third year were already being offered in the first year. However, it was already corrected and revised when the students were already in their third year of nursing.

The dean added that the preparation for the board examination actually did not start at the time when they are about to take it but when the students started their study as a first year nursing student in CKC. She said she really made it a point that all needed subject matters and topics were discussed so that once they will have the review it will not be a first view rather a review because they had already encountered it in the classroom.

The students had a three-month review in CKC before they went for a formal review in Iloilo. Fr. Cajes said the administration is hoping that CHED-8 will approve their application for the Our Lady of Porziuncola Hospital, Inc. (OLPHI), the only tertiary hospital in Calbayog to be the base hospital for their college of nursing so that the parents will not spend more in sending their children to Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo.

He added that they still have to improve the college of nursing as to its polices, curriculum, library and laboratory facilities as well as the faculty members. A dormitory for the fourth year students is set to be built aimed to help students concentrate on their study and review.

“My immediate concern here is that next year we were anticipating that our college of nursing first year will be like 200 students so we will need more room,” Fr. Cajes said.

He however said that they have to improve their admission process because they need not only students but good students who really focus on their study like the first batch.

Faculty member Elma Magoncia said it was not hard for CKC to attract enrollees in nursing because the community has been longing for the opening of its nursing department.

Asked if the target improvements will affect the tuition fee, the Father President said he has no plan to increase the tuition fee unless there is a mandatory increase of teachers and employees’ salary because the tuition is always connected with the salary.

Fr. Cajes also vowed to support the plan for those who did not pass the examination. The dean, who already met the non-passers said that some of them will go back to Iloilo for review while others who cannot financially afford are planning for a self-review which she will assist until they apply for the board examination in the PRC. She is proud that CKC hired a reviewer in nursing for the national board examination coming from their school.

“To be one step ahead of other schools, I think it needs a lot of effort on our part as instructors or as faculty members. In order for quality education to be achieved it is not only the faculty members’ responsibility but we also need the support of the administration especially in terms of the facilities,” Varona said.