WE ARE back!

After six years of absence in the top 10, MMSU is back in the groove in the Nurse Licensure Examination, thanks to Class 2013 which turned in a staggering institutional passing record and produced a topnotcher.

Of the 149 takers from Class 2013, only three did not make it, resulting to a 97.98 success rate in the board exam held on Dec. 7-8 in Laoag City and other key cities around the country. Including one 2010 graduate who did not make the mark, MMSU’s passing percentage is 97.33 percent, making the institution the top 3 top-performing school in the country. The national passing average is 30.94 percent.

Top 4 passer
With a rating of 85.6 percent, Dharline Abbygale G. Agullana ranked fourth in the roster of topnotchers. She was the only honor (cum laude) graduate from the nursing program and one of only two academic awardees from CHS in 2013. Agullana graduated valedictorian in 2009 at the Ilocos Norte National High School-Special Science Class where Dane Mikhael Calica, who graduated summa cum laude and MMSU Class 2013 valedictorian, was her classmate. She is the eldest of three children of dad Arthur Jr., a lawyer who serves as clerk of court at the Bulwagan ng Katarungan in Batac City, and mom Madeline, an office staff at the Marcos Hall of Justice in Laoag City. The family is from Bangui, Ilocos Norte.

Agullana said that unlike many nursing students who were forced by their elders to take up the course, she really wanted to be a nurse. “It is in this field that I felt I have a purpose. I am neither a prolific writer nor an eloquent speaker. I am not also good in Mathematics. Ngem idi nag-nursingak ket nariknak a daytoy ti paglaingak (But when I took up nursing, I felt that this is really where I am good at),” explained the topnotcher who intends to undergo training in a local hospital and then later apply for nursing studies and employment in Australia.

Good preparation
Dr. Manolita S. Crisostomo, CHS dean, credits the batch’s good performance on their very good preparation. First, they had longer review time compared to last year’s takers, she said. Almost the entire class took the December examination while previous batches had more takers in June. Second, many questions on the fields CHS is currently focusing on – particularly on nursing research and pharmacology, including herbal medicines – came out in the questions, according to the feedback relayed by the passers to their mentors.

Elated with the results, President Miriam E. Pascua congratulated the passers and the CHS faculty members, for carrying on the beacon of excellence and for bringing pride to the university and to the region.

On Jan. 27, a testimonial program will be tendered for the successful examinees. The passers will take their oath before the Board of Nursing on Feb. 25 in Baguio City.

41 topnotchers
MMSU’s standing as No. 3 top-performing school is the second highest since the program started in 1976. The university was top 2 in 1999 and 2001. It also ranked third in 1996 and fifth in 1997.

From 1998 to 2013, the university has produced 41 top 20 placers, including one first placer (Elizabeth Grace Julian in 1997), two second placers (Mylene Macabiog and Leila Pante in 1994 and 2005, respectively), and a third placer (Karen Mae Ulep in 2005). Anwar Jan Garaza placed sixth in 2012.