By Dr. Rex Casiple
Eighteen thousand five hundred twenty nine (18,529) out of 24,903 examinees nationwide, or 74.4%, passed in the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLE) given by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Nursing in the 16 testing centers in November 2022. This is higher than the June 2022 PNLE performance of 68.11% passing percentage.
West Visayas State University ranked number 1 in the national level with 100% passing percentage. University of Saint La Salle ranked number 5 (98.82%); Saint Paul University Iloilo ranked number 6 (98.8%); and Central Philippine University ranked number 9 (98.46%). Central Philippine University and University of Saint La Salle are Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Autonomous higher education institutions (HEIs) in Western Visayas.
Other top performing nursing schools in Western Visayas with 50 or more examinees and at least 85% passing are St. Anthony’s College of Roxas City (92.86%); Colegio San Agustin – Bacolod (90.59%); Riverside College (86.21%); University of San Agustin (86.19%); and Filamer Christian University (85.96%). University of San Agustin and Filamer Christian University are CHED Deregulated HEIs in Western Visayas.
Twenty five (25) board passers from Western Visayas were included among the successful examinees who garnered the 10 highest places in the national level: nineteen (19) from West Visayas State University (one Rank #2, one Rank #3, four Rank #4, three Rank #6, two Rank #7, five Rank #8 and three Rank #10); one (1) from University of San Agustin (Rank #7); three (3) from Colegio San Agustin – Bacolod (two Rank #9 and one Rank #10); one (1) from Riverside College (Rank #10) and one (1) from Saint Paul University Iloilo (Rank #10).
In the Regional level, 15 nursing schools in the Region out of 23, or 65%, performed high or with a passing percentage higher than that of the national level. This is higher than the June 2022 high performing school percentage of 57%. The Region produced 1,565 passers out of 1,814 takers, or 86.27% passing percentage. This is higher than the national passing percentage. There were 385 repeaters who took the said examination and 1,429 first takers. Repeaters passing percentage is 56.88%, while the first takers passing percentage is 94.19%. Eight (8) out of 10 examinees from the Region were first takers.
The increasing passing percentage in the PNLE in the country as well as in the Region showed that nursing education program in the Philippines is of good quality. This reflects the nursing schools’ full compliance with CHED standard requirements for Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Many of our nursing schools are existing many years ago and all are recognized and accredited by CHED and other private accrediting agencies under the umbrella of the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP).
One of the biggest challenges in the nursing education is the low salary of nurses compare to the other professions. And the oversupply of nurses in the country affected the employment opportunities of our new nurses. These are some of the reasons of the exodus of our quality nurses to other countries. In relation to this our government has been exerting efforts to address these needs of our nurses in the country today.
To increase their salary to attract them to work in our own hospitals and to prevent their exodus seeking for a greener pasture abroad. To expand the scope of nursing practice to encompass the nursing education service, research, and leadership and governance. Upgrading the country’s nursing profession sustains the Philippine’s leading role in the health-care labor market, and address its most pressing issues, such as unemployment and underemployment of nurses in the country and abroad. This will advance nursing education program and elevate the status of our nursing education in the country as a recognized producer of leaders, experts and authorities in the field of nursing.
