By Dr. Rex Casiple
One Sunday morning, my daughter shared that many of her nursing students passed the November 2024 Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLE).
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Nursing reported that 29,349 out of 34,534 examinees nationwide, or 85%, passed the exam conducted across 19 testing centers. This marked the highest PNLE passing rate in the past five years.
A total of 29,358 first-time examinees took the test, achieving a passing rate of 93.7%. Meanwhile, 5,141 repeaters participated, with a passing rate of 35.83%. Eight out of 10 examinees were first-time takers.
Saint Paul University – Iloilo and West Visayas State University ranked first nationwide, both achieving a 100% passing rate among schools with at least 100 examinees and a minimum of 85% passing percentage. West Visayas State University is recognized as a CHED Center of Development (COD) for Nursing Education in Western Visayas.
Other nursing schools that achieved a 100% passing rate for 100 or more examinees include the University of Santo Tomas, Xavier University, Cebu Doctors University, Velez College, Angeles University Foundation, Bicol University-Legazpi, Saint Paul University-Dumaguete, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, and Central Mindanao University.
In Western Visayas, top-performing nursing schools with 100 or more examinees and at least an 85% passing rate included Central Philippine University (97.58%), University of St. La Salle (97.32%), Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod (94.12%), Iloilo Doctors’ College (93.83%), Riverside College (93.07%), University of San Agustin (92.27%), St. Anthony’s College-Antique (87.5%), and Filamer Christian University (87.02%). Central Philippine University and the University of St. La Salle are CHED Autonomous Schools, while the University of San Agustin and Filamer Christian University are CHED Deregulated Schools.
Additional top-performing schools in the region with 50 to 99 examinees and at least an 85% passing rate included Aklan State University-Banga (97.37%), State University of Northern Negros (90.7%), and St. Anthony College of Roxas City (87.32%).
Several successful examinees from the region ranked among the top 10 nationally. These include Mary Catherine Seguiro Nakar of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (8th place), Ellisha Leigh Ibañez Perocho of the University of St. La Salle (8th place), and West Visayas State University graduates Ma. Irish Himan Silvestre (8th place), Robert Mathew Manzon Opong (9th place), Karen Joy Sobusa Oscares (9th place), and Richard Dahuyag Olano (10th place). The University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos is a CHED Deregulated School in Western Visayas.
At the regional level, 15 of 20 nursing schools, or 75%, achieved a passing rate higher than the national average. The region produced 2,281 passers out of 2,467 takers, resulting in a 92.46% passing rate, which exceeds the national rate. Among regional examinees, 2,299 were first-time takers with a 95.61% passing rate, while 168 repeaters had a 49.4% passing rate. Nine out of 10 examinees in the region were first-time takers.
The high passing rate for first-time takers in the November 2024 PNLE reflects the strong quality of nursing education in the country. Studies attribute this success to nursing schools’ adherence to CHED policies, standards, and guidelines for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
Congratulations to all the successful examinees!
