by Alexia Hernandez
Silliman University (SU) honored nursing graduate Czar Hannah Beliña for placing 9th in the nationwide November 2024 Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination (PNLE).
On Jan. 24, SU held a recognition ceremony for Beliña at the Leopoldo T. Ruiz Administration Hall.
SU President Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research Dr. Margaret Helen U. Alvarez, and SU College of Nursing (SUCN) Dean Dr. Theresa A. Guino-o presented Beliña with a check in recognition of her achievement.
With a score of 90.80-percent, Beliña was among the 83 successful examinees from the SUCN, maintaining the college’s 100-percent passing rate.
Moreover, she joined the rank of SUCN’s recent topnotchers, which includes Sherwin Keziah Portem (Top 7, May 2023), Jayne Belgrande (Top 9, May 2022), and Maria Christelle Gamo (Top 7, Nov. 2021).
Preparing for the PNLE
Beliña shared how she balanced her review process with part-time work and credited the clinical training during college that helped her prepare for the exam.
“I mentally prepared myself by taking a vacation because I knew that preparing for the board exam would take a lot of my energy. I then enrolled myself in a review program, which helped a lot because it provided me with structured lessons and practice exams,” she shared.
However, she admitted that keeping up with her batchmates while juggling work and review sessions was challenging
“I started [a] face-to-face review in the first week of September. At that point, I only had two months left to prepare, and I was so far behind my batchmates. Study-outs with friends became difficult; every time they would mention terms or mnemonics which I haven’t studied yet, I felt pressured,” she said.
At one point, she considered postponing the exam but pushed through with the support of her family and mentors.
Now working as a staff nurse, Beliña is focused on gaining experience and improving her skills.
SUCN’s commitment to consistency
SUCN Dean Dr. Theresa A. Guino-o emphasized that the college’s consistent performance stems from its commitment to ‘“producing competent professionals.”
“The preparation of SUCN is basically providing what the students need to prepare themselves to become excellent professional nurses. That is the main goal of the College of Nursing—not for them to pass the licensure exam, but in the process of them being prepared to be professionals, naturally, they [will] pass the licensure exam,” she said.
Meanwhile, Guino-o reaffirmed SUCN’s commitment to adapting to advancements in nursing education to sustain its “strong track record” in future licensure exams.
For the past decade, SUCN has consistently produced topnotchers and maintained a 100-percent passing rate in the PNLE.
