CDU asserts it still is top nursing school

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Doctors’ University yesterday asserted that it has maintained its standards following a report that it has failed to live up to its reputation as one of Cebu’s top performing nursing institutions.

Dominic Duja, Coordinator of Student Affairs, Publications and Public Relations of CDU said the university has always lived up to the high standards it has set for itself, as manifested by its overall placement as top two in the nursing licensure examinations from 2004 to 2008 with a 91.89 percent passing percentage.

“In the last Nursing Licensure Examination, November 2009, Cebu Doctors’ University is the only Cebu Nursing School who landed in the Top 20 of the National ranking by the Professional Regulations Commission,” Duja said in a statement. CDU placed 19th in the November 2009 exams.

CDU had a 73.24 percent passing rate in the November 2009 exams, the highest among nursing schools in Cebu with over 100 examinees. In the recent exams conducted on June 9, CDU ranked fifth among nursing schools in the country.

Meanwhile, Commission on Higher Education Executive Director Julito Vitriolo said there are more than 100 nursing schools around the country that would be closed by 2013 if their average board exam passing rate for the next three years would remain below 30 percent, the minimum set by CHED through Memorandum Order No. 14 Series of 2009.

CHED has already monitored 16 government schools that are offering a nursing course, but are reportedly not performing well.

Based on the PRC report, there are 464 nursing schools in the country, 253 of which reportedly have grades that fell short of the 40.70 percent national passing average.

The top three performing schools for 2009 that had more than 1,000 examinees include Far Eastern University- Manila, Centro Escolar University – Manila and Manila Central University in Caloocan City. Their passing rate was higher than the 40.70 percent national average.

Top schools with 100 to 999 takers include the Trinity University of Asia (Trinity-QC), University of Santo Tomas and Chinese General Hospital College of Nursing and Liberal Arts.   (FREEMAN NEWS)