Board exam performance reflects quality of teachers

CEBU, Philippines - The performance of nursing schools all over the country in the nursing board exam basically mirrors the quality of the schools’ faculty and training facilities, among others, as all nursing schools follow only one standard curriculum.

Norma Hinoguin, dean of the College of nursing of the University of the Southern Philippines (USP), said the passing rate of nursing schools would tell how the institution is implementing the curriculum prepared by the technical panel of the Board of Nursing in the country.

“We have been following only one curriculum since 2008 due to the CHED memo. Basically all nursing schools in the country are the same with regard to the curriculum. The difference is in the implementation of this curriculum,” she told The FREEMAN in an interview.

The Commission on Higher Education released memorandum number 5 series of 2008, which was modified in 2009, that mandates all “higher education institutions offering the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to conform to the standard curriculum embodied in the order, provided that program innovations shall be subject to prior review by the commission.”

Aside from faculty and training facilities, the school’s vision-mission and affiliate hospitals where the students do their related learning experience are other factors that can affect the quality of nursing graduates of a school, Hinoguin said.

As for USP, she said most of the members of the school’s faculty are masters’ degree holders, which is also a requirement by CHED. Its affiliate hospitals include tertiary hospitals Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu City Medical Center and Eversley Child Sanitarium.

Despite USP’s investment for quality education, the school’s tuition fee for nursing, like its other programs, is “competitive” and on the level with Southwestern University and Velez College.

Hinoguin said USP’s passing rates since its first batch of graduates in 2007 has been above the national passing rate. Its passing rate this year is 48 percent, which is higher than the national passing rate of 39.73 percent.

USP, she said, does not discriminate any of its nursing graduates from taking the nursing board exam.

“As long as they feel that they are ready to take the exam, we let them take the exam,” Hinoguin said. — THE FREEMAN