Last December 16 and 17 mark the make or break moment of my life. It was the judgment day for us who graduated of Bachelor of Science in Nursing here in the Philippines.
Philippine Nursing Licensure Examination is the biannual exam conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission of the Philippines wherein almost 5 consecutive years there were about 30% of the takers pass. And I tell you it's not just an ordinary examination. It is an examination nightmare.
I reviewed for almost 6 months. I had my review at Equipp Review Center located in the vicinity of our city (in case you didn't know I live in Tacloban City in the province of Leyte). Almost all of my review mates were my batchmates. We reviewed concepts related to nursing and it's practice. Unlike the NCLEX of US, PNLE is a test and paper exam divided into 5 major parts and conducted for 2 days. For that 5 parts different areas of nursing are being tested to the examinee such as, Fundamentals in Nursing, Obstetrics, Pediatrics, Medical Surgical Nursing, Community Health Nursing, Nursing Research and among others.
Preparing for the exam is not just a piece of cake but rather a climb up a mountain. You need to review almost all areas of nursing. Things a nursing student studied from first year up to fourth year. It's like recalling of seven parts of Harry Potter books from cover to cover. And what is difficult is that you don't have any idea what questions will be asked.
We started our review sessions in Equipp on July 2012. We had lectures, post tests and a lot of post tests. It was really brain draining. It was exhausting. I wake up at 6 or 7 am to prepare and I go home around 5pm or even as late as 8pm, and it does not stop there, you need to review all that has been discussed (well, it's up to you, but it's my cup of tea). And I sleep VERY LATE, literally! Around 2am or 3am. Very tiring, indeed!!
On the night before our board exam I barely fall asleep. I think I haven't sleep at all. Really. It's as if my brain tells me something bad might happen and I must be awake the whole night. My testing center was not far from our place but my best friend who has a car fetch me at our house around 5am and we also fetch our other close friend, too.
We arrived at our testing center at exactly 5:30am. We were instructed to report to our designated rooms at exactly 6am (even though the test will begin at 7am - really strict..). We had 3 exams for that day and 2 on the other day. And the exam was really, really, really very difficult. I even told my parents that I will fail. I was very nervous and scared what will be the result. I was praying so hard not to fail. And if I fail I have so many plans in mind. (haha!)
The result came after 30 PRC working days. And my hardwork, perseverance, sleepless nights, pimples, no gimmiks, sacrifices paid off. Last January 30, 2012, PRC posted on their website the succesful takers of NLE and with the help of God, I passed the PNLE. I passed.Yes, I passed! =)
Until today everything seems surreal, especially an average student like me who wasn't expecting for this gift and recognition.
For all nursing graduates who will take the upcoming PNLE this June and to those aspiring nurses, my only advice is that work hard, study wisely, persevere and don't forget to pray. And if you fail, don't ever give up. Remember PNLE is not a test of knowledge but a test to ensure you are ready to be a nurse. I think what made me pass is my undying faith to God and my perseverance and hardwork not during the review sessions but rather during my college days. You must have that "stored knowledge" in you and the "test taking strategy" to pass any exam. I know I'm not in the position to tell some advice about passing the exam but it's just what I have observe and what I think is right. And at the end of the day, after all your sacrifices don't forget to pray.
To all who prayed and followed my NLE journey - THANK YOU!
