“In every Nurse Licensure Examination (NLE) that our graduates take annually, we dream big and we aim high,” Xavier Ateneo College of Nursing dean Dr Ramona Heidi C Palad emphasized in her message to the academic community, after garnering their seventh consecutive perfect passing rate in the NLE.

A total of 19 XU Nursing graduates passed the November 2017 NLE, given by the Board of Nursing in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Pagadian, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga.

“We know that a dream does not become a reality through magic or a secret formula," Palad said. "We work hard to attain it. We pray fervently and believe that we can make success a hopeful possibility."

The college dean also believes that success lies in efforts. “We vow to continue this tradition of excellence. It is an experience one can get at Xavier Ateneo,” she iterated.

The Professional Regulation Commission reported that only 5,875 out of 12,869 passed the said licensure exam, reaping a national passing rate of 45.65%.

Xavier Ateneo president Fr Roberto C Yap SJ earlier extended his congratulations to the College of Nursing and its graduates through the years.

“We thank once again dean Dr Ramona Heidi C Palad, the faculty, and staff of the College of Nursing for the superb guidance and steadfast support they provide our students,” Yap said.

“Congratulations to our new Xavier Ateneo nurses! May you grow in tender compassion and sensitive charity so you will become more and more instruments of God’s healing grace. Ad majorem Dei gloriam!”

In June 2017, Xavier Ateneo garnered 100% passing rate and soared high as the top performing college among the schools with 50 or more examinees in the country, after all her 60 examinees successfully passed the NLE.∎

(Dr Ramona Heidi C Palad, dean of the Xavier Ateneo College of Nursing, photographed for The Crusader Yearbook.)