Jessie Gabonpa 
“All hardships and sacrifices pay off. No hardwork is in vain for someone who truly works her way towards her goal. The journey can be so tough, but in the end, it is always worth it.”
This is Samar State University alumna Lorelie Charresse Pomentil’s takeaway about her journey and experience as she reaped laurels in the November 2022 Nurse Licensure Examination (NLE).
Pomentil, a 2022 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduate, Batch Tanzanite of the university’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CONHS), obtained an 89.40 examination rating, placing her fourth in the said board examination.
In an interview, the topnotcher shared her journey to becoming a registered nurse. She described her review journey as the best days— “intensive and all at the same time, exciting.”
Even before she graduated and enrolled in a review center, Pomentil shared that she already started buying study materials and doing self review in November last year, a year before she took the board exam, and concentrated on the most important and difficult nursing concepts.
“I took into consideration the most important and most difficult nursing concepts. I focused first on understanding, and later on mastery of those concepts. I paid [a lot of] time and attention [to] medical surgical (MS) nursing kasi po it eats up 2 NPs or Nursing Practice in the boards,” Pomentil uttered.
Early 2022, she began studying board subjects after enrolling in a review center and became an online review student. After her graduation in July this year, she traveled to Cebu City to continue her review on a face-to-face basis.
When asked how it made her feel to know that she had passed and topped the NLE, Pomentil said that until now, it feels surreal as it never crossed her mind.
“As I was waiting for the result, I had this peace of mind and wasn’t very anxious kasi based on how I took the exam, I felt na papasa naman ako. But it never really crossed my mind na magtotop ako. I mean, madaming ibang matatalino sa Pilipinas,” she expressed.
Pomentil said that she and her family were very shocked when they learned the news.
“Nag-iyakan and nagyakapan the moment I announced it to my family,” she shared.
Furthermore, the 22-year old newly registered nurse shared tips and pieces of advice to SSU’s nursing students and those who will be taking the NLE in the future.
She mentioned two things she had kept with her throughout her nursing journey— “Aral at Dasal”.
“Board exam is by the books, read your books. All questions are answerable, study is all it takes. Put the end in mind, the end goal is to pass and top the board exam, but may you also fall in love [with] the beauty of the learning process,” Pomentil stressed.
“Lastly and above all else, pray. The Lord’s sovereignty is above and beyond any man’s hard work and efforts. His mercy and grace makes everything possible to those who believe in Him,” she added.
Pomentil is the first-ever topnotcher of SSU-CONHS BS Nursing since the university produced graduates in 2006.
Jessie Gabonpa, Precious Nery | News Writers
