By NORMAN C. CAGUIOA

SAN CARLOS CITY— The Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation (VMUF) here started the year with a bang when one of its fresh graduates landed 9th place among the 19,712 successful examinees in the Nurse Licensure Examination given by the Board of Nursing of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

A total 40,147 nurse-hopefuls took the examinations conducted last December 2006 in 11 cities nationwide

The VMUF identified the 9th placer as Joyce Ann Pablo-Cabading of Umingan, Pangasinan who posted an average rating of 86.40 percent.

Dean Gloria P. Banaag of the college of nursing said that aside from Cabading, 69 other examinees from VMUF were in the list of the 19,712 new nurses.

Recently, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in cooperation with the Educational Statistics Task Force of the PRC released the performance ratings of nursing schools in licensure examination for the past five years reckoning from year 2001 to 2005. VMUF was on top among nursing schools in Pangasinan and was ranked third in the entire Region I.

The VMUF-College of Nursing is the only school of nursing in Pangasinan with 2nd reaccredited Level II status awarded by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities-Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA).

Dr. Ma. Lilia P. Juan, president of the VMUF and Dr. Angelo B. Juan, vice-president for administration congratulated the university’s College of Nursing for maintaining academic excellence..

The lady president also commended the 22-year old Pablo-Cabading and the latest batch of nurses for giving another feather to the VMUF cap.

The VMUF is the only school of nursing in Pangasinan with a tie-up with University of Hawaii Nursing Department. It will offer Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) this coming summer to cater to the growing number of nursing professionals in the region and its environs.

The university has been obtaining 100 percent passing average in the medical and paramedical examinations and also excelling in the field of academics, cultural and even in sports competitions. VMUF was founded by (the late) Doctors Martin and Rosalina Posadas.