LISID TAPONGOT ARTICLE

Monday, March 26, 2012 Do not deviate from your normal routine when reviewing for the board exam; Life is not all about work and no play. Linsid Angelou A. Tapongot, R.N. Top 2 December 2011 Nurse Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos. LICENSURE Exam Failure can be your passport to success, says one guidance counselor to a senior college student who had been placed under academic probation due to several academic deficiencies thus delaying his graduation to another year. Traditionally, the last two weeks of March are when commencement exercises or graduations are held at all levels of educational institutions. For those who are able to march the aisle this March, I congratulate you for this milestone. For those, for some reasons were unable to do so, do not be dishearten and read along for this column will take you to the success story of a so-called happy-go-lucky guy. The happy-go-lucky guy, as he calls himself, is none other than the 23-year old Linsid Angelou A. Tapongot. He is a graduate of the nursing program of Xavier University, a newly-registered nurse and was the second placer of the December 2011 licensure examination. Amazing, indeed! But if you imagine Linsid, as he is often referred to by the people around him, as someone like the typical nerdy guy wearing thick glasses, who is all about books, lecture notes and who busies himself with memorizing strange-sounding medical jargons among anything else, then think twice. The fact is, Linsid possesses neither of the said characteristics, according to the people close to him. In an interview with Linsid, he admits he spent six years in college. I was supposed to graduate in 2009 but because Ive grown uninterested in studying nursing on certain occasions, there were instances that I opted to go off-sem and so causing my two-year delay, he shares. It was only March last year that he earned his nursing diploma from XU. I may have considered myself a happy-go-lucky person in college and during graduation, I received no special medals or certificates other than a recognition as a loyalty awardee of my alma mater. But I believe I punctuated college the best way I could, he adds.

Linsid is the youngest of five siblings. In spite of everything, he maintains he had never been pressured by his parents and instead supported him in all his decisions. In a random interview among those who knew Linsid, one of his high school classmates described him as being spontaneous and naturally gifted. His lady classmate (who requested not to be named) recalled that among the many school activities theyve had in high school was an interclass contest in extemporaneous speech as part of their requirement in English class. According to her, their class was represented by Linsid and while representatives from other blocks engaged themselves in meticulous practice, Linsid had chosen to do things other than practice for the said competition to the point that he delivered his piece impromptu. He was unprepared, as his classmate recalled. But fortunately, Linsid managed to bring home the bacon. After graduating college, Linsid chose to review at Peak Review Academy and once again, he has left commendable memories among his teachers. According to Marivic Yamit, Peaks review director, Linsid was consistently among the top five performing students in her review class. Linsid had never been at top one and I did not expect much but I must say that he had always emanated genuine interest and motivation in passing the licensure exams. As a matter of fact, I have seen his dedication to his review as he had only been absent once from his class, she says. His classmates from the review class add that Linsid was also fond of debating with the lecturers. Linsid admits that during his review at Peak, he had no special preparation or rituals at all. I only studied Mondays to Fridays during the time of the review class. After the classes were over, I closed my notes and hit the gym. I did not even study at home or at night except when there was an upcoming post-test the next day. I also jogged early mornings and had gone to the movies on weekends. In short, I never broke away from my normal routine, he reveals. What really concerned me then during Linsids review was that often times, I caught him online on Facebook during the wee hours of the night. I then advised him to spend less time on FB, get enough sleep to remain sharp and to prepare for review the following day, Marivic adds. Another XU nursing graduate who also reviewed at Peak was Melanie Grace S. Go, who placed eight among the top 10 placers. The Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) had scheduled the two-day nurse licensure examinations on December 18 to 19, immediately a day after Typhoon Sendong hit Cagayan de Oro city, which was also among the designated regional testing centers set by PRC. Despite the unforeseen gravity of devastation brought by Sendong, the nationwide board examination must go on as scheduled. Linsid described during the interview the deplorable situations of his classmates and other exam takers during the actual day of the exam.

According to him, he had witnessed his classmates, especially those who live in Balulang areas and had been badly affected by Sendong, to come at the exam venues not wearing the prescribed nurses uniforms or who have not brought with them the admit-to-exam stamp as it had been either displaced or destroyed by the flood. Some were just wearing shorts and slippers but nonetheless, everyone was admitted to take the exam, he says. He reminisces: When Sendong hit, the flood water at our house had reached knee-level. Without further delay, I salvaged my admit-to-exam stamp by placing it to the highest point of our house. Luckily, the water-level did not continue to rise. Linsid says the board exam was nothing compared to the destruction brought by Sendong. Fast forward, during the middle week of February, after 42 working days, the PRC announced that 22,760 out of 67,095 or 33 percent passed the nursing board exams. For some, it was a post-Sendong blessing, especially for Cagayan de Oro takers as a total of 12 graduates from the citys schools of nursing -- Xavier University, Capitol University and Liceo de Cagayan University -- garnered the 10 highest spots. With a general average of 86 percent, Linsid was the sole holder of the second highest spot. However, when the results were released, Linsid says that most of his classmates and even teachers were in disbelief when they realized that he was at the second top spot as again, he is known as the happy-go-lucky guy. To date, Linsid has so many plans to untangle. At one point, he says he is considering graduate studies in nursing and a career in military service as a military nurse. But he is also open to the possibility of taking up medicine. In fact, he has already taken the National Medical Aptitude Test (NMAT). On March 17 this year, Xavier University held its 14th pinning and an exclusive oath-taking with Dr. Carmencita Abequin, chairperson of the board of nursing, as the administering officer. It was again another shining moment and another laurel added for XU especially for its college of nursing class 2011 that emerged with 11 topnotchers to include Angela Nicole Ocio at 7th place in the July 2011 exam. The so-called happy-go-lucky guy has indeed gone far and an epitome of hope. Linsid has this advice to would-be board exam takers or graduates: Do not deviate from your normal routine when reviewing for the board exam. Life is not all about work and no play. Even if you are talented or gifted but youre not hardworking, somebody else can outdo you even without those talents youve possessed. Hard work beats talents all the time. (Comments may be sent to polo.jounalist@gmail.com) Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on March 27, 2012.