He wanted to be a chemical engineer but Bernard Vonn Kyle Icamen fulfilled his parents’ wish for him to enroll in a nursing course.
Icamen didn’t regret the decision and is more than happy with it after he landed third place in the May 2014 nursing licensure examinations held nationwide.
He registered an average score of 85.20. Icamen who hails from Punta Princesa, barangay Labangon, Cebu City graduated at Cebu Normal University (CNU).
He said there was pressure on him and his batchmates because it had been four years since all CNU examinees passed the examination. (The school aced it this year with a 100 percent passing performance.)
“If you are just a dedicated person then you can really achieve your goal. And don’t forget to pray and thank God,” Icamen said.
He said he didn’t have a particular study technique. “Mag-tuon ko kung naa ko’y ganahan nga tun-an (I would study when I wanted.) I was advised to study wisely,” Icamen said.
Different people, attitudes
When he was tired of reviewing, Icamen spent most of his time sleeping and surfing the Internet.
His internship in various hospitals also provided him with rich experiences.
“I met different people with different attitudes. Some of them were poor, rich, and sick. Along the way I realized that I am so blessed,” Icamen said.
When he was on duty at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), Icamen met a jeepney driver confined in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“I thought he would be bedridden but one time when I was about to cross the review center a jeepney suddenly stopped. I thought I did something wrong but I was surprised to see him and the feeling was great,” he said.
Not headed abroad
Icamen plans to take up medicine and isn’t considering to go abroad.
He graduated valedictorian at the Marie Erniste Elementary School and finished his secondary education at Cebu City Science High School.
His father manages a pharmacy in Cebu City while his mother stays at home. Icamen is the eldest and has a brother who is also taking up nursing at CNU.
Another topnotcher in the nursing exam, 20-year-old cum laude graduate Hazel Marie Echavez of Cebu Doctors University, said she didn’t expect to land in the top 10. Echavez landed in 9th place with an average of 84 percent.
Vacation
“I did not expect to be among the topnotchers because I really felt the pressure,” said Echavez, who hails from Maribojoc, Bohol province.
Echavez graduated class valedictorian at Sta. Cruz Elementary School. She later was the class salutatorian at Tagbilaran City Science High School.
Echavez said she spent most of her time traveling abroad with her family and didn’t have an intensive review. Her mother is a businesswoman while her father works as a civil engineer.
Rest, pray
“It was my first choice to take up nursing because I wanted to become a doctor ,” she said.
Echavez said she has no plans to work abroad.
“I want to relax first and prepare myself before taking up medicine. I want to spend time with my family,” she said.
When asked about her study technique, Echavez said it’s best for examinees to develop their own system rather than rely solely on formal review classes.
“Sleep and give your brain time to rest. Always have time with your family and pray, pray, pray,” she said.
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