Benguet State University has surpassed the national passing rate in the Nutritionist-Dietitians Licensure Examination (NDLE) held in November 2023. It listed a passing rate of 82.76% with a total of 48 successful examinees.

Of the BSU successful passers, 46 are first-time takers and two are re-takers.

Daisy T. Viray, chairperson of the Department of Human Nutrition (DHN), along with DHN faculty members, were delighted with the board exam results saying that BSU graduates once again demonstrated their quality and competence in the said exam. “We are proud that we, not only surpassed the national passing rate, but there is also a 5.7% increase from last year’s rating for our first-time takers,” she said.

She shared that the best practices employed in preparation for the licensure exam had greatly contributed to the performance of the University. According to her, they use a curriculum with a variety of mechanisms to ensure that students stay up-to-date with developments in the field of nutrition and dietetics. Relevant instructional tasks and sound assessment procedures are also practiced in their department. She added that the launching of the enhancement course was among the contributory factors in maintaining a higher than the national passing rate performance.

Aside from providing the academic needs of students in preparation for their licensure examination, Viray added that they also encourage them to persevere despite the challenges in the realization of their dreams.

Maria Teresa F. Ramos, who is among the BSU examinees, said she did not expect to pass the exam but it was a dream come true for her to become a licensed professional in her field.

“I know that someday, I can help many people with this profession - the kind of help I wish my father had when he was still with us. That was when I wanted to become a professional Nutritionist-Dietitian,” she shared.

Before becoming a registered nutritionist-dietitian, entering college was not easy for her due to financial constraints. She shared that she needed to work and wait for her sister to finish her studies first before enrolling in college. Yet she was thankful for the free quality tertiary education act and being one of the Tertiary Education Subsidy-Tulong Dunong Program (TES-TDP) grantees, which helped her financially in her studies.

When asked about her ‘secret’ to the success of the licensure examination, she said making it to the exam needs prayer, time management, and discipline.

“I admit that my review journey has not been perfect because most of the time, I have been overthinking, locking myself in my room the whole day. I also had doubts that I might not pass the licensure exam because I had low scores in the mock exam. But every time these thoughts overwhelmed me, I cried and prayed. This will be one of my living testimonies because the Almighty has been with me through this journey,” Ramos added.

Ramos dedicates her success to her supportive family and the Filipino people and she assured to help in combating malnutrition in the country.

“First, I want to dedicate this success to my ever-supportive family, who have been there with me since the start of this journey. Secondly and lastly, to our kapwa Pilipino who needs primary help. We have been learning about the Philippines' malnutrition situation during my undergraduate years, which was disheartening. And so, I told myself that when I become a professional, I will do everything to the best of my ability to extend my hand to those in need,” she expressed.