Emmanuel College graduate aces NCLEX-PN

The first Emmanuel College of CNMI graduate to take the national licensure examination for practical nurses passed the grueling test less than six months after completing the 11-month comprehensive program.

Sarah Jane D. Santos finished Emmanuel College’s Vocational Nursing Program in November 2008 as part of the first ever group of 20 locally-educated and trained practical nursing graduates. She took the NCLEX-PN on May 8 and got the results on May 11.

Santos also attended and completed the free two-week NCLEX Review Program provided by Emmanuel College with expert reviewers Ramon and Elsa Factor, whose track record as nursing instructors have been impeccable.

Married to Jefferson, a registered nurse at the Commonwealth Health Center, Santos shares this feat with her husband and their two daughters.

“I never had a doubt in my mind and in my heart that I want to be a nurse and when I heard of the 11-month program at Emmanuel College, I just knew I should be in the program,” she said.

Santos said she hopes to find job as a nurse at the Commonwealth Health Center “to share with the community what I have learned from the 11-month program at Emmanuel College where we were taught that nursing is truly a work of heart.”

“I dedicate and share this honor with Emmanuel College for providing me the foundation of my dreams. I always said to myself back when I was a student at Emmanuel College that I should give time to my studies and implement what my instructors have taught me. I also dedicate my success to my husband who was with me every step of the way,” she added.

Santos, along with her fellow vocational nursing graduates, was honored with a commemorative resolution by the CNMI House of Representatives. HR No. 16-70, adopted by the CNMI House of Representatives on Dec. 4, 2008, was sponsored by Reps. Justo S. Quitugua, Edwin P, Aldan, Oscar M. Babauta and Francisco M. Dela Cruz.

Emmanuel College board chair Sedy Demesa thanked the legislators for their support in the institution’s nursing program and its efforts to improve the employability of the local workforce.

“Nursing offers immense employment opportunities, as well as exceptional financial and professional advantages and we would like to make these opportunities accessible to the people of Saipan, Tinian and Rota,” she said.

Emmanuel College’s Vocational Nursing program is approved and accredited by the CNMI Board of Nursing for a total of 1,564 hours of theory and clinical training for entry-level employment in hospitals and other healthcare settings.

Touted as one of the most financially rewarding professions in the world today, nursing does not only offer an employment opportunity but also presents financial and professional advantages.

The average licensed nurse in the U.S. earns between $43,370 and $63,360 a year—some even earn as much as $71,000 to $113,000 a year. The majority of nursing jobs come with good benefits as well. Plus, in an effort to attract and retain more nurses, many employers offer signing bonuses, as well as family-friendly work schedules and subsidized training.

Imbued with the determination to bring American education closer to students in the Asia-Pacific region, Demesa established Emmanuel College, which commits to recruit, educate, graduate and assimilate individuals into the nursing profession.

Emmanuel College also holds strong partnerships with some of the West Coast’s biggest employers of healthcare professionals and other U.S.-based companies engaged in various activities such as real estate, construction, staffing and others. With these partnerships, Emmanuel College—through Emmanuel Staffing—can help facilitate employment in the U.S. mainland of its nursing graduates upon compliance with existing federal immigration rules and regulations. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]