16/10/2025
๐ฎ๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐, ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐
The midterm exams of the College of Health Sciences have just ended, and the echoes of exhaustion still linger in the hallways. Doubts have etched themselves into our posture, regrets whisper in the margins of our notebooks, and โwhat ifsโ weigh heavily on our shoulders. We replay the questions on community health nursing, the stages of labor, the protocols of surgical asepsis, and the pathophysiology of chronic illnessesโwondering if we shaded the right bubble and if we missed a single rationale. Stress became our constant companion, as if every mistake on paper could erase the countless hours we poured into mastering the science of care.
But when we step beyond the exam halls, the world awaiting us does not measure us by those scores. In the barangay health stations, mothers will not ask how we ranked in our batch because they will only remember the nurse who patiently explained the importance of exclusive breastfeeding. In the medical-surgical ward, patients will not care if we once confused the stages of wound healing on a test since they will only trust the vigilance of a nurse who monitors fluid balance, prevents pressure ulcers, and recognizes early signs of decompensation. In the operating room, no one will demand to see our exam papers for they will only feel the assurance of a student who maintains sterile technique and safeguards their dignity. In disaster zones, communities will not ask about our midterm mistakes as they will only see the resilience of health workers who triage, comfort, and lead amidst chaos.
Because the essence of our calling is not perfection on paper but presence in practice. The practices of nursing and midwifery extend far beyond the wards and delivery rooms. They live in every health teaching, every sterile dressing change, every advocacy for patient dignity, and every moment we choose compassion over convenience. Exams may test our recall, but the profession tests our humanity. And though we carry the quiet weight of long nights and unanswered questions, we rise. We rise because the true measure of our learning is not in the numbers we score, but in the lives we touch, the dignity we protect, and the healing we bring wherever human need calls.
To every student who endured, persisted, and gave their bestโ congratulations for the dedication and heart you have poured into this journey and may all of you continue to hone the quality of care you bring.
โ๏ธ: Yvrin Gabriel Lagcao
๐ป: Trisianne Dae Divinagracia
