Beyond Doubt: #ProudViscan Jazz Excell Remedio places 10th in August 2026 nursing board

Becoming a registered nurse was already a dream fulfilled for Jazz Excell M. Remedio. 

Placing 10th nationwide in the August 2026 Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination (PNLE) was icing on the cake.

The youngest of her family from Cansumbol, Bilar, Bohol, Jazz earned a 90.40% rating, placing 10th nationwide and becoming the lone topnotcher from Visayas State University (VSU) in the recent nursing board.

Behind the achievement lies a journey marked by uncertainty, failure, hard work, and faith.

“I think it was about not thinking that you can't do it. It's about not giving up. And doing your best in everything that you do,” Jazz said in an interview.

Finding her way to nursing

Nursing was not Jazz's first choice.

When she was deciding on a college program, she and her family considered the medical field, including medical technology and nursing. She initially hoped to pursue medical technology through a scholarship, but when she did not pass the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) scholarship, she took it as redirection.

She began asking herself what she really wanted to do.

“I really love to talk to patients, to people, to know their stories, know their experiences. And to be able to care for them. So that they can lift their burden when they are suffering or when they are in a bad state,” Jazz revealed.

That led her to nursing.

She applied to Cebu Normal University but did not make it.

Then VSU opened its doors to her.

“And VSU said, yes. Thank you, VSU,” she recalled.

What first felt like a series of disappointments eventually brought her to the program where she would discover more about herself, both as a student and as a future nurse.

A difficult nursing journey

Jazz described her years at VSU as a “wild ride.”

She entered nursing school shy and with low self-esteem. She found the lessons difficult and struggled to communicate confidently with her classmates.

The pressure also grew as she progressed through the program.

From around 120 students who started BS Nursing, only 50 eventually graduated and took the board examination, according to Jazz.

For her, one of the biggest challenges was not only keeping up with the academic demands but also dealing with her own doubts and pressures from others.

“VSU always recorded a 100% passing rate. Imagine, if you break a rating for many years, so it was a pressure,” she said.

Her most difficult year came in her third year when she failed a midterm examination in one of her subjects.

She was afraid to tell her family.

She first opened up to her brother, who encouraged her to tell their parents. She called her parents. Instead of being disappointed, her parents comforted her and reminded her that there is still hope and a chance.

With their support and prayers, Jazz took her removal examination. She passed.

That experience became a turning point.

“I did my best in my studies. I studied hard to pass all my subjects,” she said.

From then on, she carried the lesson with her: work harder, keep going, and do not give up.

Preparing for the board exam

After graduation, Jazz spent four months preparing for the PNLE.

Her review period was filled with lectures, practice examinations, recalls, and late-night studying. 

“It’s exhausting, but at the same time enjoyable. It’s a whole day lecture, we have to listen and you have to study everything,” she recalled.

But for Jazz, studying did not mean pushing herself without limits.

She had a plan, a schedule, and she also took breaks and watched her favorite shows and had enough sleep.

Still, there were moments when she doubted whether her preparation was enough.

Some days, she received low scores on practice exams and felt discouraged.

She kept reminding herself to trust the work she had already done.

One of the most difficult parts of the actual examination was Nursing Practice II, which focused on maternal and child health.

After the examination, she spent much of the break overthinking her answers and praying.

“Lord, please,” she kept telling herself.

She could only surrender the rest to God.

A result she did not expect

When the PNLE results were released, Jazz was at home.

She had stepped away from social media.

“I uninstalled my Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram before the release of the results, I was just literally sleeping and locked my room,” she said.

PNLE results were released at 1:00 AM.

Her brother was the first to see the results.

Then came the call and knock on her door.

Jazz had placed 10th nationwide.

Her first reaction was not disbelief over the ranking, but gratitude.

“Milagro gyud sa Ginoo,” she said.

For Jazz, the result answered the prayers she had carried throughout her nursing journey.

She had already surrendered the outcome after taking the examination. Whatever the result, she believed she had done her best.

The top 10 finish was an unexpected bonus.

“I wanted to be a registered nurse. Finally, the Lord gave me a bonus, topnotcher pa gyud!” she said.

She also became the first topnotcher in her family, bringing pride to her parents, who are both teachers, and her brother, an electrical engineer.

More than becoming a topnotcher

For Jazz, however, the title is not the most important part of her achievement.

She wants to become a nurse who is safe, patient, and willing to advocate for her patients.

During her clinical duties, she saw patients who struggled to speak for themselves. This made her want to become someone who could help communicate their needs.

“I really want to be someone to become their voice,” she said.

Now a registered nurse, Jazz is gaining experience at a rural health unit, where she is learning more about community healthcare.

She hopes to continue building her skills and experience while staying close to her family.

For now, she is focused on the present and is open to where the next few years may take her.

Finding strength in music and art

Aside from her nursing passion, Jazz always loves music and art.

Singing is her way of recharging and getting rid of pressure and stress from academics.

“I really love to sing pero og sa istorya or to communicate, mauwawon jud ko. Nailhan rako sa amo department na someone na mokanta, na katigo mokanta. But, it’s okay for me to be known ana,” she fondly recalled.

She joined The Voice of VSU 2024 and was first runner-up.

It was another part of her VSU experience that helped her build confidence.

Going beyond her limits

If Jazz could talk to herself who was still preparing for the board, she would tell her to continue at her own pace and be less hard on herself.

“I would tell her that everything is worth it. Unta, you lessen your negativities, I would tell her that every struggle, every pain is part of something big in the future,” she said.

Every struggle, every pain, every moment of doubt, and every time she questioned her capabilities became part of her journey.

Asked to describe her journey from Bilar, Bohol to VSU and eventually to the PNLE top 10, Jazz chose one word: transcendence.

For her, it means going beyond the limitations she had placed on herself.

She used to believe she couldn't do certain things. Yet, one by one, she found herself doing them.

Her story, she said, taught her to go beyond what she thought she could do.

And now, as she begins her career as a nurse, Jazz hopes to carry that lesson with her.

For the next generation of Viscans who may feel that they are not smart enough to achieve something big, she has a simple message: believe in yourself, keep your faith, and do your best.

“Do what you want with love,” she said, noting that the PNLE was not the finish line. It was only the beginning–one shaped by faith, strengthened by struggle, and guided by the courage to go beyond what she once thought was possible.

Her achievement is now a part of VSU’s nursing program. 

In the August 2026 PNLE, VSU attained another victory as it recorded a 100% passing rate and placed VSU among the first of top-performing schools in the nation under PRC’s category for schools with 50-99 examinees.

This article is aligned with United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3: Good Health and Well-being, and SDG 4: Quality Education.

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