This nationwide quiz bowl showcased the brightest nursing students from across the country
Last October 18, Metro Pacific Health (MPH), the largest group of private hospitals and healthcare facilities in the Philippines, held the Battle of the Nightingales (BOTN) Year 2 Finals at the Grand Ballroom of the Marco Polo Ortigas Hotel in Pasig City.
This edition marks the second national run of the Battle of the Nightingales, which began as a local quiz bowl at Zamboanga’s West Metro Medical Center in 2017.
MPH expanded the competition in 2022 to include all four of its hospitals in Mindanao, culminating in a national event in 2023 that involved 21 MPH hospitals across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao that ended with the BOTN National Championships.
The competition this year, which coincides with National Nurses Week every October, celebrates nursing excellence and fosters collaboration among MPH hospitals and nursing schools across the Philippines.
It successfully engaged 267 nursing students from 89 schools from across the country, culminating in a challenging championship for the nursing community’s remarkable talent.
The questions in the tournament included topics on community health and communicable diseases, maternal and child health, physiologic and psychosocial alterations (covering medical and surgical nursing), pharmacology and therapeutics, nutrition and diet therapy, mental health nursing, prioritization and delegation, research, as well as nursing leadership and management.
The competition featured a variety of questions, from multiple-choice questions to more complex scenarios.
Some questions required calculations, like using the Rule of Nines to determine the percentage of body burns. In one case, a patient with burns in various areas had 37% of their body affected.
Twelve teams qualified for the preliminary round of the championship, which includes St. Dominic College of Asia and Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
Clymene Joise Espiritu from the first school expressed, “We are very thankful that we are given an opportunity to join the Battle of the Nightingales, care of Metro Pacific Health. Maraming marami po kaming learnings, and along the way, we have built friendships and true and valued relationships with our peers and colleagues.”
Sofia Cris T. Vitor, a member of the latter university’s team, stated, “This event is a testament to the collective efforts, dedication, (and) passion that we all have for the profession of nursing.”
Although, only five schools made it to the finals and these were Cebu Technological University – Cebu City Medical Center, Tarlac State University, Riverside College, Our Lady of Fatima University – Lagro, and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM).
The Battle of the Nightingales Year 2 culminated in a thrilling competition with the following teams making the Top 3.
Tarlac State University, hosted by Central Luzon Doctors’ Hospital — composed of Bryan E. Gopez, Einjelle Mikaela V. Magno, and Lean Gelomy L. Raiz and coach Regie S. Jimenez, MSN, RN — finished second-runner up.
The team received PHP 25,000 in cash for the students, PHP 5,000 for the coach, and scholarships of up to PHP 50,000 for each student.
Ending as this year’s first runners-up are Stephen P. Ferrer, David Joshua P. Lomentigar, and Karhylle Khaye N. Abuel, and coach Kahlil Arbo, RN, MAN from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (hosted by Cardinal Santos Medical Center).
They were awarded PHP 50,000 in cash for the students, PHP 10,000 for the coach, and scholarships of up to PHP 75,000 for each student.
Last, and definitely not the least, are the champions of this year’s Battle of the Nightingales: Riverside College (hosted by Riverside Medical Center Inc.), represented by Chrissie Louise C. Demata, Bimi Marie M. Sortegosa, and Carl Lorenz Fajardo, and coached by Delilah F. Navarro, MN, RN.
The champion team received PHP 100,000 in cash for the students, PHP 20,000 for the coach, and scholarships of up to PHP 100,000 for each student.
Metro Pacific Health (MPH) is considered to be the largest network of private hospitals and healthcare facilities in the Philippines with 26 hospitals nationwide.
MPH emphasizes patient-centered care and innovative healthcare solutions and as the host of the Battle of the Nightingales, the company also aims to celebrate the nursing profession and inspire future generations to excel in the field.