filipino med schools 2

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WaZoBia

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might as well get the ball rolling, bring on the comments :D
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As stated in a previous thread, Med school is what you make of it. If you are coming from another country, treat it like a second chance to become a doctor like all the Caribbean med schools. It does not matter which school you choose as long as you study your arse off (sorry for the language) from day 1 of med school. You have to be comfortable in your chosen school. Don't be engulfed by false school pride and be miserable just to prove a point. You can find "quality" education anywhere if you work hard for it.
As GoldenAsn said, UST has been around for hundred of years. It is still the most well-known school in the country. They will never lack applicants so don't expect them to treat you with kid gloves.
 
that's true. regardless of where u came from (the med school you graduated), you work with other colleagues for the benefit of your patients. :)
 
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I have been out of the loop for about a year. Been real busy as Chief, now assistant professor and a being a new dad. Its good to see how many have been involved in this thread and posting replies.

I now have a much different perspective on Philippine medical education, having completed residency, now teaching both residents and medical students.

I have worked with or taught residents from various medical schools across the Philippines. Except for the truly truly gifted, most, including me will be a little overwhelmed at the begining. Not because or education was substandard, it was just different. Different way of teaching, different expectations, different medical problems encountered.

So is there any medical school truly better than the other... probably not. its more up to the individual. My advice, is work hard, stay humble. Study harder than you ever have. But expect that if you do residency abroad, i.e. the US. You will be overwhelmed at first.

But what will separate you from other residents, is how you quickly you adjust. Will you rise to the challenge, will you get caught up in self doubt, will you be satisfied in graduating. Will you continue to read to expand your differential diagnosis and management skills. Or will you sit on your laurels and do just enough to graduate from residency.


Now in regards to the political situation in the Philippines. I go back every year, and I find the situation depressing there. You have celebrities running for office, naively thinking they can do better than "career" politicians. But once these celebrities win due to their popularity, they quickly realize, " ooh this governing thing is so much different than making a movie, I better get some advisors". They then become puppets to the career politicians.
The separation between rich and poor is getting wider. The only way the Philippines can improve themselves is to educate the poorest of the poor. Work on the weakest link, So they can make better decisions, and demand for change. As it stands, you have those in power keeping the poor uneducated. That way, they can trade basic life necessities... food, water, shelter in return for their votes and a continued stay in power.
The brain drain of physicians, nurses, computer engineers, the educated leaving the Philippines for monetary reward is killing the country even quicker. You can't blame those leaving however, they do so to provide for themselves and their families because their leaders have failed them.
 
Spartan Doc said:
I have been out of the loop for about a year. Been real busy as Chief, now assistant professor and a being a new dad. Its good to see how many have been involved in this thread and posting replies.

I now have a much different perspective on Philippine medical education, having completed residency, now teaching both residents and medical students.

I have worked with or taught residents from various medical schools across the Philippines. Except for the truly truly gifted, most, including me will be a little overwhelmed at the begining. Not because or education was substandard, it was just different. Different way of teaching, different expectations, different medical problems encountered.

So is there any medical school truly better than the other... probably not. its more up to the individual. My advice, is work hard, stay humble. Study harder than you ever have. But expect that if you do residency abroad, i.e. the US. You will be overwhelmed at first.

But what will separate you from other residents, is how you quickly you adjust. Will you rise to the challenge, will you get caught up in self doubt, will you be satisfied in graduating. Will you continue to read to expand your differential diagnosis and management skills. Or will you sit on your laurels and do just enough to graduate from residency.


Now in regards to the political situation in the Philippines. I go back every year, and I find the situation depressing there. You have celebrities running for office, naively thinking they can do better than "career" politicians. But once these celebrities win due to their popularity, they quickly realize, " ooh this governing thing is so much different than making a movie, I better get some advisors". They then become puppets to the career politicians.
The separation between rich and poor is getting wider. The only way the Philippines can improve themselves is to educate the poorest of the poor. Work on the weakest link, So they can make better decisions, and demand for change. As it stands, you have those in power keeping the poor uneducated. That way, they can trade basic life necessities... food, water, shelter in return for their votes and a continued stay in power.
The brain drain of physicians, nurses, computer engineers, the educated leaving the Philippines for monetary reward is killing the country even quicker. You can't blame those leaving however, they do so to provide for themselves and their families because their leaders have failed them.
Click to expand...

This was really insightful! Thanks.
 
spartan doc i agree with you. no wonder so many filipinos are doing anything just to get out of the country. but i am still hoping that i will be a good doctor someday and practice here in the philippines.:)
 
i guess med school is really what you make of it. each school carries with it a certain mark.

choose what mark you would want to have inculcated into you, and go from there. :)
 
hi! i just registered at SDN, and right now, i'm having a heck of a hard time in picking what med school to enter. I would technically be the first doctor-wannabe in the family so i don't have any relatives that could give suggestions on which one to pick. is it ok if i ask a few comments (pros and cons) on the following schools: St. Luke's College of Medicine, UERMMC, UST, and ASMPH...? I hope you guys can help me...
 
momokun,

are you entering medschool this incoming school year? if you have already applied to these schools and got accepted to all four of them, then that's when you really have to make the final decision. it will be costly, but just to make sure just pick 2-3 schools to apply to...read on the "filipino med schools" thread because it contains the answers that you are asking for.

i will be entering med school this june at UERMMC. i learned a lot of things during my application process on different medical schools. I applied to St. Luke's and here's a big advice that you should not ignore...make sure you have completed the science requirements (bio-15units, chem-10units, physics-10units)...or else you'll end up like some of us who are pending cases because we had a unit or two lacking in some of these subjects! we were told to take the lacking unit(s) during the summer as a non-degree course and then we will be reevaluated...it's unfair because they only became strict this year! in other schools like UPCM, UERM, etc, it's okay if you lack some of these units. i wouldn't want to take up summer class and not have the assurance that i will be accepted as soon as i pass this requirement, since we will still be reevaluated.
 
do you guys think i made the right call? giving up on St.Luke's coz i have to spend my summer in class agen after graduating rather than relaxing long enough before med student life begins? :confused: I like UERMMC as well...and maybe it's a sign that i was meant to go to Ue, hehe :D
 
Momokun said:
hi! i just registered at SDN, and right now, i'm having a heck of a hard time in picking what med school to enter. I would technically be the first doctor-wannabe in the family so i don't have any relatives that could give suggestions on which one to pick. is it ok if i ask a few comments (pros and cons) on the following schools: St. Luke's College of Medicine, UERMMC, UST, and ASMPH...? I hope you guys can help me...
Click to expand...
As they said, you can have more information by reading the threads on filipino med schools. St. Luke's and ASMPH will require a 5th year (internship) for graduation. All of these schools are good.
 
okie! thanks for the suggestions. im actually narrowing my choices to two schools... SLCM and ASMPH. They offered me a partial scholarship at SLCM and my parents want me to go there... but something inside me wants to go to ASMPH since i graduated from admu, and the MM is kinda nice... Both have their own set of pros and cons, and its making the choice even tougher. I'll try to read on to get some answers.. heeheheh
 
Are all med schools in the philippines follow the same order of three years in classroom and the last year at a hospital? or are there medical schools that does two years in classroom and the last two years in hospital work?
thanks.
 
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all med schools in the PI have a standard 3 years of classroom education and 1 year of hospital rotation. (total of 4 years) then you graduate and take your internship in any hospital you choose(5th year). But the 5th year is no longer part of the curriculum. Because you graduate with a diploma right after the 4th year.

except for st lukes and UP, the 5th year (internship) is included in the curriculum. So thats 3 years of classroom education + 2 years of hospital rotation, before you graduate with a diploma.
 
HOPE4USTMD said:
Are all med schools in the philippines follow the same order of three years in classroom and the last year at a hospital? or are there medical schools that does two years in classroom and the last two years in hospital work?
thanks.
Click to expand...


in the current curriculum, UP-PGH does a bit of clinical exposure and mostly didactics in the first two years. then 3rd year is purely clinics. 4th year purely wards. internship is shared with the PGIs, both clinics & wards i think.
 
chocopinipig is right, but medical students do have some clinical exposure (history, physical examination and OR) prior to entering the fourth year.
 
Thanks for the answers!
so when do we get to start interacting with patients?
Wazobia, you said the students get some clinical exposure prior to fourth year...when do we get that exposure and what kind of exposure is it exactly? is it real patient interaction? or is it like a test physical, history info with the other students?
thanks!
 
it's actual patient interaction. here's a breakdown of what med school was like for me with regards to patient interaction

first year: history taking; we were allowed to interview patients who presented at the out patient department (most of these patients do not require admission or have just come in for minor procedures).

second year: history taking, physical examination, suggestion of possible diagnoses, diagnostic procedures and management (treatment plans). most of the patients we saw were patients at the OPD, although from time to time we were allowed to see patients who had been admitted.

third year:history taking, physical examination, suggestion of possible diagnoses, diagnostic procedures and management plans for admitted patients.
 
thats right. Part of the classroom training (first 3 years) is patient exposure. although this is minimal you get to perform basic physical exam on patients with real diseases as well as hone your skills in history taking.

History taking is not just interviewing the patient. Its probing, its 'extracting', its an investigative type of getting a history. In fact they call it an 'art'. Its asking the right questions, and getting the patient to reveal data they had otherwise forgotten but is actually relevant to their health. (enuf said).

anyway, all medical students are exposed to patients while still in the first 3 years. I forgot to mention that part. Thanks Wazobia.
 
WaZoBia said:
it's actual patient interaction. here's a breakdown of what med school was like for me with regards to patient interaction

first year: history taking; we were allowed to interview patients who presented at the out patient department (most of these patients do not require admission or have just come in for minor procedures).

second year: history taking, physical examination, suggestion of possible diagnoses, diagnostic procedures and management (treatment plans). most of the patients we saw were patients at the OPD, although from time to time we were allowed to see patients who had been admitted.

third year:history taking, physical examination, suggestion of possible diagnoses, diagnostic procedures and management plans for admitted patients.
Click to expand...

Wow- salamat sa kung sino man ang nagpasimuno para ipost ito, malaking tulong talaga
 
hello, i'm waitlisted for UP PGH (which is a nice way of saying, "sorry" despite my credentials) and now am choosing between UST and UERM.

help please?
 
kellybelly said:
hello, i'm waitlisted for UP PGH (which is a nice way of saying, "sorry" despite my credentials) and now am choosing between UST and UERM.

help please?
Click to expand...
I'll choose UST, but both of these schools are good. You'll be surprised how good the top students of UST are.
 
spoonfed daw sa ust, as in may digested copy sila ng books daw, hehe. yun sabi ng kaibigan ko. c=
 
ang alam ko sa UST bawal manghiram ng libro at lahat ng tao may PDA? :D hindi ko keri yun, wala akong pera. hehehe

pero for me ha, magaling yung mga UST grad na interns na nakilala ko. :thumbup:
 
those rumors are not true i can assure you :D

spoonfed? thats a little too far from the truth. There's really no such thing as spoonfeeding. Medicine is a very very complicated subject. You need direct guidance from the professors as to what is important and what is purely on a theoretical basis.

By the time you get to class, you will realize there is simply TOO MUCH to learn. If your professors don't tell you what to study (ergo "spoon feeding"), i wouldn't be surprised if you wont get through 4 years.

On the basis of the curriculum of most schools, UST included. Theres no spoonfeeding. In fact you need to read on your own if you want to pass. The focus of most schools now is small group discussions.

Lectures are on as-needed basis/overview only/complicated topics. You spend most of the time studying cases and looking for the answers to the problems yourselves.

The term spoonfeeding is quite old by the way. I've heard it from my aunt. Medicine has no room for spoonfeeder schools at this era.
 
i'm sorry :) yun kasi ginamit na term ng kaibigan ko (hindi taga ust)...pero may mga kilala din akong taga ust na yun ang sabi at gamit term na yun. i apologize pa din :)
 
don't apologize. :D

its a habit among us students. We do comment a lot about spoonfeeding but in general, nagrereklamo tayo when we aren't provided enough information kung ano ang aaralin(aka spoonfeeding).

in a way i would prefer spoonfeeding. It gives me direction as to what i need to study. Some schools give reading assignments, class reporting, information "research" kuno and state that they do not spoonfeed their students. I had been in that kind of situation before and honestly, wala ako natutunan.

classreporting bores me, information "research" give me an excuse to photocopy anything i can get my hands on and not understand anything.

anyway, pag nag medicine ka na, You will be very very glad if you were spoonfed. :D di mo matatapos aralin lahat. Of course kailangan mo rin magaral ng magisa. Supplementary lessons na lang ang Spoonfeeding.
 
that's why med school is a humbling experience. you're not spoonfed. everything that happens is done by you at your own pace (sometimes a very hurried "cramming" pace). :D
 
onga, true true :) mhirap talaga med, pero i think i'll enjoy it kung talagang gusto kong maging doctor c=

may tanong ako, may medschools kung saan pumapayag silang magrotate sa affiliated hospitals sa US during 4th year. para sa mga fil-ams lang ba yun?
 
mumbly_happy said:
onga, true true :) mhirap talaga med, pero i think i'll enjoy it kung talagang gusto kong maging doctor c=

may tanong ako, may medschools kung saan pumapayag silang magrotate sa affiliated hospitals sa US during 4th year. para sa mga fil-ams lang ba yun?
Click to expand...
Even UP allows some outside rotation nowadays (about 1 or 2 rotation-electives). However, Fatima and UERM allows more rotations but I heard in many cases you have to arrange them yourself. It's not easy as some will require taking USMLE after your 2nd year. Plus visa issues of course.
 
has UE posted their qualified applicants for this school year (07-08) on the net? thanks.
 
Cretinoid said:
has UE posted their qualified applicants for this school year (07-08) on the net? thanks.
Click to expand...



they will not post it on the net.. its on the campus of UE i think they are already in there fourth list!! i got iN!!! FIRST LIST!! better check it out in UE CAMPUS..

but u know wat i still think that the campus in UE is not very conducive 4 learning.. just my two cents..

il choose feu rather than ue.. wel thats just me.. :cool:
 
mumbly_happy said:
may tanong ako, may medschools kung saan pumapayag silang magrotate sa affiliated hospitals sa US during 4th year. para sa mga fil-ams lang ba yun?
Click to expand...

UP allows one off-campus elective in 4th year. pero pwede pa din on-campus if you want. the school can help you process and stuff.
 
miklotov13 said:
they will not post it on the net.. its on the campus of UE i think they are already in there fourth list!! i got iN!!! FIRST LIST!! better check it out in UE CAMPUS..

but u know wat i still think that the campus in UE is not very conducive 4 learning.. just my two cents..

il choose feu rather than ue.. wel thats just me.. :cool:
Click to expand...
UE is usually late in their net posting. Both FEU and UERM are good schools. You'll never go wrong with each as long as you work hard.
 
good luck to all you incoming first years.. :)

as for my batchmates (class 2006 and class 2007 for those coming from UPCM & St Luke's), it's already our last month of internship. good luck to our review & God bless on our local licensure exams on august (for those who are planning to. hehe!) :D
 
bleudsky said:
good luck to all you incoming first years.. :)

good luck to our review & God bless on our local licensure exams on august (for those who are planning to. hehe!) :D
Click to expand...

good luck to your reviews! :D

i wish i could graduate already! :laugh:
 
Spartan Doc said:
Now in regards to the political situation in the Philippines. I go back every year, and I find the situation depressing there. You have celebrities running for office, naively thinking they can do better than "career" politicians. But once these celebrities win due to their popularity, they quickly realize, " ooh this governing thing is so much different than making a movie, I better get some advisors". They then become puppets to the career politicians.
The separation between rich and poor is getting wider. The only way the Philippines can improve themselves is to educate the poorest of the poor. Work on the weakest link, So they can make better decisions, and demand for change. As it stands, you have those in power keeping the poor uneducated. That way, they can trade basic life necessities... food, water, shelter in return for their votes and a continued stay in power.
The brain drain of physicians, nurses, computer engineers, the educated leaving the Philippines for monetary reward is killing the country even quicker. You can't blame those leaving however, they do so to provide for themselves and their families because their leaders have failed them.
Click to expand...

Manny Pacquio...
 
kittycrinkles said:
good luck to your reviews! :D

i wish i could graduate already! :laugh:
Click to expand...

thanks!

enjoy your medical school while you can (including those sem breaks, summer breaks and holidays). once you start clerkship, you're forced to report on duty daily, even on holidays and weekends.
 
Pansit said:
Manny Pacquio...
Click to expand...
add Cesar Montano and Richard Gomez to the mix... i wish they'd all just stick to what they've been known for.


yeah! after tomorrow's exam, i'm free for a summer break. then it's clerkship! then before i knew it, it's internship. i've got a feeling that this will be a ride... :laugh:
 
Hi! I'm a second-year incoming student at Jonelta College of Medicine. I know it doesn't have the highest board exam passing rates, but, hey, isn't it ultimately up to the student in the end to do well? That's what I aim to do-- very well. I'm a Fil-Am, over 30 y.o., with 30 MCAT, and 97 NMAT. Anybody entering Jonelta or other Fil-Ams want to stay in touch once I return to the Philippines in the end of May, just let me know!
 
Hi again! I'm considering taking the Philippine Partial Board Exams after 2nd year. Does anybody know anything about them? I think they cover the 6 basic sciences and must be taken while still in medical school. Sorry if this should be a new thread, but I'm sort of new at posting. Anyway, if anyone has any insights, it would be appreciated.
 
i knew that the partial exam existed but i don't know if the exam is still active.
 
Kittycrinkles,

I remember you mentioned something about what mark do you want your school to leave on you, or words to that effect. I've been a little concerned about what mark my school will leave on me. Maybe I can leave my mark on my little school, hopefully a positive one ;) I know UPCM has the highest marks out there and everybody passes the boards. What can one do if one is in a situation like mine? I would like to practice in the Philippines, but my tagalog is very weak, though I'm trying to improve it by watching tagalog movies. I'm already old, and my ability to learn a new language is gone (though not learning medicine I hope). Do you have any suggestions on how to stay positive? Maybe join some medical missions?
 
kittycrinkles said:
add Cesar Montano and Richard Gomez to the mix... i wish they'd all just stick to what they've been known for.


yeah! after tomorrow's exam, i'm free for a summer break. then it's clerkship! then before i knew it, it's internship. i've got a feeling that this will be a ride... :laugh:
Click to expand...

Pronounce Manny Pacquiao and Money Pakyaw... whats the difference. Hehehe:laugh:
 
I think it's ridiculous how a vast number of celebrities are entering politics. They definitely are a new breed of politicians. I think I'm going to start calling them "polibrities". Although... celeticians does sound better. bad pun, I know.:D


Anyway, I just have a question. How does the medical program of St. Louis University in Baguio rate? I am aware that UST, UP and some of the other institutions have good programs but I know that I won't be able to handle living in Manila.
 
health3 said:
What can one do if one is in a situation like mine? I would like to practice in the Philippines, but my tagalog is very weak, though I'm trying to improve it by watching tagalog movies. I'm already old, and my ability to learn a new language is gone (though not learning medicine I hope). Do you have any suggestions on how to stay positive? Maybe join some medical missions?
Click to expand...
i don't advocate medical missions. i believe for one to make an impact on a community, you help them "learn how to fish", not "give them fish". i assume you're not Filipino? you could join organizations who already have communities they work with (like Gawad Kalinga). i think building sustainable communities is the way to go, not medical missions. :)


hi freyja! (i like the term "polibrities"! haha!) i've heard SLU is a good medical school. i think they do well with the boards too. just wondering, why wouldn't you be able to handle living in Manila? (pollution? crime rate?)
 
Sorry for late post/long post i don't go often. Sorry if i got the batch wrong on the test..i assume it was the previous batch since i one member took it...Question about how many Filams in UST med..from previous post.

Graduating (last year 4th)=1
3rd yr going to clerk=5
2nd yr going to 3rd=14
1st yr going to 2nd=11

This is the general list as of right now how many..since someone asked in last thread. There might be a few that are hidden, but these are the ones in my group i text out. This is as of right now...but then again am not sure how people did in classes this year so the numbers may move down to another year if they don't pass classes or they might be removed if they don't pass all their classes.

Generally speaking the closer your group per year the strong ya'll are..from the 2nd yr going to 3rd...the group that we know everyone is still here as of right now. Dunno about previous years since i wasn't here prior.

Last year there were more filams (batch 2010) but like 9-11 left for reasons of their own. Rumor is there will be a bigger group of first year.. more than 30 in this new batch 2011..but who know we'll see.

To make it easier on me next year..if you are a filam going to UST Medicine only if for sure..pm me if u want..sorry i don't check this forum often. Since you'll probably find me next year anyways, assuming u wanna hang with us. We do have our own yahoo group for the filams here in UST. Not sure when i leave if it'll be continued (i'm thinking of cutting it off to the people i meet/know for now)..but as of right now it's for the group i know when in UST medical school..so we can keep in touch in the summer/future. I think if you have any question we can probably answer it there..hopefully it doesn't get to crazy..since it's not a forum base and everyone gets email if someone post.

I made a yahoo group for the other filams in other medical school (5 med school=UST, FEU, UE, DLSU, Fatima, the 6th school is StLukes but there aren't many filams there so they aren't sure if they want in..maybe the new batch will work with us) that i know..but dunno if that's going to work. This is for those who are in one of those medical school. Pm me..if ur in one of those school already..sorry dunno if the members from those school will answer..but maybe.

Note: Sorry ahead of time..am not trying to discriminate it's just it's for safety reason that it's only filam/foreign we know. I'm one of the moderators for those two yahoo group. I might require some stuff to make sure you are what ya said..so please don't be mad if i do ask some question. It's just i don't want any of the group/member safety in question if there is a planned event.

Answers for other stuff:

Also i read somewhere..UST doesn't require you to pay the "foriegn" fee straight up. But i think they require some down payment on it. I'd recommend that you don't pay full, just in case you leave. 2 years back i heard of one "foreign fee" that didn't pay til start of 2nd year..but was forced to pay before registering for classes for 2nd year. Last year...i heard from the filams they forced them to pay it before registering for the 2nd semester. So i guess ask.

Also read about registration...for UST someone saying it's easy. If your a filam/foreign..depends on what your classified. If your a Dual citizen..then registration is easier for you. Tons easier for you since your considered under local. You register as everyone else..and u don't have to meet with one person. If your on a student visa, good luck on that. Lets just say you'll be getting to go to immigration building and what not..at least every year i think. Am not sure just basing it on the other filams. but i heard it's easier now with the i-card. Not like it was the years before. But generally there is a hold placed on you if they aren't sure your status. So u'll have to fix that every so often if not yearly (not sure if per semester..again not sure since i'm dual), to register for classes.
 
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