On becoming a doctor…
the road less travelled?

Let me digress a bit on this week's article and share something about the other side of medicine… the human side. April 25 will be the graduation of the University of St. La Salle- College of Medicine. For us doctors, graduation is more than just a ceremony. It is a testimony of survival and sacrifice , both from us and our families, and a celebration of a purposeful journey.

The journey starts with choosing a pre-med course. The requirement to get into any medical school is to have a Bachelor of Science degree, usually, four years. The Philippine medical school curriculum is a 4-year program. The first three years is spent mainly inside the classrooms with clinical rotations /exposures, while the fourth year is a 12-month clinical rotation spent entirely in different departments of the school's accredited hospitals. Barring no failures, the student is expected to graduate after four years. Some medical schools in the country , like the University of the Philippines, offer an accelerated program called Intarmed ( Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine). This cuts the usual eight years down to six years.

Before taking the Philippine Licensure Exams, a one-year Post-Graduate Internship (PGI) is required. The graduate chooses from any hospital in the Philippines for PGI training, through the matching program conducted by the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges, Inc. Then comes the dreaded ,or highly anticipated ,board exams, the affirmation of nine years effort, legitimizing the “M.D.” in your name. A certified doctor has lots of options. Majority of doctors become health care providers, either as general practitioners, or train to be specialists, then subspecialists, adding 6-8 years more of training. Other doctors opt for these fields: academic/teaching, administrative, research and social mobilization.

Before the 1970's, there were only seven medical schools in the country. The “brain drain“ that has affected most professions , specially the medical field, resulted in the sprouting of medical schools nationwide, totaling 42 as of this time. The tuition fees in Medicine would range from 50,000-200,000 per semester (depending on the school). And yet, enrollees are increasing, including nursing graduates affected by a lull in job availability abroad. The years, and money, spent in studying and training… the missed family affairs and reunions… the Christmases and New Years celebrated with patients instead of families… these are the things that made the journey meaningful.

To the graduates and the proud parents, congratulations. This ends the first phase of your journey. Now prepare and enjoy another one. To quote Ernest Hemingway:

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

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