Puppeteers want you to WaSH*! (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to help Prevent Intestinal Parasitic Infections

Our group won the Creative Health Education in Community Medicine, held yesterday 9AM at the MASA building, performing a live puppet show as a unique communication tool.  The group also had a DVD output which made a television debut today at the local PRTV 12 station, and will be shown 2:30 PM every weekdays.  Congratulations to our group!! It was worth the effort of over 3 overnights and hours of working on the script, puppets and other outputs.  Our battlecry as a group was, we'll give it our best, and win or lose we'll get our food! hahah We love to eat. 

THE TASK IN A NUTSHELL

Communication is a powerful tool that physicians must be able to harness to be able to get through to his patients or to the community- it is only upon using the right approach that they are able to create positive changes in behavior.

Group 1 was given the topic Intestinal Parasitic Infections.  Taking cue from the Department of Health’s existing programs like “Garantisadong Pambata” which offer deworming as one of its service packages, as well as the Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis Control Program, the group created a unique communication tool that would help effectively raise awareness about Intestinal Parasitic Infections- the cause, signs and symptoms of infection, treatment, and methods of prevention.

THE TARGET AUDIENCE:  Pre-school and school-age children and their parents.

THE TOOL:  Children respond to colorful characters so the group decided to stage a puppet show with a simple story that young minds would appreciate and easily understand.  The challenge involved translating highly technical information into a presentation that would imbue the values of cleanliness to children with the message “WASH” (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) – the cornerstone of the STHCP.

            The puppet show will be in Filipino so that people from around the country will be able to understand the message.  During a scene, the group will show an actual preserved Ascaris lumbricoides var. hominis to add realism to the show.  A pamphlet will also serve to further the knowledge of people on the cause and prevention of intestinal parasitism. 

            An original song composition about hand washing will serve as the finale for the group presentation. During this time the group will distribute free soaps to encourage hand washing.

THE MATERIALS:  Old socks for intestinal parasites, and old dolls and stuffed toys for the main characters. 

THE OUTPUTS: Live puppet show with original song composition with the length of 5 minutes and 43 seconds, Pamphlet, DVD, and written output. An additional fun shoot consisting of bloopers and cast of characters will be shown after the presentation to fill in the time while soaps will be distributed. 

           

Sing-along/ Birthday Party after Bi-monthly Exams

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Just a few moments to relax before facing my Physio exam tomorrow and moving exam in Histology... Can't believe this is the second to the last week before the 1st sem ends- next week is the 2nd bi-monthly- Finals for the semestral courses like Psychiatry 1 and Embryology but just the 1st half of all the other subjects which are annual.


Commitment

Like I said before- med school demands time, money, and concentration. There are a lot of hurdles along the way- even a board topnocher once remarked, she had her share of failed exams in med school even when she studied. The amount of information to absorb is just astounding... The previous lesson may not have sunk in yet, but you are bombarded with new information yet again. The trick is to never quit.

Even the smartest do not always survive, it is usually those determined enough to adapt and learn. I think my biggest weakness which I am happy I can admit now is my impatience for long, drawn out plans. It had been my pattern to jump from one industry to another once I get bored or lose interest, and never really have a 10-15 year plan. It was simply part of my personality, but the good thing is now, every time I become weary or tired I just think of what a great opportunity this is, and the rewards the future will bring. Earlier I was worn out to the bone, looking out the window waiting for the bell to ring so I could move to the next station for the anatomy practical exam- I looked at the decapitated cadaver in front of me and thought: Ok, so memorizing muscles and nerves and blood vessels may not have been the best thing, but one day I'll need that knowledge when I treat my patients. I felt better knowing that it does have some value not only in preparing me for my profession but for the kind of physician I'll be. Like in Nursing school, I never really "shined" until 3rd year- that's when we had our hospital duties. Being part of the action is so much more interesting than the classroom.


Adaptation

The first sem enabled me to get a "feel" of what to expect for the next four years. Good thing I've kept in touch with other med students I met in WVSU interview- we get to compare our student lives, swap stories and tips and get a wider perspective. Here are some stuff I learned:

1. Some professors "recycle" old questions, some do not. Sometimes you'll be surprised the one with most connections instead of the smartest will get the highest score- it means they have upperclassmen friends.

2. There are certain peculiarities per school- in CIM they only identify muscles but no longer focus on origin/insertion/innervation but they are particular with Biochem. In RTR anatomy is very challenging because aside from memorizing all the muscles-Origin, Insertion, Innervation, Action, you also memorize a litany of nerves, vessels, bones, and have a 100 item moving exam at the end of a unit or two. For each region, ex. upper extremity- four different professors will give four different sets of exams-each with their own style. The worst thing is that RTR is big on recall-type (instead of analysis-type multiple choice like in WVSU, and our previous school St Scho) exams- enumeration, identification, definition of terms, illustration and labeling. Oh well, I suppose one can't go about anatomy without memorizing. Surprisingly, Biochem is not that bloody here.

3. Your study habits will/ may change according to demand. Your body will be exhausted, your spirit broken, deal with it. And get back on track. Do what works for you. I am a visual person so I make diagrams, drawings to remember the lessons.

4. Learn to enjoy and soak in the environment. Again every school is different. Here, I was shocked students spent so much money on occasions (P650 for an acquaintance party? no thanks! spend 100,000+ in three days for the foundation days? quite unreasonable to demand for 1st year students), but then again apparently those events are "big deal" and are tradition so doing our part would be a good thing to do. At least the Academic calendar is followed, so at least I can plan my trips ahead- now that's something I always look forward to. Travel as therapy...


Respect

I have more respect for doctors now, and for the first time I actually I could imagine myself as one. Suffice to say, everything is slowly coming together, thanks in a large part to my loved ones who believe in me more than I believe in myself lol... The battle is long, but I can say I am willing to slug it out and one day live the dream of graduating with honors when I get my MD. That sounds so abstract, but as long as I have the patience it will become reality in due time- with a lot of hard work, blood , sweat, and tears.

Here's to hoping. and DOING!


PS: The proposal for the first ever official student publication is already in motion, good thing the alumni is supporting the cause. The meeting last week with the good doctors of alumni association resolved to make a formal letter to the RTR President Cong. FM Romualdez, and once it gets the "go signal", we begin recruitment of the organization members. That's one more reason for me to be determined to make it- writing is a passion that feeds my drive.

Dreamers and Doctors

One of the most common misconceptions of going to medical school is the fleeting assumption that one can just go traipsing in and do phenomenally well. Those people, including myself, are in for a rude awakening.

Not only have I fallen short of my expectations, I feel that I’m hanging by the neck and falling short of everyone else’s expectations- loved ones who cheer you on, nosy neighbors who look at you with half admiration, half contempt, your relatives who are proud of you when you accomplish something yet readily raise an eyebrow when you stumble, and even the occasional stray cat crossing your path seems to give a haughty side eye after a particularly disastrous practical exam you just had.

Before the first week began, I psyched myself up for what was probably the boldest endeavor yet, and swore to high heavens to “give it my all.” But what happens when it turns out that isn’t enough? When after you slept only three hours for three consecutive nights memorizing a litany of muscles, tendons, nerves, and bones, and still barely passing the exam, when after reading notes, reviewers and past exams, a myriad of references you still got a third rate grade. When your best effort was barely enough, let alone excel. You look back during your undergraduate degree when all you had to do was show up for the exam, with or without the last minute review, and still ace it.

It really is a sad day for perfectionists and overachievers who have no idea their pride is about to be run over by a ten ton truck called Physiology. I used to have this Manila paper poster where I wrote my goals for the next five years- which included the dream of graduating with honors from med school, but I had to cover it up with other manila paper with its recital of Biochemical pathways and all the stuff I’m struggling to understand. I am humbled. But as they say, it’s not actually the smartest who survive med school- it is those who are willing and able to adapt.

After putting my neurosis aside, I had to agree with our Dean who dared us to set the highest goals (which still kind of hurt, each time you receive a test paper with a red mark). But this is the price to pay for dreaming to be a physician: long, weird hours, lots of information to absorb even when you think you can’t possibly listen to another lecture or read another book. Come to think of it, I may have failed a few exams, but if each bi-monthly we have around thirty exams, in a semester around sixty, that makes 480 exams for the next four years- 480 chances to do better. I guess that’s looking at the bright side.

The road is long, but I believe if we stick around and bite the bullet, one day we’d get to where we’re headed. This was my thought as I put the poster back up, which stated “the dream.”

Mediko Peregrine 2015

Light moments in Gross Anatomy lab

Studying for Med School

One common advice I got, and one advice I can give to anyone who wants to be in med school to become a doctor is to ask yourself many times if this is really what you want for yourself. There is no second-guessing and no room for indecision because your profession will consume all your time and resources. Try to analyze your motives because if it's flimsy and you decide to quit one day, or if you happen to flunk, there goes thousands of pesos down the drain. Once you start your studies in a particular med school, you grit your teeth and bear it because transferring to another med school will mean you will start from square one.

As early as my first week, I encountered several hurdles- some minor ones like adjusting to the new environment, but largely it was getting used to the rigors of med school that was unsettling. Being a BSN graduate, I had the assumption that I'd have an easy time since we had our background of basic sciences like organic chemistry and anatomy, but I was mistaken. Turned out our discussions in Biochemistry, Histology, and Physiology were superficial, and it was only upon stepping into med school did I realize the enormity of the scope of those subjects.

There is the challenge of being able to fit everything into schedule. On a daily basis, you have to read in advance before coming to class (in order to wipe that blank look on your face during lectures) and read after class, and eventually reviewing once more prior to exams. The amount of new information you take in each day is overwhelming- pathways, structures, functions, computations, clinical correlations- and I'm just talking about Biochem. There are bones, ligaments, fossa, tuberosities I have never heard of, charts and nerves and networks of vessels hidden beneath the stinging formalin-saturated cadaver in front of you. Each time I go home I try to force myself to read but sometimes I'm too tired or my brain is just spilling over with information from the day's discussion that I fall asleep. Then I wake up at 3am to read.

The worst part would have to be after all the faithful preparations, you still find the exams tricky and difficult. But like one med student from PLM posted in her blog, it is not necessarily the smartest who survive in med school- it is the most adapted. So below are some steps to make life a little bit easier:

1. Create a timetable of what to read based on the syllabus; prioritize accordingly. If Embryology is just 10% of your Gross and Clinical Anatomy grade, then by all means study Anatomy first.

2. Organize your notes and books. Even if we have 8 subjects, the number of references may very well almost reach 20. This is because some books may explain certain concepts better than your "official" reference.

3. Read. There's the 1st reading which is just an overview, then next you read again and digest even the smallest detail- highlighting the important points.

4. Note what your professor includes and emphasizes during the lectures- the exams are likely based on what they discussed.

5. There are many approaches to learning- draw structures, make charts, simplify data. Customize or devise your own, suited to your learning style.

6. Memorize what needs memorizing.

7. Self-evaluation/ testing by end chapter exercises or reviewers.

And here's the catch: more often than not, you won't have enough time to do all this. Your skill in adapting new strategies now comes in.

The most important advice is to enjoy and make your experience in med school meaningful- going beyond self-enrichment as a motive, but rather becoming a good physician and serve society to the best of one's abilities.

New Leaf

Last year, the road to getting our license as nurses was fraught with troubles- the scarcity of cases, the last-minute filing at PRC, and personal turmoil a week before the board exam. Yet the whole ordeal made me realize how much I really valued my license. As I viewed my board rating- missing the top ten unfortunately by 1.4 points, I was happy nonetheless that all the efforts paid off.

I spent the last weeks of December last year gathering all documents, and submitted them to my three choices for medical school: UP Palo, RTR Medical Foundation, and West Visayas State University (WVSU).

By March I received a letter from WVSU stating my interview schedule. During this time as well unfortunately, Dr.Labarda of UP Palo informed all applicants that the DOH-PCSO scholarship Pinoy MD will no longer be offered for 2011- this will also mean that lateral entry (they have a curriculum which progresses from midwifery graduate-BSN-MD) from students who had their baccalaureate degree elsewhere will not be accepted. It would have been great to study there because aside from quality education, the tuition fee was affordable at around the same cost of nursing education in Tacloban, not to mention the school is only a few kilometers away from our house.

West Visayas College of Medicine was among the top five medical schools based on board exam performance for the past five years (along with UP Manila, UST, PLM, and CIM). Being a state university, the tuition is subsidized by the government so it is remarkably lower than in most schools. The selection process is stringent- first you must meet the GWA (general weighted average of grades) and NMAT requirement, those qualified for the interview will face a panel of 7 doctors who will evaluate you based on your answers, then applicants are ranked.

The applicants from other regions had a stiffer competition because per WVSU Board of Regents resolution no. 68, s. 2001, 75% of incoming students should be permanently residing in Region VI, the 25% from other regions. There were rumors that the following criteria was followed: 60% GWA, 30% NMAT score, and 10% Interview- but a classmate said someone asked the panel and they replied 40%NMAT, 30%GWA, and 30% interview. If it were the latter, then I was really doomed because of my less than stellar NMAT rating, still I was rooting that my 1.7580 GWA would help turn the tide, and if I just cinch the interview I could make it.

There were around 200 or so qualified applicants who were to be interviewed on April 12 and 13. I belonged to the first batch. I arrived ahead of time, and we were grouped and asked to write an essay. Afterwards our group went to the designated room and waited outside for our names to be called.

The tension was palpable in the air. I tried to make small talk with a seatmate who was a BS Biology graduate of WVSU, who told me last year three sections of BS Bio applied for WVSU College of Medicine and only 8 students made it. Finally my name was called, along with five other applicants.

We faced our panel and introductions were made. The doctors were actually nice and told us to relax. We began by saying something about ourselves and why we want to pursue medicine.

I think three of us in there were nurses (and many more during the second batch). I shied away from the usual responses like “I’ve always wanted to be a doctor since I was little”, but instead told them candidly of our situation, coming from an OFW family and wanting to work here in our country instead of the usual route of working abroad as a nurse. I also told them I wanted the satisfaction of working in the health care industry which to me, is more like a vocation than just a job to earn money.

They asked us about our strengths and weaknesses. They also asked us of our achievements and situations that showed our leadership potential- which wasn’t much of a problem for me since I already managed a group of people for the past two years in my previous work. They asked us if we play online games or other addictive distractions from school work, and even if we had girlfriends or boyfriends.

One heavy weight question directed to me alone was how our family would get along considering that our parents have already passed away, and what would the situation be if I indeed pursue med school in Iloilo. I told them that I was proud that my brothers and I have been working together to maintain our home, and that they are doing well independently in the US. I told them that if ever I leave, I could delegate my responsibilities to other members of our household. There was no denying it, they were also looking into my personal responsibilities here.

It took another nerve-racking two weeks before they announced the results. Like waiting for the board exam results, I spent the entire time stress eating and writing silly blogs. The verdict? I didn’t make it, and I took it as a sign from above that if I am to fulfill all my responsibilities and at the same time pursue my personal goals I have to stay here in Tacloban. Truth be told, the last few days before the results came out I was actually contemplating on staying in Tacloban even if ever I get accepted. One of the reasons was that I received the devastating news of my mother and father’s demise over the telephone- and I don’t think I could bear it if that same thing happens again with my 85 year old grandmother who has been battling breast CA for the past two years. I need to be here.

I am actually finished with my interview and physical exam here at RTRMF. Enrollment is on the 16th of May, and I thank God and the people who support me for this chance to make something out of myself. Good luck to all incoming med students all over the archipelago, see you guys in the Physician Licensure Exam. Make sure to bring your game on, because I will.

Image source

Medical Schools and Tuition Fees

I've been doing some research on Med Schools in the Philippines and their NMAT requirement and tuition fees (they might have changed so better check their website). My choices in order were:
UP School of Health Sciences in Palo
RTR Medical Foundation
West Visayas State University

Part of the reason why UP and RTR is that they are local schools- meaning no board and lodging fees since I'll be staying home. I'll also have quite a good support system here which means not much adjustment so I can really focus on graduating with honors (lol syempre taasan ang pangarap diba? It's like taking the board, you aim for top ten pero pag kulang ng 1.4 points e at least pasado pa rin!)

West Visayas is a really good school plus the tuition is low, I already received a letter from them for a personal interview (I've submitted my credentials last January or Feb this year) this April. We'll see how it goes.

Sayang talaga ang Pinoy MD dahil on hold, project kasi ni PGMA and when PNoy became president he put her projects under review. Sa UPSHS kasi lateral entry is only allowed through Pinoy MD. Andun na lahat ng papers ko, just waiting for word kung push through pa ang Pinoy MD- supposed to be last batch ang 2011.

One thing is for sure though, going to med school is non-negotiable for me this June 2011. As in by hook or by crook!

UP School of Health Sciences- lateral entry IF PINOY MD continues
NMAT 40 above
Tuition 20,000 +
No board and lodging expenses if ever
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----

West Visayas State University
NMAT 60 above
Tuition First to Third Year Levels – per semester (downloaded from website)
Starting SY 2009-2010
Filipino Students
Tuition Fee --------- PhP 14,000.00
Mat. Fee --------- 130.00
Library Fee --------- 1,500 .00
Med. / Dental --------- 100.00
Athletics --------- 140.00
Cultural --------- 140.00
SDF --------- 1,500.00
AV --------- 200.00
Departmental --------- 600.00
Science Lab --------- 1,500.00
Entrance Fee --------- 50.00
ID --------- 80.00
Tree Planting --------- 75.00
Red Cross --------- 15.00
PhP20.030.00
+ other fees
Boarding house probably 3,000 for a room per month
Food/ allowance approx 150 per day, 4,500 per month
7,500 approx per month times four months in a semester: Php30,000

so each sem would cost around 50,000+ total
------------------------------------------

PLM
NMAT requirement 45 above
***however I may be required to take an additional Physics subject because they require 5units, and my St Scho Physics is only 3 units
MCAT required

Tuition for Manila resident 7,000
Tuition for non-Manila resident 46,000
plus board and lodging if ever


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Southwestern University
NMAT requirement not specified in their website
schedule of fees:
Filipino Students Foreign Students

1. Tuition fee P82,204.82 P82,204.82

Miscellaneous/Other fees P23,270.53 P59,570.53

TOTAL P105,475.35 P141,775.35

(I think this is annual, but the rates may have increased as of 2011 according to my niece who studies there)

source: http://www.mhamedu.org/main_subpages.php?page=8

plus board and lodging

---------------------------------------------

FEU

no information on the tuition fee, they give 50% discount only for cum laude

http://www.feu-nrmf.ph/adm_med.html

no specified NMAT score but a blog says its 40

plus board and lodging

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***UE and St Lukes academic scholarships only for latin honors and NMAT 85 up for UE http://www.uerm.edu.ph/medicine/scholarship.html and NMAT 90 up for St Lukes
tuition 85,000
plus board and lodging

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RTR
NMAT requirement not specified
Tuition ranging from 55,000+ first year to 60,000+
in Tacloban