A post that is long overdue

In fact, this is more than a week late to be exact, but here goes..

CONGRATULATIONS to the passers of the September 2017 Physician Licensure Examinations!!! :)

You can see the results here at the PRC Website, or here at PRCBoard.com just in case the first link doesn't work anymore. :)

Welcome to the wild and crazy world of Philippine Medicine! :P See you guys around!

It all boils down to greed

I noticed that the tone of this blog has lately veered from the personal to the realm of current pressing issues. This entry will be no different. There is just so much going on in the world now that bothers me, and even though it is not my objective to polarize people by way of my opinions or be a social media influencer (whatever the hell that means), I feel this need to put my thoughts down as it has proven very cathartic for me to do so. 

In short, I'm doing this not for your amusement or attention, but for myself and myself alone.

Among the great many issues floating around today, few have been as enduringly infamous as the so-called war on drugs here in the Philippines. It's actually a good idea if you think about it. The president of a nation declaring an all-out war on one of the most virulent ills of society, promising to use any means necessary to pull it off. Although I do not personally approve of the mounting death toll, I won't exactly call out against it either. Let me explain..

Drugs are a menace to society, period. Drug make people do a lot of crazy things, including heinous crimes like rape and murder. Personalities are destroyed due to addiction, and you are left with a hollow shell that would do absolutely anything and everything to get another fix. This is why you get reports of people killing their parents/grandparents because of the latter's refusal to provide money for drugs. Drug addicts are a scary lot. You have no idea what they are thinking. Previously personable individuals are converted into these monsters who would do violent stuff on a whim, or may easily be set off at the slightest provocation. They could do dangerous things on a simple "trip", causing much harm to themselves and others. I mean, I wouldn't really give a rat's ass if a crazed drug addict commits suicide, but when that act involves an innocent drug-free bystander getting hurt or killed, that's one of the most senseless ways to die in my opinion and thus should be prevented at all costs. The addict is usually beyond redemption, while the innocent bystander could very much be a productive member of society.

Addicts in their drug-fueled states could have no inhibitions or remorse whatsoever, and are thus an ever-present danger to those around them. Then when they wake up from their drug fix behind bars, they act all surprised and horrified at stabbing a baby or decapitating their ailing grandmother. The list of atrocities just goes on and on, and thus I agree that it most definitely is a war.

These substances in question, especially the synthetic ones, serve no true useful purpose to society. They are just created by unscrupulous individuals for the sole purpose of generating a quick buck without any regard for basic human decency of human life in general. I agree that all of this would be able to stop when the drugs are cut off at the source, otherwise the cycle would just continue.

The junkie would continue to commit crime in order to get his fix (think of those who rob peope in broad daylight then stab them as well), which in turn would support the supposed "livelihood" of the pusher/dealer (who turned to peddling drugs in the first place  because it was such an easier way to make money than to get an honest job with an unfortunately smaller paycheck). The money trail would then be traced back to the big shots who get all the dough from the manufacturing of said substances, and as always, they also prefer this mode of "livelihood" because it is an easier way to make lotsa money.

So I guess it all stems from the greed of those individuals at the top of the illegal drugs food chain. They are unwilling to let their empires go because it makes damn too much money which would support theit overly lavish lifestyles since they aren't accustomed to simple living. it's just greed, pure and simple.

Imagine a perfect scenario where all the illegal drug manufacturers (along with all their stockpiles) suddenly just turn clean, (or are carted off to hell where they belong, I dont really care). The supplies would dry up. Sure, some addicts who are far gone might not survive the subsequent withdrawal, but the rest of the population would hopefully pick up new decent lives and work together for the development of all. Remember that the drug problem permeates all levels of society, so in addition to the masses becoming more compliant (since drugs are no longer an issue), the people higher up would hopefully take up cleaner pursuits and actually serve the public for once now that they're no longer preoccupied with keeping their trail clean or doing shady dealings with the underworld.. 

There would be other great effects when humanity as a whole would decide to just drop greed and be more focused on helping everyone else. It's too much of a utopian vision, I know, since these syndicates are too far gone along their path of evil acts that it does not bother them anymore. Heck, I don't think it even bothered them in the first place anyway.. And that makes me sad.. I find it impossible to imagine anyone cooking up this plan to sell poison to people on such a massive scale with all the associated societal ills it would bring. People are capable of effecting massive change and doing great things in the world. The seemingly far-off dreams of a human race maximizing a sustainable environment and exploring what lies beyond the planet is supressed by humanity's inability to just chill out for a moment and see that being collectively selfish ins not good for anyone.

The trend in society today is to place a more intense focus on the individual. Now before I say anything else, I would like to state for a fact that I do not like the idea of communism. Its another extreme that would inevitably destroy people's lives and only works if people are not people.. :P

Everything today seems to be centered on making the individual happy, like feeding our individual egos through seeking hollow approval via  social media likes, or promoting this culture of ultra sensitivity or ultra-tolerance. I hate a bigot as much as the next guy, but it is also foul when someone goes the other extreme endlessly pushes this selfish agenda just because of a presumed notion of self-importance and entitlement. 

People sometimes laugh at nuggets of wisdom passed along by our elders, but I guess the saying "Too much of anything is no longer good" applies universally given the very basic nature of people. Taking something to the extreme on one end of a spectrum or another is never a good idea and just promotes hatred, friction, and intolerance.

I'm sorry to have been posting such negative stuff lately, but there is just so much I need to get off my chest..

A follow-up to "Imposed Brotherhood"

I realize that my previous post may have raised more questions than answers due to the nature of the content.. I will admit that I also found it quite lacking, and so will do this next article to clear the air and drive certain points home which I want to get across. So, lets get to it, shall we?

I was a neophyte once, and I didn't like it. I quit after 3 days. The stuff I said about not experiencing any form of physical assault was 100% true. I cannot speak for the rest of the inituations (since I quit already)  or the experiences of neophytes from other med frats whether they were physically hazed or not, so I will just leave it at that.

Why did I quit? To tell you frankly, it was so exhausting, and I began to see my grades suffer. I was flunking the easiest quizzes. My family knew what I was going into and was worried sick every night, and though they did not physically prevent me from going through it, I knew I had to stop. My tuition wasn't being paid for me to join an exclusive society, but to train to become a doctor. I was deviating from the goal.

I had a tongue-in-cheek comment about regretting not getting the frat swag, but in all seriousness, I may have felt a bit of regret at first since I was somewhat invested already. As time wore on and I climbed the proverbial ladder of the hospital hierarchy, I began to realize that it was just a foolish pursuit all along, and that membership in these organizations is NOT NECESSARY AT ALL for future success in training and practice. Though it may be true that it would give some minor advantages at certain points, you will do just fine without them. ;) Given the current state of things regarding fraternities in general, I would like to say that I am glad and relieved that I didn't push through with it when I was still a student (as are my parents).

It is definitely NOT something I would recommend to try "just for the experience". You never know what goes through the minds of these people, especially those in leadership positions during their time. So be smart, be safe, and just stay away from membership. These people can still be your friends outside the context of the org anyway. If not, then they probably aren't really meant to be your friends to begin with. :)

Imposed Brotherhood

One of the prevailing headlines recently is the unfortunate passing of a first-year law student who apparently died of complications arising from severe physical trauma due to an underlying hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This may have been from either an arrhythmia or a myocardial infarction (less likely). The main point of this post is not to discuss the medical side of this heinous event, but to put in my own two cents on the fraternity issue which overshadows this entire scenario.

 When I was much younger. in high school in fact, we were made to watch this locally made 80's movie entitled "Batch '81" which was centered on the story of an aspiring neophyte and his initiation into a Greek-letter society (aka fraternity, although some fraternities here do not necessarily use Greek letters). I will refrain from reviewing the movie here, as there are a great many more reputable sites that you can turn to for that information.

I guess the point of having us watch the movie was to show us the "horrors" of joining these so-called fraternities, these secretive societies founded on precepts of brotherhood which was forged through a common horrible experience known as "initiations". Another point driven home was the inherent danger of unquestioning loyalty to these organizations which resulted in spats with rival frats, which could then evolve into full-blown criminal activities like homicide and murder, all done in the name of one's fraternity above all else. :(

The initiation rites themselves that were portrayed were pretty brutal, and the physical punishment meted out was likely founded on solid facts based on injuries sustained by hazing victims in real life that were examined postmortem, as well as testimonies from former neophytes.

There was also a chilling example of a fraternity rumble which may or may not have resulted in a fatality or two.. (spoilers much? :P)

Needless to say, my teachers got the message across, as I found the movie to be deeply disturbing which was more than enough to keep me away from fraternities in college.

To be honest, being a part of a fraternity in college never even crossed my mind and I wondered what would convince some people to join. They were perceived as troublemakers more akin to street gangs than honor societies. I have seen evidence of this outside the confines of the university, where fraternity graffiti used to be seen contaminating the walls and gates of our neighborhood alongside what were eventually identified as gang signages. Thank goodness these things are now long gone..

I only knew of a handful of individuals in college who were members, and none whom I knew personally. You would see them congregating at a designated place on campus meeting, scheming and hanging out. While I had no personal interactions or incidents with any of these identified fratmen, they gave off this seedy vibe not unlike what you see among neighborhood toughs or gang members, which was a far cry from the educated university students they were supposed to be. I once had a classmate whose cellphone was stolen by an alleged neophyte in broad daylight which was supposedly part of their initiation. The neophyte probably had no choice but to steal the phone since his "masters" told hin to do so.. Nevertheless, it was a blantantly criminal act, and my classmate never recovered her property. (I guess it would have been a much different deal if it was eventually returned to her by one of the fraternity members, apologizing and explaining that it had been all part of the initiation, but I guess they're not as honorable as we would like them to be)

Initiation? More like on-the-job training if you ask me.. :(

Perhaps my limited exposure to these university-wide fraternities was because I was in the medical field, as I heard that membership was much more rampant in the other courses like engineering and commerce. 

As life went on and I got a little older, I was able to reflect on what would drive someone to join one of these organizations  despite their dubious reputations and shady activities.. Organizations that force you to have absolute loyalty to these other people and have their back regardless of anything they do just because of some twisted manifestation of "brotherhood". It doesn't matter if you would get along with them outside the confines of the frat or not, it doesn't matter kung masama ugali niya and he would seemingly get you into trouble. You're brothers now, and that is all that matters..

At this point some of my more avid readers would point to the fact that I had once attempted to join a fraternity myself when I was in medical school. I promise that we'll get to that later on. Generalities muna tayo.. ;)

A fundamental concept these organizations preach is a true sense of brotherhood (or sisterhood for sororities) which is forged in the fires of a shared traumatic experience (initiations) which had been endured to the end, thus granting the survivor the "elite" status of "fraternity/sorority member" because he/she was able to prove his/her willingness to be a member as well as his/her loyalty to the frat/sor. The initiations would serve to galvanize that trust between neophyte batchmates, as well as provide a sense of solidarity with those that have already gone before (since they supposedly went through the same thing, so, brothers/sisters?). Some of these organizations have such wide membership scopes encompassing different colleges/universities, and some even have community-based chapters (but the latter seem to be more gang-like in their activities)

Admittedly, a mild version of this could be seen in daily life. An example I could draw from would be our personal experience as medical trainees, be it in clerkship, internship, residency, or fellowship. There is this prevailing sense of community with one another since going through training is admittedly a tough experience. Completing a program (and passing the boards) earns you full acceptance among your former trainors-turned-peers, as well as others who have attained the same level. I personally liken the people from my residency program as a kind of family, and I have this desire to help them achieve what I have achieved. Loyalties are not mandatory however, and you have no right to call someone out for being disloyal to a program unless you're being a fanatic and/or a total nutjob. :P

Since the former neophyte is now a full-fledged member with supposedly unbreakable ties to his organization, he could supposedly reap the benefits of being such. In college it would sometimes mean access to old examinations (or even upcoming exams if a prof is a brod.. but hey, isn't that cheating? Oh, they don't give a shit), or even better grades (same principle as before). For the more violent people, it would mean you would have an automatic "resbak" (backup) when you get into a scuffle, which would further embolden the troublemaker since violence is really his thing. Other benefits promised could be aid in securing a job from brods positioned in higher positions, or even government assistance when caught in a pinch (akin to criminals going scot free despite the evidence because they have bribed a judge or someone higher). I can only shake my head in disbelief at this.. I would expect that these organizations would have a code of conduct set up by their founders to prevent abuses, but if you think about it, would you turn your back on a brother who went through hell with you just because of some stupid infraction of some stupid rule written long before by some dude who probably didn't have the absolute same initiation experience anyway (being founders and all)? This dangerous situation is probably why these organizations find it difficult to clean their ranks (if they ever tried at all) and would thus descend into the gang mentality.

Looking back at the histories of fraternities (what follows is NOT Wikipedia gospel truth, since this will be just from my memory of previous researches out of curiosity and discussions with lots of different people), these Greek-letter societies weren't all bad to begin with. In fact, the idea behind them was pretty idealistic. 

Fraternities in US universities started out from a need for companionship. Think about it, the typical college student in the US would be miles away from home, not really knowing anyone (a few friends from high school if he's lucky), and would be struggling to fit into college life. These frats would provide supposedly undying friendship which would be nurtured in school and continued after graduation. They would have all sorts of activities to engage the community as well, and probably serve to make the college experience more richer than it would if you went through it all by your lonesome. A lifetime of benefits in exchange from a temporary agonizing experience.  I heard that it wasn't really that violent in those days, with public humiliation being more of the norm rather than being beaten up black and blue. I won't delve into the state of those US frats nowadays since this would be way off-tangent already, but based on the news I've been reading, it appears as if these Greek-letter societies are now only interested in parties, booze, drugs, and rape.

Fraternities arrived at Philippine shores during colonial times, and I guess the concept was pretty good before as well. The big universities would have enrollees coming from all parts of the archipelago and the Filipino freshman would be alone in the big campus without anyone to turn to. It would be heartbreakingly lonely, and it is human nature to seek out a sense of belonging. That's where the frats would come in. They would promise you lifelong camaraderie, and exclusive benefits that you wouldn't even begin to imagine. All they would ask is for you to undergo their initiation rites, some of which can last for months depending on the by-laws of the organization. It all seems very neat and systematic. So why the hell should anyone have to die?

I would understand that any society promising exclusivity and an elite status would have very stringent requirements for membership. However, the amount of violence that comes associated with these hazing rites is just batshit crazy.. Humiliation is already a very potent tool, as it would bring a person's morale down to the point of giving up. So is making a person do endless exercises to the point of exhaustion (although this would also be deadly if done in the wrong situation). So why would violence be needed? To prove toughness? What for? Is it because violence is also a part of what being in a frat is all about?

The amount of sadism needed to inflict such injuries to a helpless person is just mind-boggling. I imagine a neophyte hunched forward with his pants down enduring hit after hit by a hard wooden paddle or other similar blunt instrument, and I get sick to my stomach.. :(

There have also been stories of girls joining sororities who would get felt up and raped by "masters" from the equivalent fraternity during initiations. These victims do not come forward because they fear for their lives and/or value membership in the organization. :(

They say the purpose of the initiations is to break you down, ego and all, to lose your individuality and hopefully emerge (after much brutality) an absolutely loyal pawn who would put his organization and its members above all else, never mind ethics and basic human decency, because you literally went through hell and back just to get this far.

The adult in me looks back at these college organizations with a tinge of disgust at the audacity and stupidity of youth. It appears as though these are a product of bad, poorly-informed choices made by insecure teens who don't know any better and value a sense of belonging above all else.. Which in turn would speak volumes about that state of families nowadays, but that is a discussion for another time..

Now we move on to the postgraduate fraternities, particularly those in law and medical school..

I would expect that being a part of a fraternity at this level would be less about being all lonely and weepy in school since the studentry is comprised of more mature individuals who have already passed the tumultous years of raging hormones, some of which have already worked for some time before returning for further studies. The reasons would now seem more logical and practical, as will be discussed below.

I'll be dealing with law school first, since I don't really know much about them, and then proceed to the med school stories which will be from personal experience. For my friends/colleagues associated with frats/sors, don't worry, I won't be throwing anyone under the bus here, and I will be respectful as possible. ;)

The law fraternity involved in the latest hazing mortality has already made a name for itself by producing a large number of bar exam passers among its alumni. It's kinda hard to argue with that kind of success. Benefits of being in a law frat includes access to extensive case libraries painstakingly collected through the years, being able to rub elbows with prominent brods (and eventually find employment), and have an unquestionably loyal intellectual to discuss schoolwork with. Ok, I admit I have no idea how law frat benefits work, but I assume it has more a lot more academics and a lot less "bugbugan" associated with it compared to frats in college (although there has been a recent rumble incident (Nov 2016) involving said frat during the bar examinations).

All that being said, I have so idea why they would need to beat the guy black and blue to the point of inducing arrhythmia and/or MI.. :( Bah.. it gets more mind-boggling the more I think about it.. Is this a machismo thing? Gantihan na lang ba? Why start such a tradition in the first place? Bakit ganun? Being someone involved in the care of the sick and dying, it boggles the mind why people would kill an individual who wasn't expected to die anytime soon, and worse, why would he willingly subject himself to that in the first place..

Lastly, is it worth it? I mean, sure, you might get a leg up on another guy when applying for a job at a law firm, or you might get a favorable decision in a case from a judge brod (this last one, I can't wrap my head around.. I thought lawyers were all about fighting for the truth and the rights of the people who can't defend themselves?..).

Talking about lawyers has made me sad.. Let's round up the discussion by talking about med school fraternities..

I'll bet every medical school has its own fraternities and sororities. These organizations are often sanctioned by the administration and are exclusive to students from that  med school, although there are some which have chapters among different schools, but these are the exception rather than the norm..

At last count, there were six fraternities and five sororities in my school of origin, all properly recognized by the school admin. A number of faculty members are frat/sor members themselves, with a number being recognized as the founders of their respective organizations. 

I remember the freshman welcome week, where we were toured around the different areas of the university by the seniors, with each stop handled by a specific organization. It was here where we were approached by the different fraternities to invite us to their group.

Medical school is a much smaller community than the university at large, and it is inevitable that you would see familiar faces from pre-med now sporting the labels of their orgs and inviting you to join them. 

I still had the same apprehensions about joining a frat as once before, but somehow seeing these former org seniors of mine inviting me to join up got me curious.. These were straight-A people, active in the student government, and were generally recognized as good influences, a far cry from the perceived  thuggery that fratboys supposedly indulged in..

After much debate, I finally agreed to attend an orientation of sorts after school hours with a few friends from college. It was well organized and the people were generally comgenial. We were allowed to ask questions (even controversial ones) and were treated kindly, They seemed like a nice bunch, they were as intellectual as I imagined, and now I kinda wanted to be a part of them.. but I guess that was part of the hook to get you in..

The supposed benefits of joining a medical fraternity included joining medical/surgical missions ("tuli" missions for the most part where the aspiring surgeons got their first taste of an actual operation under the guidance of the senior brods), access to old examinations (which were eventually shared with everyone else anyway since most people in medschool wanted to work for the good of the batch anyway), early access to intellectual mentors (senior brods who were residents, consultants), and a cool group of guys to hang with, as well as the associated cool identifying swag like pins, jackets, mugs, stickers, etc.. Some people also claim that fraternity ties are important when looking for residency placement abroad, since there are brods in influential positions in hospitals in the States, a highly-competitive prime destination for those that wish to train elsewhere, but in line with the medical way of doing things, you have to prove yourself by acing the USMLE first (which is a situation where fraternity ties don't matter one bit). I guess fraternity ties could also help in getting residency positions, but based on personal experience, the personal merits, intelligence, and trainability of an applicant would trump any fraternity ties any day in the eyes of a good residency training staff.

Eventually I decided to give frat membership a try, and subject myself to the rigors of initiation in order to become a member. Long story short, I quit after a few days and just contented myself with being a barbarian (fraternity parlance for someone not in a frat). In all honesty, I was never punched, kicked, or hit by any of the frat members in any way. Interestingly, they found ways to make things difficult for you without physically assaulting you, and I was really thankful for that. I remained on friendly terms with those fraternity guys until we parted ways after medical school, especially since most of the guys who came from my batch were already my friends from before. In fact, even the junior fraternity members recognized me as a friend of the frat despite not completing the initiations and becoming a senior brod. I found it a little heartwarming that they considered me as kind of like a "lost brother" and bore no ill will towards me for leaving. :)

I guess the question now is "Do you regret not being part of a frat?" Well, to be honest, I kinda regret missing out on the cool swag. :P The free accommodations at the frathouse would have been nice too, but since I never really had to use a dorm, so it didn't matter. I was invited to a handful of medical missions  despite not being a member, although I kinda stuck out 'coz I wasn't wearing the "official" scrubs. Hehehe :P 

I still had my wide array of friends in medical school, some with frats and sors, others without. Those that did never let their fraternity or sorority ties get in the way of our friendship or our journey towards our medical degrees. Even in clerkship where it was said that fraternity ties had more weight, I honestly didn't notice any difference because the residents I dealt with were trying to be as fair as possible to everyone. I guess I consider myself fortunate (?) to not be in a situation where I would be driven to think that joining a frat would be the only solution, though I find it difficult to imagine how such a situation would come to be.

As far as studies went, I believe that tutoring could only get you so far, and that you're gonna have to go do it by yourself for the most part anyway. Career placement didn't matter, because I wanted to get into a program and stay there based on my own merits and nothing else.

Med school Fraternity life may seem neatly packaged into a fun, exciting experience with lots of opportunities both in and out of school. However, in the end, it all boils down into how well you've studied, how well you're treated your colleagues, seniors, and juniors, and how well you deal with your patients. These are things that you do by yourself, fraternity or no.

So you wanna be a Medicine? :P

I recently found out that I had a younger cousin who is interested in becoming a doctor.. and though I may have discussed the topic in this blog briefly at times, I don't think I ever dedicated an entire post for this purpose alone.. so here goes...

First off, I would like to state for the record that I'm not trying to scare anybody off from treading the path towards becoming an MD. In fact, it is actually a quite noble profession. However, I will be discussing uncomfortable truths here that one might face during his or her medical training..

The road to earning the right to place the letters "MD" after your name is a long and ardous task, entailing much more than just plain old brain power.. let me explain..

We start with pre-med.. With the exception of the 7-year INTARMED program offered by PGH to those who are bionic enough to endure it, regular people must have a college degree prior to being accepted into medical school. Pre-med courses are classically Bachelor of Science programs like biology, chemistry, paychology, or even those pre-professional ones like Medical Technology, Pharmacy, or Physical Therapy. These would range from 3-5 years depending on the college/university as well as the course curriculum itself. As far as I can remember, DLSU offers 3-year programs, while Physical Therapy is generally a 5-year affair..

Getting your college diploma alone is not enough to get into med school. There is also the NMAT, which is basically a glorified entrance test which is administered nationally, and ranks prospective medical students based on their performance. There will be a corresponding percentile rank, and some schools use the NMAT ranking as a cutoff to tell whether an application would be entertained or not. Example: UST and FEU reportedly use the NMAT cutoff rank of 65 to screen prospective applicants.

So now you've entered medical school. Congratulations and welcome to another 3 years of classroom work (with things turned up by a great many notches). The curriculum would progress at a speed far greater than anything you have experienced in college. There will also be more tests given, and some laboratory subjects as well, the most famius being the cadaver dissection for 1st year anatomy class, which by the way, runs for an entire year, as are most basic medicine subjects. 

Brains, although important, is not the sole requirement for medical school. It also requires a great deal of determination, and a genuine interest to learn and see it through to the end.. Many a story have I heard about the poor unsure student who only went to med school because of his or her parents' wishes, and would unfortunately drop out sometime during the first school year because they were enduring a lot of hardships, and their heart was not really into it.. :(

If you were lucky enough to survive the first 3 years of medical school and are already brimming with confidence due to all the knowledge you've gained, then you'll be in for the surprise of your life when you reach your fourth year, the so called junior internship (JI) or clinical clerkship (clerk). For this year of your medical training, you will be rotating around the various departments or specialties, to give you exposure and experience of hadling actual patients with actual diseases that need to be treated, Rotations outside the mother hospital may be common, because in some instances, the exposure than can be provided by the said hospitals may be lacking. For example, clerks from UST would rotate to Fabella for their Obstetrics rotation in order to gain hands-on experience with delivering babies. San Lazaro Hospital is another rotation wherein the clerks would be exposed to cases of infectious diseases.

It is during clerkship that the limits of one's physical, mental, and emotional endurance are tested. For  most of the clerks, this would be the first time they would be going on 24+ hour duties straight at the hospital. It doesn't seem so bad when done one in a while, but bear in mind that this would go on for an entire year, and that the schedules could find you going on duty once every 3-4 days depending on the manpower available. As a clerk, you are the lowest animal on the hospital heirachy food chain, being outranked by senior interns, residents, fellows, and consultants. As such you will be expected to do the more basic tasks like interviewing and monitoring patients, performing proper physical examinations, doing paperworks, assisting in procedures, and preparing reports (since you're basicall still a 4th year sstudent anyway). As you near the end of clerkship year, there will still be final examinations, the format of which may vary among the different medical schools.

After completion of clerkship and graduation from medical school, you would have earned your medical degree, and with it, the MD title. But now you  move on to Post-Graduate Internship (or Senior Internship in those hospitals whohave clerks/JIs). Internship is required by the PRC as a prerequisite to taking the licensure examinations. Before clerkship ends, you apply to have your internship at institutions of your choice (3 choices ranked accordingly), and this is submitted to the APMC which oversees the matching of incoming interns to their hospitals of choice (whenever possible).  As an intern, you will be saddled with more responsibilities since you already proudly wear the mantle of Doctor (but still cannot practice since you don't have a license yet). Intership year is another set of rotations around the different departments of the hospital, along with the corresponding duty schedules (16-24 hour duties). You would serve as the right hand man/woman of the residents supervising you. Resposibilities may vary from hospital to hospital, but the most glaring difference would be the level of trust a resident puts in you as compared to when you were just a mere JI, which is totally understandable, since you're now (supposedly) a much smarter, wiser, better version of yourself compared to a year ago.

After intership year, you pass your requirements to PRC, review everything you've been studying the past 4-5 years, and take the board examinations. If successful, you would earn your license and the right to practice as a GP (General Practicioner) .At this point, you would be on your own, and the decisions would be yours alone, whether you decidec to go into specialty training, go into practice as a GP (not advisable if you plan to live in NCR), or even just turn your back on medicine forever. 

Whew! That was a long one.. I hope this helps! If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below. 

Pump it up

At long last, the darn research requirement (as well as the eventual presentation) has been completed! Now I am truly free to do somerhing I have been visualizing for the past couple of years.. In-depth, uninterrupted studying! :) My intention is to put up such a solid effort that would put my PSBIM attempt to shame..

Some people may wonder what's the big deal, or why am I so pumped up about this?.. well, when you come to think about it, this one examination is my passport to subspecialty practice. With that being the case, my purpose of studying is no longer solely driven by an intent to pass, but to be the damn best that I can be, since this specialty is going to be what I will be doing for the rest of my life! :)

Some people may say that 4-5 months is still a very long time, but I personally feel that I've already wasted too much time, what with my self-imposed deadline for all research-related activities delayed for about a month, a grim reminder that one should never underestimate the power of procrastination..

I certainly hope I will be able to sustain this high level of interest and eagerness to learn.. Losing momentum would prove disastrous down the line..

A little bit of legwork to set things in order this coming week, and Iwill be all set to hunker down in a bunker and study my ass off.. ;)

Nabunutan ng tinik

I wanna give credit for this image, but its been like 5 years already and I'm no longer sure where on FB I found it.. Sorry.. :(

At long last! I'm finally done with my clinical research requirement and can now apply for my diplomate examinations! *whew!*

Now all that's left is to prepare a presentation to be given at the paper presentation event a few months later.

I decided since the end of fellowship that I would be focusing solely on getting the paper and presentation done first before moving on to studying for the boards. The reason would be twofold..

1) It would pressure me out of procrastination to finish my paper since further delays would eat into my study time.

2) I'm not really too much of a multitasker, so simultaneously studying and doing the paper would prove disastrously counterproductive.

As is typical of me, I would like to take this momentary lull to thank everyone who made finishing the paper possible :P :

- The Big Man Upstairs, who has seen me through all sorts of different trials, examinations, lectures, presentations, researches, personal tragedies, and whatnot. Thank you for always guiding my way..

- My family for always putting up with me :P

- My Other Half for always being the voice of encouragement and motivation, who drives me to get off my ass and just do it!  :D

- My ulttra-chill consultant adviser, Dr. Ging Ladrera, who was there every step of the way, from raw conceptualization until the final draft review.

- Dr. Joseph Obusan and the rest of his Radiology staff for their invaluable support during my data gathering phase. I hope the results of this study will be of use to you as well. :)

- My batchmate and the present queen bee of LCP, Dr Raiza Visita, for kindly allowing me to occasionally print research-related documents at the fellows' callroom.

- The MICU staff, for allowing me to use the bizbox during downtimes so I could get my data on point.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all! :)

Shit just got real

Dang... What a wake-up call..

After recieving an informative message from a batchmate, I realized that I have been wasting so much time on needless pursuits and have been deviating from the timetable I had once proudly set for myself..

I guess its time to get off my ass and buckle up, 'coz like the title of this entry says, the shit has just gotten real..

See you in a few months.

Getting past the (writer's) block

The downside of not writing for a really long time is that it gets really difficult to get started again, and that includes writing scientific papers. So, in order to get past this writer's block that I seem to have hit (and thus finally get my paper going), I shall return to the blogging scene after this apparently long hiatus.. hehe

A LOT has happened in the months that passed, and it would be too exhaustive to go into detail about al of them, but I guess I'll give it a shot.. :P

Its been about 5 months since the end of training. Finishing the aforementioned research paper and preparing for another diplomate exam should keep me occupied for the next few months. :/

Finally achieving this much-desired change of pace is something really new for me. I'm finally rid of having to go on duty at the hospital forever. (Bwahahahaha! :P) I've spent the better part of the first month clearing out stuff from my room, including setting aside some little-used clothes for charity. :) There was also a lot of catching up to do with the considerable sci-fi backog I had built up in the last couple of years or so.. hehehe

I've actually missed this.. being able to just creatively unload my thoughts on a blank slate which would serve as an online memoir of sorts in the years to come.

My wrist hurts.. probably carpal tunnel syndrome.. Serves me right for all those late-night sessions with the iPad before going to bed. I've already gotten rid of most of my games, especially those that can run offline, but I just cant seem to remove a couple which tie me and the guys together (since we're such total geeks :P). A litte more self discipline won't hurt, and will probably go a very long way..

I realize that I really need this writing session to help me get used to being productive in front of the computer again. Otherwise, I would just wander off to read some sensationalist news or social media garbage.. I really miss the good old days when people would just blog or participate in forums, where people had to actually exert an effort to go out and read stuff and think about it (since they had already made an effort to find it in the first place), instead of just being stuffed right infront of an immature audience who tends to have this underlying impulse to freely comment whatever shit opinion they may have at the moment without really thinking about it just because the info was so easy to come across.

The hate and vitriol on the internet, primarily on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter is sickening, and makes me question where humanity is really headed. I'm no saint, and I admit that my emotions have been swayed at times based on some stuff I had come across.. Even more sickening is the fact that governments have finally resorted to using the internet as a tool, and in the wrong hands could cause a lot more harm than previously thouht possible. Just take a look at what is happening now in the US, with their hateful and spiteful leader taunting people over Twitter like a spoiled child. Or if one would go locally, the presence of these faceless social media trolls whose main aim isto make people angry, opinionated, or downright nasty against each other, and the das fact is that some peope are actually paid to do this..

The world was never really a perfect place to begin with, but the outpouring of such negativity online has me wanting for better days, when things were much simpler, when people were actually more civil towards each other due to the lack of anonymity, and when opinions were better thouhgt out before being displayed in the public forum for all to see.

Social media has allowed everyone's inner jerk to reign free, since there is no apparent threat of actual retaliation in real life. People have abandoned decency at times just to satisfy a pathological need to be noticed and be right no matter what the cost.. :( Is this really what we will become? A race of entitled brats who pounces on anyone who does not see things their way? I believe in free speech, but it does not grant you the license to act like an asshole towards others just because they don't know or won't be able to know you personally anyway.

I used to think that the creepy side of the internet was confined to stalkers, sexual predators, serial killers, shady individuals who wish to rob you through technologically advanced means (or even just through simple scams for those who are gullible enough), and probably some other deep web stuff that I probably wouldn't even want to know about.. :/ But now all of a sudden its the basic creepiness of human nature that resides in all of us that scares me.. :( I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm disappointed at people..

I used to laugh at the concept of people saying that society is in decay and all that stuff, but when I take a look at the internet and see how much it has permeated all the aspects of our life, I can't help but believe that its true... :(

I've been watching sitcoms lately, and currently have FRIENDS in my sights, and I must say that even though its funny, it sometimes gad a little sad at times due to its unspoken commentary about the way things are in this modern age. I won't go into details at the moment though, because think this post has been depressing enough.. Still good writing therapy though :D

Stressed to the nth level

I'm on duty today, as the Senior House Officer, no less. I hate the anxiety that goes with it, and everyone knows that I hate being on duty as SHO.. :( In fact, I would take ward or ICU duty over SHO any day. :/ ER duty? nah, I'll pass.. Well, I hate being on duty in general, and since the end of training is finally near, I feel that it couldn't come soon enough.

I just can't wait until the sun goes down and everyone else goes home. There's a better feeling of calm and control that goes with the twilight..

It was far from my intentions to start off the year with another negative post, but this is my outlet, and I realy, really need to let off some steam.. Now, where do I begin?..

I find it really sad and unfortunate that the department is the way it is a present, and thus I can't wait for the year to end so I can be rid of this place.. The pressures that I feel here are unbearable, and that's just one aspect of the problem..

I got to spend some much-needed quality time with my Other Half yesterday, and it reminded me of the things that really mattered most in life. :) As always, the best dates are those wherein we were able to have long talks about the stuff that matters.

On a side not, a little funny story happened as well. We were just hanging out at an area of the mall overlooking the big chritmass tree at the lobby when a group of schoolkids in uniform, probably grade 4-5, approached us and asked us if we were koreans! :P Before they asked the quesion, I was a little bothered coz they surrounded us and I thought I had to beat them off with a stick lest they were actually little pickpocketing bandits. :P But I guess all they wanted was a selfie with actual koreans. XD

Argh.. Staying here is such a drag.. I actually can't stand being with most ofthe people here anymore. At least the juniors are a little better and seem a bit more fun to be with. :P

I went on a journey yesterday with one of my batchmates to ditribute invitations and posters for our forthcoming postgraduate symposium. We went aound the metro delivering the materials to hospitals mainly in the QC area. We made a stop at a nearby Burger King for lunch and since it was subsidized, I decided to give their most expensive burger a go. :P It was delicious, although I think I would have ben better off eatinga double patty instead of a burger with other types of meat interspersed with it. Yes, there was indeed a cacophony of different flavors, but I'm a burger purist, and this I think the flavor should be rich but not all over the place. :)

We just had another incident which further conviced me that I do not want to stay here any longer than necessary.. :/

I'm tired of all of this.. Of all the callroom drama, the ever-changing curriculum requirements, the shallow interactions..

I can't help but wonder how different things would have been if alittle adjustment here or thre was made earlier on, and right people wound up at the right place..

Sigh.. I can whine and pine all I want forthings to be different, but the fact of the matter is that it won't be. All I can do is adjust to make the most of a sad situation in order to survive and hopefully make it through unscathed..

Hmm.. now its 6pm.. things have quieted down a bit already..I hope this lasts the night..

2017 "YearStarter"

I'll admit that I was a bit lazy to write my annual yearender blogpost last night, so I decided on a compromise, to make a post on the first day of the new year. :)

As usual, Christmas has come and gone, and in this instance, the New Year celebration as well. So, here I am holed up in the hospital for the first duty of 2017, and I hope this will be a quiet one so as to not interrupt my annual retrospective..

This year has really been a struggle for me, and I bet for a great number of you as well since this has been a very difficult year all around.. My umpteenth "Senior Year" found me finding solace in the fact that I no longer had to man the Emergency Room, but I was now straddled (once again) with the responsibilities of being the highest official in charge (especially during night duties). With this, I am forever grateful for my formative years back at the old hospital where gutsiness and confidence were bred into our systems, by force if need be, due to the overwhelming demands of a government institution. Having said this, the "senior's load" was surprisingly still quite heavy, and I'm not just talking about the responsibilities of being senior to a group of newbies to the trade, but the task list seemed to grow heavier as well..

I was grateful though for the opportunity to head out-of-town due to a midyear convention, but boy did it come at a price! Being a contestant for an inter-institution debate is no joke! While all my compatriots were lounging around and resting, I was busy burning the midnight oil even up until the night before the event! :P Apart from that, the little challenges that came my way seemed to all stack up on a regular basis. I have had barely enough time to catch my breath and get my bearings when I had to move on to another equally challenging time-limited objective. And given my penchant for both procrastination and being OC once I got started on my work, this combination proved to be very deadly indeed. :(

Having said all that, I really enjoyed my stay out-of-town, and will definitely return with loved ones in the future :D

This year was not all about toxicity though.. This is also a year where I began seriously contemplating how it would be like if our family finally got our very own car. Granted we are working with a relatively small budget, but there are numerous offerings out there, and the priciest may not always be the best choice. ;) Steps have been taking, and we have been reading up on a lot of stuff as well, but we admittedly have a long way to go.. but at least we got the ball rolling, right? :)

This year I was also able to meet up with my Other Half's friends, and she was able to join me and the guys on a couple of BNOs as well. Things seem to be going quite smoothly, and I pray that this continues in the years that follow. :D

I guess the theme this year for me was exploring the limits of, and going beyond my comfort zone.. I guess it's also a part of growing up (?) but one cannot ignore the fact that there is someone else that helped me overcome these barriers and continues to inspire me to be brave to this very day. ;)

I guess I could say that I really grew more this past year, both in knowledge and experience as a doctor, as well as in love and wisdom as a person.. Even though it has been a bumpy ride, I am grateful for the year that was, and I face this new year with nervous anticipation for a brand new start! :)

A few resolutions would also have to be in order, since this technically still is a yearender post. The resolutions would be as follows:

- Spend less time (close to none if possible) on Facebook. It's a great time sink, and it stealthily consumes more time than you would expect, giving you little in return.

- Less time online (including game time) and more time interacting with the real world. This one is a no-brainer, and deleting applications is a priority

- Live and love more. As I will be set free from the constraints of the training schedule, I can finally try to live life the way i was meant to be lived.

- Travel? (As budget allows though)

- Blog more. I know it seems to go against the principle of the second one, I can still create these intellectual exercises offline and just jump in to post for a few moments.

- Be a better brother. Not just to brother dear, but to the BNO bros as well

- Be a better son. (duh!)

- Make time for the Big Man Upstairs. Its been a long while, we seriously need to catch up..

- One last exam. I know it will still be a year from now, but fortune favors those who are prepared.

There, that should do it for now! I have now made it a goal to put up a post at least once a month so the blog doesn't grow stale. :D