04/12/2024
“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲: 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬”
By: Eloine Red Gudelosao
Photography: Eloine Red Gudelosao and Anthony Luis B. Chua
The journey to becoming a doctor is a meticulous process, one that unfolds in distinct phases — each building upon the last. Every academic year brings new challenges, responsibilities, and skills designed to build a well-rounded physician. To understand this journey, we spoke to the coordinators of different year levels to gain insight into how their unique approaches lay the foundation for students’ growth into healthcare professionals.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓
The most notable characteristic of medical education in the Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM) is its Problem-Based Learning (PBL) curriculum, which strongly fosters independent learning. Dr. Gwendolyn Pepito, PBL-1 Coordinator, describes the first year as an “integration of the basic sciences”. It employs horizontal integration of the different core subjects into each unit. She emphasizes the importance of building the foundation of medical education with the basic sciences, saying: “Without the basic knowledge of the normal physiology and structure of the body, you cannot determine what’s happening with the illness of the patient. Laying out the foundation [is] not just for the academics, but also how they [students] manage their different tasks and roles in life — in both the academe and in their individual personal growth [...] They’ll not just be doing the profession, but they have other roles in life”.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓
The second year of Medicine in the Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM), officially called Integrated Clinical Science I, is more commonly referred to as PBL-2. This year is considered by Dr. Mitzi Marie M. Chua — Chair for the Department of Microbiology and Pathology, and Integrated Clinical Science I Coordinator — as the “formative year”. It is during this level of education that students are first exposed to actual patient care. Dr. Chua emphasizes how each of the four basic subjects in ICS I — Medicine 1, Microbiology and Parasitology, and Pharmacology — converge into the application of pathology. Additionally, she goes on correlating emotional intelligence (EQ) to soft skills, such as empathy and professionalism, saying: “These concepts are also closely related to being an independent, self-directed learner, which is a strong background of PBL”.
𝑭𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒚𝒆
Dr. Irelan Amores-Evasco, Coordinator of PBL-3 and of Junior Clerkship for Obstetrics & Gynecology (OBGYN), highlights a unique feature of CIM education: Junior Clerks. At this level of education, students are actually exposed to what Senior Clerks are already doing — from identifying the problem to developing the treatment plan and prognosis and everything in between — except Junior Clerks still have discussions and lectures. This method of education is unique to CIM. “You develop your clinical eye, [which] takes a lot of time [and] patient exposure. Having that early exposure is a distinct advantage compared to other med schools,” Dr. Amores-Evasco says. This integration ensures that students are not only competent in ideal clinical settings, but are also adaptable in resource-challenged environments. Dr. Amores-Evasco explains that when you go to the provinces and barrios in the Philippines – a third world country — you don’t have the ideal set up. “You rely on your clinical eye and what you learn. If you have the basics, that would take care of most of the treatment for the patient”.
𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆
As of the Academic Year 2024–2025, CIM has joined the leagues of other prestigious Philippine educational institutions by implementing an accelerated six-year path for Medicine. Dr. Michael James Busa imparted “The Parable of the Town Beyond the Riverbend” to the pioneering batch for the PRECISE program at the start of the school year, which inculcates his vision as the program Coordinator — “You tell them the greater picture — the forest, rather than the trees — then maybe they will say, ‘Okay, I will take care of the community more, be more conscious of the community, rather than just [the] individual’.” Dr. Busa goes on to emphasize the significance of the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Law on the curriculum: “The mindset now is that, not only will they finish medicine [as medicine] in treating patients, but they are mindful of [the] universal healthcare, wherein it’s cheaper to keep the community healthy, rather than to treat a sick community[...] Universal healthcare is to provide healthcare for everybody.”
𝑨 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎’𝒔 𝑳𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒚
As a proud graduate of the PBL curriculum, Dr. Jose Joshua Borrreros now stands at the helm as a PRECISE faculty member, shaping the next generation of doctors. Reflecting on their time as a student, Dr. Borreros emphasizes the impact of the curriculum in being a self-directed learner and becoming resilient: “There will really be a time when you will be on your own and you have to solve your problems by yourself, you do your critical thinking by yourself [...]There will be a lot of failures, mishaps, or maybe difficulties along the way. How do we cope up with these failures and difficulties in school? This also translates for you to become a good clinician in the future — that despite all the difficulties, all the schedules, and hardships, you will still look at the silver lining of everything.”
Dr. Borreros goes on to share his thoughts on the newly implemented PRECISE program, stating: “With the advent of the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Law, it’s not just how we readjust how our healthcare system is delivered, but, of course, how we train our health workforce, which is our doctors, that will ultimately root on how medical education is constructed or how it is designed.” He later goes on to say that, in the PRECISE program curriculum, public health subjects are incorporated to show the students a glimpse of our healthcare system, how it can be improved upon, as well as provide an avenue for them to mature and think about the reality
𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏
Medicine is not just a science; it’s an art — an art that CIM weaves into its curriculum at each level of education. CIM remains steadfast in its mission to produce not just competent physicians, but compassionate healers in the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare. From nurturing curiosity and critical thinking to instilling clinical expertise and genuine empathy, each year of education brings students closer to becoming the kind of doctor our community needs. It is this balance of competence and compassion that defines the legacy of CIM and its graduates.
Credits:
Interviewers: Eloine Red Gudelosao and Rey T. Arcenas
Edited by: Sophia Maria Aguedda T. Enage and Maria Jose Almodiel
Watermark by: Greg Hernand B. Pesca III