Nursing and other allied health graduates in call centers

It is common knowledge that many allied health graduates including nursing graduates are currently working in call centers. Apparently, call centers find use in accepting applicants from the medical field also as long as they meet the requirements.

This draws mixed reactions from different medical professionals.

Some frown upon this. For them, this should not be the case because call center jobs are completely different from the health professions.

But others welcome working in call centers especially that it provides a relatively high salary.

It entirely depends on the priority of the individual in question.

By all means, graduates of the health professions should pursue a career in line with what they trained for.

However, if they really need money and would want to start earning right away, we can't stop them from helping their families.

Found on this blog (on top and on the left side) is a graphic link to Convergys where a lot of call center agents work. They are constantly looking for personnel to work for them in the Philippines.


Feel free to click the graphic link to apply at Convergys if you or your friends or family feel like applying.

10-Year Board Exam Performance of Philippine Medical Schools

For those interested to know this especially if they have a son or daughter planning of going to medical school this year, you may want to look at this pictures. I think this was discussed during a APMC-initiated forum among medical schools. The pictures do not show all the medical schools, just some with a higher than 50% average.  Of course deciding as to what is the best medical school does not lie on Board Exam percentage alone.

These stats are from 2001-2010.

Coming Soon! The CIM Chorale Group

Christmas is in the air. Christmas carols are starting to be played in the airwaves. It is the time of year when different choir groups are singing Christmas songs.

For Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM), Christmas starts early with the Founder's week celebration.

This year, some events will feature the performance of the CIM chorale group. Well, there's no formal name yet for the group.

It is composed, this time of students from the first year to the 3rd year along with a few CIM faculty members. Regular practices are held on Fridays from 5 PM to 7PM.

This group is no UP Madz but in Cebu, there are but a few schools not to mention, medical schools who have a choir to boast off.

Performances are expected from them this coming CIM Founder's week. Some of the songs that probably will be performed are "Carol of the Bells", "Stand by Me", "CIM Hymn" and "Moon River".

Electron Transport Chain

In this blog, it is also my mission to help out students who have difficulty understanding concepts in medical school by looking for good, easy-to-understand Youtube videos created by other educators and sharing them in this blog.

The instructional video for this week is an animation on the Electron Transport Chain (cellular respiration).

Velez College Mourns the Death of its President

Atty. Teodoro Diez, President of Velez College and one of the Board of Trustees of the Cebu Institute of Medicine passed away yesterday.

Interment will be this afternoon at 4:30 PM. Our condolences.

Atty. Diez has been one of the pillars of Velez College for many years already. Back when I was a medical technology student he was the one who handed me my diploma during the graduation rites.

Despite his stature, he was a very simple distinguished gentleman.

May eternal light shine upon you, Atty. Diez.

While up there, may you still guide Velez College to the right direction.

Neuroanatomy Educational Video on Cranial Nerves

Neuroanatomy is such a difficult subject for medical students. During my time as a medical student videos on neuroanatomy were not readily available. Thanks to Youtube, there are now several videos that make understanding neuroanatomy easier.

One example is this pair of video on cranial nerves...





Hope you learned something!

Return of mandatory ROTC in Philippine schools: Are you in favor?

ROTC: Yes or No?
 
The issue of mandatory ROTC is again alive. This 1st week of August, local news reports have circulated that the Armed Forces of the Philippines endorsed the plan of the defense department to bring back mandatory ROTC or Reserved Officers Training Corps in colleges and universities.

Since then, TV and radio programs are abuzz over the said issue. Some are in favor, citing that the present youth lacks discipline and ROTC is a good venue for discipline.

On the other hand, others are against the move since instead of discipline, corruption will be cultivated.

Other Pro-ROTC arguments:

• "Making ROTC mandatory would also increase the much-needed manpower requirements of the military in times of disaster and other service-related activities."
• "It's nice to observe male students having their hair cut short."
• " Since the ROTC was not made mandatory, the number of people aspiring to be soldiers decreased."
• “Aside from discipline, we are talking about patriotism and love of country here.”

Anti-ROTC arguments:

• "It's just a waste of time."
• "Pangwarta ra na."
• "Why would they force me, if I don't want to serve as a reservist?"

To recall, in 2002, the Philippine Congress passed a law making ROTC just optional instead of mandatory in the college level after alleged corruptions were believed to be prevalent in the program and also following a murder of an ROTC cadet in a popular university. To bring ROTC back requires action from Congress.

I went through ROTC before mandatory ROTC was abolished. At that time, I felt ROTC was just a waste of time. We were just sitting in the field, exposing ourselves to the sun mostly doing nothing, occasionally marching and consuming siopao and soda sold at higher than regular price exclusively by a certain supplier who I suspect gives a portion of the sale to "somebody in the higher chain of command of the ROTC perhaps".

Some who want to avoid the sun, volunteer as personal "transpo" of certain officers.

Those who can afford would donate electric fans or some other thing or fee to evade "sun-bathing".

I think the "little acts of corruption in the ROTC" are common knowledge among all male ROTC cadets at that time.

Yes, there were occasional lectures and even quizzes at times. There were times we are called to help control the crowds especially during Sinulog. But I cannot explain why I felt then it was generally a waste of time most of the time. While are female classmates were studying for a Monday exam, here we are forced to endure the heat doing practically nothing useful even for the country or the community.

If ROTC will be done properly minus the corrupt practices, if ROTC time will be spent wisely and something actually useful for the student and the country will be taught, perhaps I will be in favor of mandatory ROTC.

If  the same ROTC during our time will be brought back, then I think we should forget about it.

How about you? Are you in favor of having ROTC back in Philippine colleges and universities?

See related article in Philippine star online.

Velez College has topnotchers in the July 2010 PT-OT Board Exam

Amy Fritzie Chiu Yee of Velez College in Cebu City got the number 2 spot among Occupational Therapy Board exam takers with a rating of 80.60 while Keziah Loren Pascual Shan was number 8 in the Physical Therapy Board Exam with a rating of 84.45. The exams were held just this month of July 2010.

Congratulations to these 2 topnotchers from Cebu PT-OT schools, Velez College in particular, and all the examinees. By the way, 434 out of 938 passed the Physical and Occupational Therapists Licensure Examination.

The oathtaking ceremony of the successful examinees in the said examinations will be held on Sunday, September 19, 2010 at 1:00 PM at the Manila Hotel, One Rizal Park, Manila.

Below is the roll of successful PT examinees:

PTjuly2010

Below is the roll of successful OT examinees:

OTjuly2010

Download Philippine National Ethical Guidelines for Health Research

Sometimes when the internet connection is slow, it is very difficult to download pdf files from Philippine government websites. Since many health students and professionals need to know these ethical guidelines when doing health research locally, I decided to have an alternate site for download through my blog.

These guidelines are not the product of my work. These are from the Philippine National Health Research system. I am just sharing this to disseminate the information regarding the importance of ethical considerations in health research. I am just assuming it is OK to share this document (to help disseminate the information) since it is being shared anyway by the Philippine Department of Science and Technology. I will be willing to remove this said document from my blog, should sharing through blogs is not allowed.

So here it is...

Philippine National Ethical Guidelines

Postgraduate Course on Health Promotion and Education on October 25-29, 2010

The Department of Health Promotion and Education, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila will conduct a postgraduate course on Octobers 25-29, 2010 at the Press Room of the College of Public Health, UP-Manila.

The course aims to deepen the participants' knowledge on the basics of health promotion and enhance their skills in using the different strategies in promoting health.

Opportunities like this should be grabbed especially for those doing health education activities in the local government units and non-governmental organizations. The trainings are designed for them as well as for those faculty handling subjects like Strategies in Health Education, Community and Public Health or anyone who may be interested to work in the field of health education in the future.

For more details, contact Prof. Ernesto R. Gregorio, Jr., MPH, course coordinator at (02) 5260811 or email at junr.gregorio@yahoo.com

Proper Way of Inserting Nasogastric Tube (NGT)

Skills development is sometimes being overlooked. One example is NGT or nasogastric tube insertion. Here is a video courtesy of Clinisnips in Youtube which shows the proper way of inserting a nasogastric tube. I would like to emphasize though...one has to wear gloves in doing this procedure.

How Microsoft Office OneNote 2007 Helped Me as a Student

My Microsoft 2007's OneNote is installed in both my laptop computers -- the Neo and Asus laptops and during my masteral studies, it was an indispensable tool for me.  Before, all I know about MS Office is Powerpoint, Excel and Word.

Working from my computer desk at the boarding house, I often search the net a lot for my assigned oral and written reports as well as research proposal. The internet and OneNote go hand in hand.

When I find nice pictures or drawings I like in the net that were available in the public domain, instead of copying the pictures and pasting in Powerpoint, I use the "Clip"  button of OneNote and then paste them in Powerpoint, without worrying about acquiring a big picture or graphic file that could slow down a computer or a powerpoint presentation.

When I find notable phrases, I either copy and Paste to OneNote the phrase of interest and automatically OneNote pastes also the link of the source of the phrase. I can look at the sentences or phrases pasted in my OneNote later for reference. I do not need to manually write the url in a paper or index card.

One thing also nice about OneNote is you don't need to press save file. You can also conveniently use it for taking notes and share a printed copy with classmates after by saving it as a Word file or pdf.

Elements in the OneNote page can be rearranged and you can place or make checklists of things to do.

During meetings for our research group, I can make meeting notes that are organized.

So you see, you may not be realizing that your Microsoft Office has a very useful application in the form of OneNote. Press the start button and look under All Programs and Microsoft Office, you may have OneNote installed which may be lying around idle.

Go on explore and use it. It is a gem that needs to be tapped.

New Schoolyear: A Preview of Things to Come

As we start the new school year for medical and related fields, allow me to welcome you and show you as well a preview of things to come...

Starting is fun. There will be lots of clowning around as one adjusts to the new environment and meet new friends...

As lessons start, more time will be spent on reading. You will read and read and read, falling asleep in the process... Biochemistry...Anatomy...Physiology...Microbiology...Parasitology...Nutrition...Hematology, etc.

There will be laboratory sessions which are exciting because you get to see "new" things!

But here come the exams and there will be ups and downs in the scores. There will be times you want to sleep the results off, trying to forget a bad score in one exam.

Of course, research is part now of education. You will have to defend your paper in the future. There will be intense grilling by a panel.

But in the end, do not lose sight of your goals. I tell you, in no time, you will finish your course and graduate...

And finally achieve your dreams!

and then start learning all over again.

Life is after all, a continuous learning process.

Welcome students!

Tragedy in Balamban

This was the sad headline that was the front page of Cebu papers this Monday morning. A day of mourning for relatives of those who passed away when a tourist bus booked by a group of 50 Iranian nationals reported to be mostly medical students who had an outing for sight seeing and relaxation fell instead into a deep ravine while traversing the Trans Central Highway in Balamban town Cebu at around 10 AM Sunday Philippine time.

It was supposed to be a day of fun and relaxation. But midway to the day, tragedy struck which left 20 people dead including the Filipino driver. As one can see from the photos of the accident site, the bus bearing the plate GWZ-666 was turned upside down.

Not all of the victims were students. Some of the reported injured were nurses, doctors including an ophthalmologist and a nanny.

Our condolences to the Iranians and the relatives of the other passengers in this accident. I had a classmate in my masteral studies before who was Iranian who was an alumni of one of the medical schools where some of these students were said to have enrolled. I hope he had no relatives among those who died in that tragic accident.

This tragedy brings into mind also the last time when medical and allied medical studies from outside the Philippines as a community mourned the death of their loved ones. It was December 1999 when a ferry sank leaving several Nepalese students enrolled in Cebu schools dead and missing as they were about to enjoy the holidays as a group. A good friend of mine Sujan Shrestha was among the dead.

Here is the link to the story on this recent Balamban tragedy.

Gram Staining Reaction of Organisms Explained

Many students with microbiology subjects often ask me about what happens to organisms during gram staining and what makes an organism gram-positive or negative. As I scan the net for nice resources, I stumbled upon this You Tube video answering the aforementioned questions. I do not know who exactly made this but he did a good job. It gives a nice explanation of gram staining which students can grasp better.



Part 2 is below.



I hope these videos will give students a clearer picture of gram-staining.

Rise in Enrollment in Medical Schools and Medical Technology schools

Some colleges offering medical and allied medical courses have started their classes and many students can be seen rushing to their respective colleges.

One noticeable trend in local schools is the rise of medical school and medical technology enrollment. This may be due to the decrease in opportunities for nursing jobs abroad.


One college offering medical technology for example went from having single-digit number of sections to about 15 sections.

Meanwhile medical schools are also experiencing a resurgence in enrollment. There are even a few international medical students. Are more nursing graduates deciding also to enter medical school since they can hardly get a job opening abroad?

One thing's for sure. It will be a busy year for teachers of these schools.

Welcome freshmen!

Which Statistical Test to Use

In the course of doing research, one difficult decision to make is knowing which statistical test to use and at the start of the research, what is the sample size required.

There are several internet resources for those who are not trained as statisticians and for those without statistical sofware like SPSS or Stata.

One nice website is the Decision Tree for Statistics. It helps in selecting which statistical test are appropriate for the purpose or condition of a particular study or analysis.

I will also recommend this page which collects links to webpages that perform statistical calculations at statpages.org.

Here is also a link to one sample size calculator for medical related studies.

Hope these links will help you.

Health Research: Looking for a Topic/Problem to Study

The first step in the research process is problem identification. In other words, at this point a researcher's problem is finding a problem. A problem is a question that needs to be answered, something that needs a solution.

One must first state the simplest research question or proble showing the variables or concepts to be described and possible relationships between variables.

The sources of problems may be from research agenda by different scientific communities, out of curiosity as problems are encountered or experienced and from an analysis of needs.

The problem then needs to be analyzed with the help of the acronym FINER.
Is the problem feasible?

• with time and money?
• enough subjects?
• feasible to implement?

interesting? novel? ethical? relevant?

The problem the n needs to be dissected and clarified by identifying the components. Get the key terms and analyze what needs to be determined. This will help later on in the formulation of objectives.

Afterwards, state the problem and subproblems in clear and specific terms specifying variable/s, population and setting (when applicable).

There you have it, problem solved for now!

Introduction to Health Research

Health research unfortunately often occupies a back seat especially in local medical schools. There are students and even teachers alike who frown upon research.

The next series of blogs will talk about health research as the author's humble contribution to help cultivate research culture in medical schools and schools of allied health sciences.

Health research has an important role in our battle against diseases and maintaining health. Its importance include:

1. Generating knowledge which hopefully could lead to action in the aspects for example of diagnosis, prevention and control of diseases.
2. Guiding policy and health program development.
3. Develop new technology which could improve the delivery of health services and the practice of medicine.

In doing research, students have a choice as to what type of health research to carry out. There are 3 types of health research:

1. Basic or biomedical which deal on the study of the nature normal events in the human body and covers areas like anatomy, physiology, microbiology, parasitology, biochemistry, etc.They are oftten done in the laboratory setting.
2. Epidemiological which deals more on the public health side which is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency in human populations. The aim of these studies are to identify risk factors of diseases or evaluate programs or interventions.
3. Clinical research which understands the disease process including identification of determinants of illness outcomes (often done by residents). Participants in these studies are patients.

Below are the steps in conducting research:

1. Identification of research problem
2. Planning the research and development of research proposal
3. Implementing the study through data collection. data processing and analysis, results interpretation and final report writing.
4. Dissemination of results which often is forgotten. What is the use of a research if the results are made known via scientific publications, presentations, seminars, conferences. As many would say, "publish or perish".

Problem-Based Learning or PBL in Cebu Medical Schools: What is it?

Some medical schools in the country such as here in Cebu City, Philippines use the PBL curriculum. This is unlike what is used in premedical school days and also unlike in these med schools' previous years when lessons are based more on lectures delivered by experts. Therefore applicants to these med schools might need to familiarize themselves with what PBL is since this question is what bugs them when choosing a local medical school to apply to.

So what is PBL?

PBL is a system that simulatenously develops a student's problem solving strategies and knowledge base by turning students into active learners, actively solving a problem provided to them which closely resembles or simulates the real world situation.

PBL is student-centered as opposed to learning from lectures which are teacher-centered.

This is in concordance with the principles of adult learning (since medical students are adults) which believes that adults are self-directed with an accumulation of life experiences and knowledge, as well as goal and relevancy-oriented (they learn better when they see that what they are learning is applicable to their work).

PBL in local medical schools uses a case as a trigger for small group discussion (SGD) and learning. The teacher acts only as facilitator, a guide on the side.

The SGDs follow a series of steps known as the Maastricht "7 Jumps". These are:

1. Clarifying unknown terms and concepts in the problem case given via handout for example.
2. Defining the problem(s). List the phenomena or events to be explained.
3. Analyzing the problem(s) via brainstorming where as many different tentative explanations for the phenomena are thought of and presented to the group. This makes use of prior knowledge and common sense. Biochemistry, Physiology or Pathogenesis knowledge are very useful.
4. Continuation of analyzing the problem(s) by discussing then criticizing the explanations proposed. The group arrange explanations into a list of tentative solutions. These explanations are organized. 
5. Formulating learning issues by group consensus for self-directed learning.
6. Filling in gaps in ones knowledge through self-study, independent study or private study.
7. Coming back to the group and sharing the findings during the self-study or independent study session with the group while trying to integrate the knowledge acquired into a comprehensive explanation for the phenomena or events.  Test against the original problem.

Basically, that's the process of PBL in local medical schools like Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM).

Since PBL was started in CIM, not one product of the PBL curriculum has failed so far. All PBL graduates passed.

Cebu Doctors' University College of Medicine also uses a PBL curriculum.

Possible Philippine Holidays during the School Year 2010-2011

If the next President follows the same practice as President GMA and based on Proclamation No. 1841, then here are the projected possible holidays.

May 10 - Election day
June 14 - Independence Day (Since June 12 is a Saturday)
August 23 - Ninoy Aquino Day (Since August 21 is a Saturday)
August 30 - National heroes Day (Since August 29 is a Sunday)
November 1 - All Saints Day
November 29 - Bonifacio Day (Since November 30 is a Tuesday)
December 24 and 25
December 27 - Rizal day (Since December 30 is Thursday)
December 31 and January 1
February 28 EDSA Day (since February 25 is a Friday)
April 11 - Araw ng Kagitingan (since April 9 is a Saturday)
April 21 - Holy Thursday
April 22 - Good Friday

About the H1N1 Flu Vaccine

Yesterday, the Philippine Department of Health started the vaccination of frontline health workers against the A(H1N1) virus. Students, being future health workers, should know facts about the vaccine against A(H1N1) virus.

Since supplies are limited, which group of people should get the vaccine first?

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that people at highest risk for complications from this virus, or those caring for high risk individuals who cannot receive vaccination, receive the vaccine first.

These include:

• pregnant women, 
• people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, 
• health care and emergency medical services personnel, 
• anyone 6 months through 24 years of age, and people ages of 25 through 64 years of age at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 influenza because of certain chronic health conditions or compromised immune systems.

Persons 10 years of age and older should receive one dose of vaccine. For children who are 6 months through 9 years of age, two doses of the vaccine are recommended.

The 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine appears to show a similar safety profile to seasonal flu vaccines, which have a very good safety track record. Examples of mild side effects are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given.

Influenza vaccines do not protect against other viruses that cause respiratory illnesses. 

For more detailed information go to: CDC H1N1 General Questions or CDC Vaccine General Questions

Have You Done Something for Mother Earth?

April 22 is Earth Day. The Philippines celebrated it yesterday while the others celebrate it today. But as the Earth Day Network Philippines would say, "...Everyday is Earth Day."

Amidst the effects of global warming as evidenced by the hotter temperatures nowadays, the hanging question is, "What have we done for Mother Earth?"


Join now and sign up for Mother Earth via http://www.10mm.ph (10 Million Movement) and give your commitment. Also visit Earth Day Network Philippines.

Some things we could do now:
1. Save Water (Environment Action!)
2. Go Green For Mother Earth: Use Alternative Fuels To Save The Environment
3. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
4. Teach our children early about appreciating Mother Earth and What's It Like Living Green?

Lessons from Edwin Valero's Life and Death

It can be recalled that in the past Edwin Valero's name has been mentioned as one of Manny Pacquiao's future opponents prior to retirement. Why not? Edwin Valero has compiled an impressive record of 27-0, all wins by knockouts with his first 18 KOs within the first round. He is an internet sensation, a popular figure in YouTube. He may not have the opportunity to fight really quality opponents but 27 knockouts is still an accomplishment.

But all that promise was blown by the wind with his apparent death by suicide.

Valero, the Champ that he was, pursued his dream of boxing fame even if he suffered cerebral hemorrhage in the past. Like Valero, students should be determined to finish one's studies despite adversity, difficult subjects, personal problems and even financial difficulties.

Valero gave his best in each match winning by way of knockout each time. Students should also give their best shot and not content themselves with just passing.

However Valero wasted his blessings. He was implicated in hurting the one he loved most (his wife)and was in fact arrested for stabbing her dead prior to his own suicide.

Students particularly in the medical field must know how to interact and blend in with different people with different types of personalities - be they patients, groupmates, classmates, teachers, etc.

They must not take for granted the blessings they receive especially from their parents who work hard for them to get quality education.Students must not put to waste the money spent for their education.

Edwin Valero was a knockout artist. He never surrendered while in the ring. Unfortunately, he lost the battles where it matters --- the battles in daily life.

He just gave up.

Fearless Forecast NBA Playoffs 2010

It may be summer classes time for many students but it doesn't mean they don't try to be updated to what's going on in the NBA playoffs.

Yup, its the playoffs alright. Elbows are flying. Tempers are flaring. The screams are deafening. Below is my fearless prediction for the 1st round of the playoffs.

EAST:
1. Cavaliers vs. Bulls. Cavs will win 4-1. The Cavs simply have all the weapons. Rose and Noah lack help.
2. Magic and Bobcats. Magic will win 4-1. Jackson is a great playoff veteran but he is playing injured and the rest of the team lacks experience. The Magic too has lots of weapons even if Howard and Carter will have off nights. Howard will be a monster of the boards blocking shots and rebounding.
3. Hawks vs. Bucks. Hawks will win 4-0. The Bucks will really miss Bogut's presence. Jennings cannot just carry the team alone. They will not lack effort though but the Hawks are hungry too and Johnson would want to make the best of his stay in Atlanta.
4. Celtics vs. Heat. Celtics will win 4-3. This will be a close one. The Celtics are aging fast but the Heat lack also help for Wade.

WEST:
1. Lakers vs. Thunder. Lakers will win 4-1. Bynum will clog the middle along with Gasol. Artest will play defense and Durant will have a hard time although he will be learning lessons. Westbrook will blossom.Kobe will be Kobe.
2. Mavs vs. Spurs. Mavs will win 4-2. Mavs with Butler and Haywood are stronger than ever. The Spurs have heart but the trio of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili will have to get something out of Jefferson and the other cast.
3. Suns vs. Blazers. Suns will win 4-1. For the Blazers minus Roy, it will be a long climb against the rejuvenated Amare with Nash running the show.
4. Nuggets vs. Jazz. Nuggets will win 4-1. The Jazz have way too many players injured. Kirilenko could have been a big help. and Boozer may not be 100%. Carmelo is hungry and the team would want to win it for their cancer-stricken coach.

Things I Found to be Essential During My Freshmen Years in Med School

There was no one in the family before me who went into medical school. So I had no idea then what I would encounter in the first year. I have no ide on the subjects. Had no idea on what is needed.

Looking back, I can say the following were key to my survival during the adjustment stage of medical school life: Microsoft Office then was not as good as now. If there was Microsoft OneNote then, I would have used it extensively in note-taking and research. The atlases are a must to reinforce what was taught in lectures. Visualization reinforces learning.

Medical books are expensive so it is important to have an idea how much they cost to be able to prepare financially.

NBA Playoff Match-ups Set

Many students are NBA fans following the NBA especially come playoffs time.

And here are the matchups for this year:

West: 
No.1. Los Angeles Lakers vs.No. 8. Oklahoma City Thunder featuring Kobe Bryant vs. Kevin Durant.
No. 2 the new-look Dallas Mavericks vs. perennial opponent No. 7. San Antonio Spurs
No. 3 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 6. Portland Trailblazers with an injured Brandon Roy
No. 4. Denver Nuggets minus Martin and their coach vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz

East
No.1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Chicago Bulls with Joachim Noah back
No.2 Orlando Magic with Carter vs. N0. 7 newbie Charlotte Bobcats
No. 3 Atlanta Hawks vs. No.6. Milwaukee Bucks minus Andrew Bogut
No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Miami Heat

Let the games begin!

Choosing A Medical School

During summertime in the Philippines, applicants are beginning to register in their medical school of choice after answering the question, "What medical school should I choose"?

How does one choose a medical school? these are some of the questions that need to be answered:

• Do I prefer a school with a Problem-based curriculum or a Traditional curriculum?
• What is the NMAT requirement?
• How much is the tuition fee?
• Is the school in a location that fits my needs? Do I have to travel far or commute? What are the nearby establishments? Is it accessible? 
• Is this a reputable institution?
• Are there scholarships available?

Check the website of the different medical schools from this online directory of Philippine medical schools. Take note that some of the links in the website may not be working including Cebu Institute of Medicine's (CIM). Here is the link for CIM.