An Open Letter to the Graduates of CIM Class 2011

I am publishing today an open letter by my fellow faculty in Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM) Batch 2011 who will graduate this afternoon. Like him, I think the rest of the CIM Faculty wish you all well as you go to the next stage of your profession. It reads:

April 26, 2011

To all my dear students of CIM Class 2011:

Today, I wish you all the best as you celebrate this significant milestone in your life as medical students of the Cebu Institute of Medicine, the school that made us all what we are today.  

As you look back to your medical student days at CIM, give time to pause and ponder and realize that it is only in looking back that we come to appreciate and put value to what we have gone through, to what we have done, to what we have achieved, and be happy about it.

Be one as you look back to the agony and ecstasy of the medical student life, the trials and tribulations, the challenges, the joy, the fun, and those seasons in the sun. But most of all, thank God Almighty for giving you the privilege of finally finishing your M.D. degree. To God be the glory.

Congratulations to all of you as you graduate. I join you in this celebration of a lifetime. Godspeed.


Sincerely yours,

Henry L. Yu, M.D.


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I would like to add to this letter, my wish for these graduates.


I wish for them to stay humble and grounded. Respect your colleagues in the hospital including nurses, medical technologists, nursing aides and all other staff. Being a doctor does not give you a right to treat others like they are not professionals. The doctor and other health professionals form a team.


Do not stop studying and learning. It doesn't mean that you are a doctor that you know everything. You can learn even from patients and from other health professionals around you. Keep on reading, stay up to date with medical knowledge.
Grab every learning opportunity. Go with the consultants during rounds. Learn from the rounds. Interact with patients. 


With that said, grab every opportunity where you can assess the patient yourself and do not rely on text message descriptions of others. Look at it as developing your clinical eye. Be a hands-on trainee.


And lastly, continue to pray to the Lord for guidance. For He is the Healer and the source of all and we are just His instruments.


Happy Graduation and congratulations!


Cebu MD

Preparation Required for Graduate School

Enrolling in graduate school should not be done by impulse for it requires preparation.

Graduate schooling will eat some time so one has to make sure he would be able to devote time not only for the classes but also time to attend to the demands of the course. This is especially true for those with jobs or a family.

In graduate school, the pace is much faster as it is assumed that the student already knows the basics of what he or she is mastering. Expect also research work.

Financially, one also has to be prepared because at this stage, it is not already the parents who are paying for your tuition but most likely the student himself or herself.

Graduate schools have different requirements. There are required entrance exams or admissions test.

Business school admission committees (especially in the United States) for example, require applicants to take a GMAT or Graduate Management Admissions Test. Unlike other tests, one cannot skip on a difficult problem and just decide to return to that difficult item after answering the easy ones. It is therefore recommended for a student to have GMAT Practice Tests before taking the real thing.

For medical schools, the counterpart is the MCAT or Medical College Admissions Test, a standardized exam designed to measure one's aptitude for a future medical career. In the Philippines, the NMAT (National Medical Admissions Test) acts as an NMAT and certain Philippine medical schools set varying cutoff requirements in order to be admitted to their respective schools.

Law Schools have the LSAT, Dental Schools the DAT and other Graduate schools have the GRE or Graduate Record Exam.

Be sure to inquire about what exams are required in the graduate course that you are taking.

You might decide to take review courses or take practice tests as mentioned. These tests may be provided by various organizations or review schools to help ensure success in taking these major or elite tests.

Expect also for interviews to be conducted on you by the graduate school officials. The prospective student must be able to calm his nerves while going through this process.

If you really are determined to undergo graduate studies for a brighter future and you are really prepared, I don't see any reason why you should fear going through these entrance tests and other entry requirements. Good luck!

Bantayan Breakthrough this Summer 2011

For many students, its vacation time. Usually during summer, friends or barkadas look for the perfect place for adventure. Just dipping in a pool or plain swimming in the beach will not suffice for them. Well, you may never believe it but 14 activities and the perfect summer getaway awaits you in Bantayan Breakthrough brought to you by Globe Telecom and the Cebu Mountaineering Alliance in partnership with Stage Time Productions and the Business Incubators.

It will be on April 20-24 and all of the activities can be experienced 4 days straight for P1500 pesos only at Rommel's Beach, Bantayan Island.. See above poster for contact numbers regarding your tickets and other details.

CBSi is an official media partner of Bantayan Breakthrough.