MANILA, Philippines - It was hardly a surprise for his teachers that Eric Royd Talavera, summa cum laude and No. 2 in his class at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), topped the latest medical board exams.
“As always we expect the best from our graduates and expect them to top the board examination,” UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery dean Jesus Valencia told The STAR yesterday.
Talavera shared the No. 1 spot with Cebu Institute of Medicine graduate Raymund Martin Li, who also obtained a score of 89.58 percent in the Physician Licensure Examination of the Professional Regulation Commission held last week.
Li, 26, said he had expected to pass but not top the exam.
“Actually I did not expect to be on top of the list, but I was confident to pass the examination,” he said, adding that he learned of his feat from a friend.
Li said he did not make any special preparation for the exams and that it was only in May when he started a daily study habit.
A week before the exam, he said he even took lighter reviews.
He attributed his success to God, family, friends and to the CIM administration, which helped him form good study habits. He said he is planning to take his internal medicine residency training in Cebu or in Manila.
Aside from Talavera, five other UST graduates landed in the top 10 in the licensure examination conducted by PRC’s Professional Board of Medicine in the cities of Manila, Cebu and Davao last August.
Of the 2,730 who took the exam, a total of 2,218 or 81.24 percent passed.
Another summa cum laude graduate, Lean Angelo Silverio placed fourth. He shared the spot with fellow UST summa cum laude graduate Jessica Mae Sanchez.
According to Sanchez, she felt pressured when she took the licensure examination because relatives and friends were expecting much from her because of her summa cum laude.
“Though they didn’t say anything I still felt the pressure, but what I have realized is that preparations for the licensure examination start not just after the internship, but the moment you set foot in medical school,” Sanchez pointed out.
Sanchez, who finished a degree in nursing before taking up medicine, attributed her good performance in the examination to pure hard work and prayer. She also expressed her desire to practice in the country.
Valencia noted that five of the six board topnotchers from UST graduated summa cum laude, while 10th placer Ryan Anthony Agas was magna cum laude.
For this year’s licensure examination, Valencia said, UST posted 98.92 percent passing rate with 460 graduates passing the examination.
Valencia said that while UST graduates are expected to perform well in the licensure exams, the university is still ecstatic and is initiating “El Fuego” or a bonfire to celebrate the success of its medical students.
Davao Medical School Foundation graduate Francis Gerwin Jalipa placed second with a grade of 89.50 percent, followed by San Beda College’s Grace Arviola in third place with a score of 89.42 percent.
University of the Philippines graduate Mairre James Gaddi was fourth along with Sanchez and Silverio of UST.
Another UP graduate Scott Riley Ong and CIM’s Debbie Rose Tanengsy placed fifth with 89.17 percent.
Davao Medical Foundation graduate Charlie Clarion ranked sixth with a grade of 88.92 percent, followed by Kevin Byran Lon of UST in seventh with 88.75 percent.
With a grade of 88.50 percent, Far Eastern University graduate Ann Norizal Lopez placed eighth, while another UST graduate Lorayne Ann Chua was ninth with a score of 88.33 percent. Agas of UST (88.25) placed 10th.
Registration for the issuance of PRC card and Certificate of Registration is on Sept. 11, 12, 15 and 16, 2014. The date and venue of oath taking will be announced later.
For full list of successful examinees, visit www.philstar.com – With Freeman