The
Ateneo de Zamboanga University School of Medicine scored a double victory in
the recent March 2018 Physician Licensure Examination.
Raking
in an 95.83% (46 out of 48) overall rating, 97.77% (44/45) for the first time
takers and 67% for second time takers, against a national passing rate of
66.64%, the high marks landed the SOM in the Top 3 Performing School.
AdZU
President Fr Karel San Juan, SJ, in his post, congratulated the men and women
behind SOM, led by its Dean Dr Fortunato Cristobal.
Fr San Juan recalled the
beginnings of SOM, how the idea of an unconventional medical school with a
problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum and instruction complemented by a community
immersion component, was met with resistance.
“It simply wouldn’t
work”, they were told. “How can your medical students expect to pass
the board exams when the subjects they take are different?”
But over the
years, the School (of Medicine) has withstood all challenges and experienced a
series of success including impressive board performances and more recently, the
Charles Boelen International Social Accountability Award from the Association
of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC).
Fr San Juan
attributes these all to “God’s grace, the benefactors’ generosity, the
pioneering team’s perseverance, and the Jesuit leadership’s unwavering support.”
He relates
that by going against the norm, being ‘different’ AdZU-SOM’s students are
proving themselves to be just as good as other Med students. “This difference
which caused them to be ostracized is, now, what makes them stand out,” he
stressed.
Taking the
risk was worth it. “And because the AdZU SOM dared to be different, we have
MORE DOCTORS in the RURAL AREAS!” Fr San Juan ends his post.
AdZU-SOM continues its
mission of community based medical education, serving the healthcare needs of
the country and the region by educating and forming doctors in the service of
God and country.
