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Dear Doctors,
Remember those times when you, as first year medical students would say "It's still a long way to go. Dugaya pa namo
mo-human oy!" or something to that effect? Take heed, you're not alone. All of us medical students, past and present,
did pass that stage. We did go through those long and tedious years of being a medical student, the litany of exams - long
exams, bimonthly exams, practical exams, etc. But time just passed away without even our noticing it. The next thing we knew,
it's all over. We're done with our studies. Graduation Day came and passed. We, as well as our parents and relatives, were
all beaming with joy and pride that at last we're done with our medical schooling. "Hay salamat kay Doctor na gyud
akong anak" Mommy would say with matching teardrops, with Daddy at her side saying "Bitaw nooh".
For us, we would tell ourselves that it's a good thing we didn't give in to boredom, to being lazy and discouraged, to having
depressions brought about by low grades, etc. Now we realized that afterall, all those actions and reactions were just part
and parcel of medical student life. Yes, our elementary school teacher was right when she said "There's no glory
without sacrifice". We always start from A-B-C, 1-2-3, or Do-Re-Mi. So looking back, did you ever regret having
taken up Medicine? If you're to go back somewhere in time and live life all over again, would you still choose to be the doctor
that you (or your parents) chose to be? One thing is sure, your being a doctor now didn't happen by accident. It's a purpose-driven
life. God has a mission in your life when He allowed you to become what you are today. So, be the best of what you are.
Now, after your graduation from CIM and the one-year Postgraduate Internship, comes another challenge: The Medical Board Exam.
Oh, we too did experience all those eclectic feelings of anxiety, panic, and apprehensions of taking such exam. It is never
a walk in the park.
August 4 & 5, 11 & 12. These will surely go down history as unforgettable dates as these are the dates set for your
Philippine Medical Licensure Exam, an exam that will either make you or break you. It is considered as the most important
exam that you'll have to take in your whole life as a doctor. Why? Because you have to pass this in order to be a licensed
physician, that is with an M.D. after your name. It is this thought that's making you feel anxious or nervous or what-nots.
And added to this are the imagined fears of being the talk of the town among classmates, friends, relatives, neighbors, etc.
if and when you fail the board exam (God forbid! Simba ko lang!). Can you imagine the humiliation it will bring to you, to
your parents, family, school, etc.? All these things are playing their songs in your ears and happening in your mind all at
the same time especially now that your board exam is nearing. You get these jittery feelings, indescribable like no other:
numbness, profuse sweating, palpitations, diarrhea, insomnia, anorexia, name it, you have it! Oh, I should know, I've been
there once upon a time back in June of 1979 when we ourselves took the medical board exam. That was 28 years ago, yes, but
the memories remain as vivid as when it happened because truly, the medical board exam is one exam we'll never forget in our
lifetime. It is the first step to our being a medical doctor with a license from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC),
without which we could not practice our medical profession.
After having gone through and done with your review classes, I would presume that you are now prepared and ready to take the
board exam. But no matter how relatively prepared or seemingly ready you are to take the board, I know you also cannot help
but feel insecure and jittery and nervous. At the back of your mind, I know you've asked yourselves these same questions over
and over again: What if the questions that will come out in the exam are those that I didn't study for? What if I'll suddenly
have a mental block out? All these negative thoughts will surely make you more insecure and jittery and nervous. But, hey,
you're not alone. We all went through that experience ourselves at one time or the other, human as we are.
As you are about to take the board exam, let me just share with you some guidelines based on my experience as well as those
who have taken the board in years past. Here they are:
1. Pray from the heart. Begin and end your study with God.
2. Welcome each day with a smile. Thank God for the opportunity of being alive and able to study.
3. Share with God your apprehensions and concerns. He is listening to you all the time.
4. Study, strive, strike, and never yield.
5. Learn to control your emotions. Don't be beset by problems of any kind.
6. Organize your day's agenda. Don't mix up things. Do one thing at a time. When you eat you eat, don't study and eat. Don't
text while you study.
7. Take time out to smell the flowers, appreciate the rainbows and bluebirds in the sky.
8. Spend few minutes of your time everyday with yourself: meditate, recollect, and reflect.
9. Do group study. But don't panic when you hear topics that your classmates are talking about, things which you haven't studied
for.
10. Believe that nothing will happen to you that God and you cannot handle together.
11. Realize that we cannot have everything in this world.
12. Don't expect, just hope if you don't want to be disappointed.
13. Stay cool and relax. Think positive. Don't think of the "what if's".
14. Stay healthy. Eat well and get enough sleep the night before the exam dates.
15. Do your best so that at the end of the day, when the board exam is over, you can tell yourself: "Ah, it's been such
a wonderful journey to the board. Thank you, Lord."
Good luck. My prayers are with you always. Godbless.
Very sincerely yours,
Henry L. Yu,M.D.
Class 1978
Chairman
Publicity and Promotion Committee
Golden Anniversary Celebration
Cebu Institute of Medicine
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