Attempting To Align Philippine Undergraduate Medical Education With California Requirements

Pebble Beach, California

This blogpost is a continuation of my attempts to dissect the Medical Board of California's licensing requirements for International Medical Graduates (IMGs).

I called the Medical Board up this morning and was redirected to someone's voicemail, twice. According to the recording, I should hear back from them within two business days.

So, I decided to do my own research to try and understand California law to the best of my ability.

The following screen shot caused me to wonder how IMGs can remediate their undergraduate medical education in the event that their curriculum does not meet California's physician licensing requirements, specifically the requirements stated in the Business and Professions Code Section 2089(b).

The Road To Our Application To A Philippine Medical School

A glimpse of the Philippines while aboard Philippine Airlines
during one of its descents in September 2011

We've hit a huge milestone, by God's grace! With His help, we have passed the preliminary stage of our journey into attending medical school in the Philippines: that is, the application process.

From considering the possibility of going to medical school in our 30s (with kids in tow), to researching and agreeing that going to a Philippine medical school is a viable option, to seeing that this is where God is leading our family, to preparing and sitting for the Philippine National Medical Achievement Test (NMAT) in Los Angeles, to compiling our documents to complete our medical school application process, to conducting our interview via Skype, and finally...to progressing to the next stage: getting accepted into medical school!

Dissecting The Medical Board Of California's Licensing Requirements For IMGs

A major concern of international medical graduates (IMGs) is that their foreign medical school's medical curriculum may not meet the medical licensing requirements observed by certain State Boards in the United States.

While my husband and I are not sure if we will eventually be practicing and settling in California, we thought we'd go by the Medical Board of California's requirements since it has been concisely laid out for us on their website (and from what we've heard, it has one of the most strictest licensing standards).

We thought it would be helpful to compare the State Board's current requirements with a preferred Philippine Medical School's current medical curriculum...

Finally Accepted Into Medical School

Ninoy Aquino International Airport - Manila, Philippines

This is the moment that we've been waiting for: my husband and I have been accepted into medical school in the Philippines!

By God's grace, our Skype interview this past Sunday went well.

Two of the many things that happened today: 1) my husband and I both received our Letter of Acceptance into medical school and 2) our church family threw us a farewell or "despedida" party.

Things sure are happening fast!!!

Soon, we will begin our search for airline tickets to Manila, not to mention pack our bags and ship some boxes.

It was just like yesterday when we started this journey...five months ago, we decided to take a shot at taking the Philippine National Medical Achievement Test (NMAT). I'm convinced that we still haven't fully recovered from that experience. Today, here we are, preparing to move to the Philippines--for sure.

God is good! Amazing.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." - Philippians 4:13 KJV

DISCLAIMER: I am by no means affiliated with any of the organizations listed in this blogpost. For the most accurate and recent information on any of these organizations, please visit their website or contact them directly.

Medical School Application Papers To Be Shipped With Love

Hooray!!! Today, at approximately 10:20PM, at a FedEx Office on the island of Oahu, we finished preparing our preliminary documents to submit our application to attend medical school in the Philippines. According to the shipping clerk, our FedEx envelope will be sent tomorrow, February 14, 2013, and it should arrive in the Philippines on Monday, February 18, 2013.

Like my friend said, "It will be shipped 'with love'".

Let's hope that in return, FedEx will handle it "with care".

It took us nearly one entire month just to put the documents together...and these are just the preliminary ones. Nonetheless, I am so grateful that we are finally done with shipping out the first set!

We are making progress!

Our Philippine NMAT Experience in Los Angeles (A Near Miss)

December 1, 2012.

That's the day we took the Philippine NMAT in Los Angeles, California. We thought we were going to miss that very important date!

We had quite a few memorable dates to remember in 2012: our wedding, the birth of our son, and some other notable ones, but I have to say, December 1, 2012, is also one of them!

It all began at the Honolulu International Airport...

Our nonstop flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles was set for November 29th, around 11:45PM, making our arrival in Los Angeles a little before 7:00AM the day before the NMAT. At least, that was the plan. We  decided to go to the Honolulu International Airport as early as 9:00PM, nearly three hours before our departure, with hopes of not missing such a very important flight.

Mentally Preparing for the Philippine NMAT

Eighteen days to go, and it's time to take the Philippine NMAT in Los Angeles!!!

I still have not studied. If it's any consolation (to myself), I have prepared myself in the last 14 days by reading up a lot on what it's like to go to med school in the Philippines and what it would take to be able to practice medicine in the United States, while dreaming up what it would be like to go on missions trips in the Asia Pacific.

Meanwhile, I was able to secure babysitting assistance for our three children so that I can spend some (very needed) time to study. Although, I must say, I can't completely "sign out" of parenting (then again, once we sign up for parenting, we are "signed in" for life) while studying since I have to periodically take a break to pump breastmilk while away from our infant. I'm not sure if this information is considered "TMI" for other countries/cultures; however, here in the United States, breastfeeding is encouraged.  For example, in most workplaces, we even had our very own lactation room, and we were allowed to excuse ourselves from meetings to do our "mommy-business". I know this will be a challenge for me during the NMAT test day, so I'll make sure to give the test coordinator a call to find out what the break schedules are in between lunch, if any. If none, at least, I'll know how to prepare.

Our Medical Education Strategy As Prospective USIMGs

Photo by pasukaru76 on Flickr

I know, I know--I should be studying for the Philippine NMAT as we're scheduled to take the exam on December 1st in Los Angeles. That's less than one month away. Granted, it was only one week ago that my husband and I both decided that we will be pursuing our calling to go to Med School...in our 30's. Yes, we will humbly accept all the prayers that we can get, not only because we are aging (albeit gracefully), but because we also have a growing family to feed.

How to Register and Prepare for the NMAT in the United States

I just finished paying for the NMAT registration and testing fees for me and my husband. Here are some FAQs that I put together for those (foreigners) who are interested in studying med school in the Philippines:

What is the NMAT?
The NMAT, or National Medical Achievement Test, is the Philippines' version of the United States' MCAT, an admission test for prospective medical students. This is not to be confused with the NMAT for one of India's MBA Schools.

Photo by 401(K) 2012 on Flickr

How much do the NMAT registration and testing fees cost (for foreigners)?
While the registration payment procedures page says that it only costs PHP1,900.00 (roughly 50.00USD) for both the registration and testing fees, it actually costs 30.00USD for the registration and 350.00USD for the testing fees, if you are a foreigner, bringing the total up to 380.00USD. You will only discover this huge price difference after you have completed the registration form and have been prompted to enter your payment information.