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).

(Note: This is a screen shot of a section of L2, Certificate of Medical Education, of the Medical Board of California licensing application form--to be completed by the Philippine Medical School--taken on March 23, 2013)

Section 2089(b) states that "the curriculum for all applicants shall provide for adequate instruction" in the subjects listed in the above screen shot.

I compared the list above with a medical curriculum (with course descriptions) of one of the Philippine Medical Schools recognized by the Medical Board of California, using the following key / legend:

• Subject:  This means that this subject requirement matches a specific course title that is being offered by the aforementioned Philippine Medical School
• Subject:  This means that this particular subject requirement does not match a specific course title, but rather, appears as one of the main topics of one or more course descriptions
• Subject: This means that this particular subject is neither explicitly mentioned as a course title or part of a course description but rather appears to be an integral part of a larger topic that bears a synonymous / interchangeable name in the Philippines
• Subject: This means that this subject requirement is not explicitly  mentioned in the Philippine medical curriculum and therefore requires clarification from the Dean

Here are the subject requirements:

Anatomy

Otolaryngology

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Radiology, including Radiation Safety

Tropical Medicine

Physiology

Biochemistry

Pathology, Bacteriology, and Immunology

Opthalmology

Dermatology

Embryology

Histology

Human Sexuality

Medicine

Surgery, including Orthopedic Surgery

Urology

Psychiatry
Neurology

Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency

Preventative Medicine, including Nutrition

Physical Medicine

Therapeutics

Neuroanatomy

Child Abuse Detection and Treatment

Geriatric Medicine

Pediatrics

Pharmacology

Anesthesia

Spousal Partner Abuse Detection and Treatment

Family Medicine

Pain Management and End-of-Life Care

7 of the above subject requirements have been highlighted in yellow, indicating that we might have to remediate these subjects before / after graduation.

It is interesting to observe that 4 out of these 7 items have their own section in the California Business and Professions Code.

Human Sexuality

Screen shot from California Business and Professions Code Section 2080 - 2099

Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency

Screen shot from California Business and Professions Code Section 2080 - 2099

Child Abuse Detection and Treatment

Screen shot from California Business and Professions Code Section 2080 - 2099

Spousal Partner Abuse Detection and Treatment

Screen shot from California Business and Professions Code Section 2080 - 2099

For now, I really do not know how we will be remediating the aforementioned 4 subjects (hopefully, they will be a part of our Psych rotations--well, just maybe). I'll just try to call the Medical Board of California, again, when I am able (better yet, maybe they will call me back).

Meanwhile, the other 3 subjects that were highlighted in yellow above can probably be remediated through clinical training--that is, if I understood the verbiage correctly.

Here are the 3 subjects that I'm considering taking as clinical electives:

• Urology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Pain Management and End-Of-Life Care

Here's the verbiage that makes me think that I can probably remediate these requirements through clinical training:

Screen shot from California Business and Professions Code Section 2080 - 2099

Here's the screen shot that speaks to the 54-week requirement "at the hospital that sponsors the instruction". It is important not to overlook this.

Screen shot from California Business and Professions Code Section 2080 - 2099

Anyway, I hope to get answers in the event that the Medical Board of California calls me back. I'll be providing the updates on this post when that happens.


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.