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.

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.

Dear Biology: This Is How My Layperson Brain Works

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

I am a layperson. I am a Communications undergrad with an MBA. I am no Science major. What on earth is this photo supposed to mean???

We've got only one week left before our Philippine NMAT examination in Los Angeles. I'm obviously reviewing for the Biology subtest. It's the first step in hopefully becoming a doctor one day and doing medical missions in the Asia-Pacific region.

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.

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.