Sunday, May 18, 2008 Domantay: Shaping future physicians in the Louisian tradition By Dr. John Anthony Domantay Light That Transforms
THE opening of the SLU College of Medicine in June 1976 with 64 pioneer students and seven pioneer faculty members followed by the SLU Hospital of the Sacred Heart in May 1977 started a formidable partnership. Together, the College of Medicine and the Hospital of the Sacred Heart train students to become physicians who are oriented towards responding to the health and medical needs of the Filipino people in general, and of the Cordillera region in particular.
We envision the College of Medicine as an excellent educational center for the development of future physicians, who are equipped with sound medical knowledge and skills, dedicated to medical service in the Christian spirit, globally competitive, and can assume any of the roles in the health care system: as health care provider, academician/teacher, researcher, administrator, and social mobilizer.
For the past 32 years, the SLU College of Medicine has certainly made its imprint as an institution oriented to the philosophy of life-long learning that is dedicated to service, resolved to continue to strive for greater heights and glory.
Consistently ranking among the top five performing medical schools in the country with less than 50 first-time examinees in the annual Physician Licensure Examinations, the SLU College of Medicine has to date proudly produced 34 board topnotchers. Dr. Allan D. Corpuz is the latest addition to the list who snared 6th place in the February 2008 board examinations. In fact, the Philippine Association of Board Examiners has acknowledged this high performance level.
To date, the College also boasts of close to 3,000 graduates who have either pursued post-graduate residency training here and abroad, or who are serving the people of the Cordillera region and the rest of northern Luzon mostly in the rural areas.
The College of Medicine has also earned recognition as a result of its various linkages. It is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools of the World Health Organization (WHO) and in the International Medical Education Directorate (Imed), and is a member of the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC). The College has already passed the preliminary survey of the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (Paascu).
Everything we do in the College is anchored on SLU's four core values, namely: Christian Spirit, Creativity, Competence, and Social Involvement.
Christian Spirit. We provide an educational program in medicine that is oriented to the philosophy of life-long learning, dedicated to medical service in the Christian spirit. We promote moral and spiritual values and ethical behavior essential to the practice of medicine, to include love of God and country, social responsibility, caring, compassion, integrity, and honesty.
Creativity. We conduct faculty and student researches on problems that are relevant to the Cordillera region. We attempt to find creative ways and means on how to operate as a self-reliant unit and sustain long-term growth and development.
Competence. We provide comprehensive knowledge, skills, and attitudes of future physicians who are oriented to the health and medical needs of the Filipino people in general and of the Cordilleras in particular. We prepare our students to pursue post-graduate study, specialty training, and research in various fields of medicine. We develop in our students critical thinking, problem-solving skills, decision-making and leadership abilities, communication and pedagogical skills, and the desire and capability for self-learning.
Social Involvement. We foster among our students awareness of contemporary social issues, especially those relevant to the medical profession, and we contribute to national development through involvement in various programs of the country's health care system.
Dr. John Anthony A. Domantay is the dean of the SLU College of Medicine. For inquiries or feedback, you may visit, call or email the Dean's Office, College of Medicine, 5/F Rizal building; tel. nos. (074) 444-8246 (to 48 and 53) or 442-3053 local 293 or email meddean@slu.edu.ph. We also invite you to visit www.slu.edu.ph.
