A pediatrician is a specialist focusing on preventing, treating, and diagnosing diseases and conditions in infants, children, and adolescents. They provide comprehensive care, including physical exams, immunizations, and treatment for chronic and acute conditions. To become a pediatrician in the Philippines, one must complete a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine, pass the Philippine Medical Licensure Exam, complete a three-year residency program in pediatrics, and pass the Philippine Board of Pediatrics Certification Exam. This article will discuss what is a pediatrician’s job and how to become a Pediatrician in the Philippines.
We will talk about the following:
- Pediatricians in the Philippines
- Requirements to become a Pediatrician in the Philippines
- Where do pediatricians work, and what are their other career options?
- Is pediatrics the right choice for me?
Pediatrician in the Philippines
A pediatrician mainly concentrates on children’s and young adult’s physical, behavioral, and mental well-being. Pediatric doctors can treat various diseases in kids, such as:
- anemia,
- asthma,
- chickenpox,
- leukemia,
- fever,
- measles,
- mumps,
- polio,
- candidiasis,
- and Chagas diseases.
A pediatrician can also provide routine healthcare for a newborn. Generally, pediatricians see a newborn frequently until the baby reaches the second age and annually between the ages of 2 and 5. The pediatrician will do the following:
- offer several examinations to make sure the baby has a healthy physical and mental development,
- provide recommended immunizations,
- give parents information about the child’s health and development,
- refer to a specialist in case of a need.
In the Philippines, pediatricians can be found in hospitals, clinics, and private practices. Some may also work in schools or other community settings. To become a pediatrician in the Philippines, a person must complete medical school and undergo additional training and certification in pediatrics.
Requirements to become a Pediatrician in the Philippines
To become a pediatrician in the Philippines, a person must complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing or Medical Technology. After completing a bachelor’s degree, the person must apply to and attend a medical school program. Upon completing medical school, the person must pass the licensure exam for medical doctors administered by the Philippine Regulatory Commission. The person must then undergo additional training and certification in pediatrics, typically completing a residency program and passing the certification exam for pediatricians administered by the Philippine Pediatric Society. Once the person has passed the certification exam, they can apply for a license to practice as a pediatrician in the Philippines.
Here is the detailed journey to start your Pediatrician career in the Philippines.
It is better to take a pre-medical course first
Medical school may be overloaded and so challenging from time to time. Thus, there may be students willing to try the concepts before enrolling in medical school. Pre-med courses are better for learning about their future medical residencies’ curriculum, challenges, and beauties. A few of these pre-medical courses are Bachelor of science in biology, psychology, pharmacy, public health, and physical therapy.
However, pursuing a medical education path with an unrelated course from a different major is okay. This flexibility benefits people deciding to become physicians after a few years of training in a certain major.
Options for your MD degree
One willing to become a physician must begin with an MD degree. Completing their high school education, prospective medical students must undergo either a fast or standard track to take their MD degrees. The significant difference is that while the fast track provides you with your MD degree in a shorter time (6 years), a standard track generally lasts eight years. You may take a look at the list of the fast tracks you can complete in the country below:
University of the Philippines’ Intarmed
University of the Philippines’ Intarmed selects prospective physicians in the first 10 percent of students to have the UPCAT successfully and provides them with a 7-year medical program straight from high school.
Bachelor in Human Biology at De La Salle University
Bachelor in Human Biology at De La Salle University offers qualified and successful students the chance to earn their doctorate within six years. Students must study at DLSU-Taft through the first two years of the training, and later for the third year, they must take basic medicine courses at DLSU-Med.
De La Salle University, Dasmarinas
De La Salle University is another school that offers students the chance to complete their medical residencies in a shorter period, such as BS Biochemistry which allows students to enter medicine properly during their third year of medical education. The university also has a BS curriculum in Medical Biology like the BS Human Biology previously seen in DLSU-Taft.
The University of Santo Tomas
In 2019, the University of Santo Tomas also began to present a 6-year medicine program which is called “Innovative Doctor of Medicine” for students. The curriculum has a challenging collection process, and the ones who manage to complete the program can have their medical degrees without achieving a bachelor’s degree after just two years of general courses.
Passing the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT)
Passing the National Medical Admission Test is the second mandatory step after having the MD, while pre-med courses are optional. The National Medical Admission Test is commonly conducted two times per year by the Center for Educational Measurement, CEM, to determine whether the student is entirely ready to be enrolled in medical school.
The NMAT consists of two different steps. The first part measures the verbal skill, inductive interpretation, numerical ability, and perceptual alertness of the candidate through repetitive practice tests. On the other hand, the second part of the exam includes academic competence tests in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Social Sciences.
Students will be enrolled in medical schools in line with their college and NMAT scores. So, one can take advantage of Latin honors and high NMAT grades. Required NMAT results may vary corresponding to the medical school.
Enrollment in Medical School
There are still a few last steps before achieving your dream medical school journey. You will have to face a final admission assessment similar to the National Medical Admission Test. The good news is that most students do not face significant challenges during their assessments.
Importantly, applicants must not have any record of moral immorality, such as forgery, robbery, or rape. Each candidate must prove it with official documents during the enrollment process of medical school.
After the admission assessment, students need to present their CEMed certificates showing their eligibility for medical courses. To receive a CEMed certificate, one needs to provide the documents listed below:
- birth certificate,
- proof of ethical persona,
- transcript of records (TOR),
- the original copy or a duplicate of the NMAT score,
- a version of the Certificate of Graduation verified by the school administrator,
- duly achieved CEMed submission form.
Also, students willing to take advantage during the enrollment and interview process should better provide a reference letter written either by a faculty member or the college dean of their previous school. Panel interviews are structured to determine whether the student is ready to qualify as a healthcare professional in the country. Besides, the panel interview is an excellent opportunity for administrators to dig deep into the characteristics of students. It is a chance for students to show up with a proper level of confidence and perform academic and social achievements.
The Curriculum of the Medical School
Medical school may seem either overloaded, challenging, or difficult for students from various backgrounds. Yet, to understand the content deeper and to adapt to the environment, there will be an adaptation process to the curriculum, which will likely take nearly one semester. However, students showing a fast and successful adaptation process can shorten this period. On this goal, observing the structure of previous years and the website of the institution’s detail would be helpful.
As mentioned before, medical school is a 5-year adventure, and the 5-year educational path has different curriculums for each year, as demonstrated below.
First Year
In the initial year of the medical training, students take courses in biochemistry, public health, human anatomy and physiology, preventive medicine, psychiatry, and medical practice and begin to attend laboratory work which will continue until the end of the third year.
Second Year
In the second year, students will learn the essentials of pharmacology, microbiology, pathology, surgical medicine, medical economics, and psychiatry. In addition, medical students in the Philippines start to receive practical training in hospital conditions from the second grade.
Third Year
The system in the third year of the curriculum aims to prepare medical students with the required knowledge and experience in patient management. The classes to be taken throughout the semester will make them aware of the symptoms and treatments of common diseases and allow them to learn the pathophysiology of rarely seen ailments by witnessing real cases.
Fourth Year
Before having their internships, mainly after the second or third year of school, students have a thesis, a clinical spoken or practical exam, or an impartial research assignment to complete. Then, in the last semester, they will be instructed to different departments of hospitals like obstetrics, pediatrics, internal medicine, or surgery for periods as an intern, and there will be a faculty member to evaluate students’ performance during rotations. Working with a counselor will allow students to benefit from her professional experiences and suggestions and may help develop some clinical skills.
Internship
The internships are often conducted at the end of the second or third year. Before the internships, students must complete a thesis, a clinical spoken or practical exam, or an impartial research assignment.
Through the last year, students will be transferred and instructed to various departments of hospitals such as obstetrics, pediatrics, internal medicine, or surgery. There, students will be trained for periods as intern physicians, and there will be a faculty member to evaluate whether the physician performs well during rotations. The benefit of working under a counselor’s control is taking advantage of professors’ valuable experiences and suggestions. These may be helpful for physicians to develop excellent ethical and practical skills.
After successfully completing all four years in medical school, students will be ready to receive their official “Doctor of Medicine” diplomas. Having an MD, physicians need to finish a post-graduate internship during which they will witness medical cases in different fields such as urology, gynecology, and pediatrics. Dealing with various issues will make candidates develop in patient management.
Undergoing the Physician Licensure Examination
Medical graduates will undergo the physician licensure examination. The Board of Medicine conducts the exam twice a year. The physician licensure examination consists of two parts: the basic and clinical sciences.
The basic sciences exam includes anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, and pharmacology questions. On the other hand, the second part, which is considered clinical sciences, consists of assessments of internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, legal medicine, and preventative medicine.
Participants must take an overall average of 75%, which relates to scores above 50% for each exam. Passing the physician licensure exam, physicians will become general practitioners in the Philippines. Yet, to qualify as a pediatrician, one must complete a pediatrics residency and an optional fellowship.
Take your residency program in pediatrics
The pediatrics residency training program is conducted in the hospital environment and lasts three years. The training is mainly accredited by the Hospital Accreditation Board (HAB) and the Philippine Pediatric Society.
The pediatric residency aims to enhance physicians’ knowledge of pediatrics and child medical care. Not only fulfilling them with medical knowledge, but the first and second years of the residency also aim to train residents with intellectual understanding, psychomotor abilities, a clear mindset, and ethical values that a general pediatrician must have. Through these, physicians are trained to deal with various kids’ ailments, diagnoses, and medications as community physicians, which means they will experience multiple real cases.
The third year of the training enlights residents on the subspecialties of pediatrics. Through the third year, prospective pediatricians will have four months of rotations into different departments. After the residency program, the subspecialty training programs are generally called “Fellowship.” Fellowships are optional for pediatricians wishing to gain a subspecialty in pediatrics.
Undergo a fellowship if you want to gain a subspecialty
There are many different options for pediatricians to gain a subspecialty, a few of which are listed below:
- Adolescent medicine
- Child Abuse Pediatrics
- Medical Toxicology
- Cardiology
- Emergency Medicine
- Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Gastroenterology
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
During the fellowship, pediatricians dig deep into the scopes and details of their subspecialties.
Where do pediatricians work, and what are their other career options?
Pediatrician jobs are available in several settings: fully-equipped hospitals, military units, child care centers, health centers, or even universities. Moreover, a pediatrician practicing in the Philippines can work in private practice too.
In addition to this, they can practice outside the typical pediatrician job-scope as well. There are various career opportunities for specialists in pediatrics, such as:
- intensive care unit nurse,
- community pediatric nurse,
- staff nurse,
- operations supervisor,
- cardiac-pediatric nurse,
- professional medical representative,
- department manager,
- school physician,
- and occupational therapist.
Is pediatrics the right choice for me?
Pediatrics is one of the most satisfying fields of medicine. Helping children who need help must be a fulfilling experience and feeling. Yet, one needs to be extra patient, careful and stable while treating especially little kids.
To qualify as a successful pediatrician, you naturally need to undergo detailed academic training. It is a long journey with several overloads and difficulties. Thus, to make sure that you desire to become a pediatrician, you better take a break before enrolling in a medical college to consider all the pros and cons of pediatrics. And if, after your analysis, you still believe that becoming a pediatrician is your dream profession, yes, pediatrics is the right choice for you.
Are you a Pediatrician looking for a new role in the healthcare industry? Here at Doctor Jobs Today, we provide the most reliable and well-curated vacancies from the best medical institutions in the Philippines. You can also access various recommendations and guidelines to help you stay on track. Get your CV ready and find your future career in Doctor Jobs Today, now!
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Doctor Jobs Today has all the right vacancies you’re dreamed about: a higher salary, a better-equipped hospital for your specialization, or even a career shift from patient care.
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