A CEBUANA placed 9th in this year’s licensure examination for physicians.
Michelle Jay Gonzales Francisco of barangay Bulacao in Talisay City, a graduate of Southwestern University, shared the ranking with two other candidates. They all got 83.67 percent.
Francisco, 30 was in a mall in Manila when her friends called her Thursday evening to break the news that she once again aced the exams administered by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).
Francisco placed 10th in the licensure examination for medical technologists in 2004.
The PRC said that 420 out of 863 passed the examination which was topped by Chicco Xerxes De Leon Pangan of the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
“I’m overwhelmed because I was not expecting (it) really…the exam was confusing. I was even telling my Mom who was praying really hard for me nga di ko ganahan mo-entertain sa thought (nga mo-top ko) kay basin mahagbong ko,” she told Cebu Daily News.
Dr. Peter Aznar, dean of the SWU College of Medicine, said Francisco graduated cum laude in April 2011. She also received the Dean’s Medallion for Excellence and Clinical Performance in Surgery and Dean’s Medallion for Leadership.
Francisco also finished her Medical Technology course at SWU where she was clinical instructor for three years before proceeding to medical studies in 2007. SWU gave her full scholarship.
“We gave her the opportunity to go to school without paying a single centavo,” Dr. Aznar said.
Francisco was also the class salutatorian when she finished her secondary course at the East Visayan Academy in Bulacao.
With her accomplishment, Aznar said, Francisco will be honored during the graduation ceremony of the SWU College of Medicine in April.
“We will offer her a position… maybe she wants to teach and we might send her to a different training program for professional health education, we are thinking of England or in the US,” Aznar said.
Aznar also said that SWU had 83.33 national passing rate in the recent examination.
Francisco for her part said she has yet to talk with the school officials about it but initially, she is planning to apply for residency at Chong Hua Hospital.
Francisco said she is also thankful to her parents, sister, boyfriend and her church – the Seventh Day Adventist – for praying for her success.
“I called my parents, and I thanked them, and then I called up some of the youths in my church — marathon of prayers,” she added. /CORRESPONDENT JHUNNEX NAPALLACAN