Student’s passion to succeed pays off

Alvin Christian Borbon’s passion to succeed drove him to seventh place in the August 2013 Physician Licensure Examinations.

Borbon scored a grade of 88.17 percent, just a few points shy of classmate Blake Warren Ang who topped the exam with a 89.42 percent grade.

“(Passing the exam is something) I put my heart into. Topping the exam was just icing on the cake,” Borbon said.

To prepare for the exam, he said he would answer 100 questions a day and read every medical book he could get his hands on.

Borbon enrolled in nursing and completed a degree in medicine at the Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM) graduating second in the class.

Borbon said he could still recall his childhood spent reading medical books in his grandma´s library.

The third of four siblings in the family, the 25-year-old Borbon is the second doctor in his family.

Borbon added that CIM drilled its students on problem based cases as part of their preparation for the exam.

CIM dean Dr. Thelma Fernandez said the school´s problem based method for learning inculcated the culture for excellence in their students and earned them a 100 percent passing rate every year.

“Our faculty is dedicated to mold our students in line with our vision-to produce physicians with a heart,” Fernandez said.

Borbon advised future board takers to learn as much as they can during their training in med school.

“The board exam is not really about how much you can squeeze into your brain during the four months of review. It is what you learn in the course of med school and your internship,” he added.

Borbon is applying for a slot in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) specializing in internal medicine.

Having the passion for medicine and learning helps one to become a doctor, he said.

“If you don´t have the passion, in your first year you would most likely quit. That’s how tedious med school is,” Borbon said.