FOOD, NUTRITION, AND HEALTH

Pre-Medicine Program as a Factor Influencing Residency Specialization

Options of Pre-Medicine Students of University of Perpetual Help
System Dalta – Las Piñas Campus
Kisses P. Eusebio, Geram M. Mugol, Yuri Louis N. Taduran, Lian Mei S. Terania,
Phoemela Crystal G. Tumala and Gwyneth Ardee E. Villalino

Abstract: Pre-medicine program is the first step on one’s medical journey. Choosing the best
pre-medicine program may give one prerequisite skill that are likely needed during medical
school as well as in residency training. Different programs offer different subjects and
competencies to meet, so it gives several advantages and disadvantages for the student with
respect to their performance in medical school and residency training. This leads researchers
to think that choosing the right pre-medicine program is crucial to be competent enough in the
professional field. The study is conducted to know if there is a significant relationship between
the chosen pre-medicine program and residency specialization options of pre-medicine
students of University of Perpetual Help System DALTA - Las Piñas Campus. In order to find
answers to this, the researchers conducted a semi-unstructured interview on 10 pre-medicine
students of UPSHD that are categorized into two categories: 5 for BS Nursing and 5 for BS
Medical Technology, via MS Teams or Messenger call. The results showed that respondent’s
current pre-medicine program does not affect their specialization options. Most of them did not
have a hard time choosing their current pre-medicine program since it is their already their
top choice without considering specialty. They reasoned out that pre-medicine program is
independent from the residency training itself. The researchers concluded that there is no
significant relationship between pre-medicine program and residency specialization options of
pre-medicine students of UPHSD – Las Piñas Campus.

Key Words: pre-medicine program; residency specialization; medical school; nursing;

medical technology

1. INTRODUCTION thoroughly before coming to the professional field.

The field of medicine requires adequate Pre-medicine program greatly sets medicine student’s
competencies in order to rightfully serve the duty it future in that field of specialization as their
partakes, given the fact that medical professionals knowledge and several skills acquired upon taking
basically hold a patient’s life on a daily basis. Along this will determine how well they can perform as a
with this is the time it consumes to finally enter the resident and eventually, as a doctor (Pan Afr Med J.
field, as well as the several choices that one can et al, 2014).
encounter throughout its medical journey. This will all Various pre-medicine program gives
begin on choosing the most suitable pre-medicine upcoming medicine students prerequisite skills in
program in order to earn an undergraduate degree preparation for their medical journey. According to
that is required upon entering a medical school. Mappa (2020), skills like scientific processing,
“There is not actually a major called analytical thinking, problem solving, and memorizing
‘pre-med’; pre-med is just a term to let people know well is vital for a medicine student. Since different
you have plans to be a doctor” (Sakiras, 2020). While program have different sets of subjects to take as well
it is actually true, it is important to have a clear goal as competencies to meet, they all have their edge over
in mind because “It is a vocation as much as it is a one another. Thus, choosing the right pre-medicine
learning experience” (Mapa, 2018). Without entering program help students to perform better upon
medical school, a pre-medicine program is a career by choosing specialization in residency training that may
itself which opens work opportunities if by any chance affect their future, especially into that profession in
that one will not proceed to get a medical degree. which they wish to be proficient in.
Weighing specialization options is one of the This study may benefit aspiring doctors who
major decisions that a medicine student should look are still in high school, pre-medicine students and,
mostly, medical students, since they are already one

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step away in taking their residency. Moreover, this interview process that has taken place was around 8
study can generate information and recommendations minutes at max.
that can be used to respond to the challenges of
choosing the most suitable pre-medicine program
which would ideally help them excel in residency The researcher will be using
training as well as in the actual professional field. descriptive statistical tools, specifically the measures
This aims to know if there is a of central tendency to analyze the data that was
significant relationship between the chosen pre- gathered. It enables the researchers to summarize the
medicine program of pre-medicine students of statistic that quantitatively describes or summarizes
University of Perpetual Help System DALTA – Las features from a collection of the said information and
Piñas Campus and their residency specialization enables to evaluate, and interpret how the
options. It also aims to give high school students an respondents will answer the asked questions.
idea on what pre-medicine program suits them best Therefore, through the evaluated data the researchers
based on their residency preference, if they already will be able to generate conclusions that will answer
have one in mind. Ultimately, to produce medicine the research questions from the overall topic. With
students that can excel in their residency training as this method, it will show the average based on the
well as medical professional who have the questions asked during the interview. It allows the
competencies to better serve the nation. researchers to describe the response of the
respondents if their chosen pre-medicine program will
2. METHODOLOGY affect their specialization.
The researchers decided to do a survey-
interview as their data gathering tool, specifically a
semi structured type of interview, that refers to an 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
interview concept that does not strictly follow a
formalized list of questions. With this the researchers
have prepared at least 7 questions to be given to the
interviewee. As it allows for a discussion with the
interviewee rather a straightforward question and
answer format.

The researchers decided to do a

survey-interview as their data gathering tool,
specifically a semi structured type of interview, that
refers to an interview concept that does not strictly
follow a formalized list of questions. With this the
researchers have prepared at least 7 questions to be
given to the interviewee. As it allows for a discussion
with the interviewee rather a straightforward Most of the respondents answered no with a
question and answer format. frequency of 6 or 60%. While 4 or 40% of the
respondents answered yes to the question. most of the
respondent’s reason for answering no is because a
The sampling that will be used in the certain pre-medicine program is their interest and top
study is stratified random sampling. Respondents will choice, with a frequency of 6 or 60%. While 2 or 20% of
be categorized based on the pre-medicine program the respondent’s reason for answering yes is because
that they took mainly BS Nursing, BS Medical they are considering the easiest program to take,
Technology. From a population of 10 students, the whether as for pre-medicine or not. One of the
researchers will only get 5 respondents per category respondents had a hard time choosing his pre-
which will sum up to 10 respondents as the sample. medicine since she originally planned that she would
take pre-law program be lawyer. But then, after the
declaration of COVID-19 pandemic, she decided that
The researchers will be using a one-on- she now wanted to pursue BS Nursing. “It is one of the
one interview for collecting the data from respondents. most needed here,” she reasoned out.
One researcher will be assigned per correspondent.
The researcher will be recording the phone call to Most of the respondents answered no with a
document the interview process. The length of the frequency of 8 or 80% while 2 or 20% of the

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have chosen their pre-medicine course, given that

medicine students can encounter various scenarios in
their everyday work, with a frequency of 9 or 60%.
While 1 or 6.67% of the respondents answered
communication. One on the respondents from BS
Medical Technology said that she does not look for the
qualities in a pre-medicine program because she
wanted pre-medicine that is comfortable and the one
that she really likes. “Because regardless of the
course, I think that if I really want what I am doing, I
can really do something even though it contradicts my
respondents answered yes. most of the respondent's attitudes,” she added.
reason for answering no is because they believed that
a pre-medicine program is independent from
residency specialization that they want to take, with
a frequency of 5 or 50%. While the remaining 2 or 20%
who answered yes reasoned out that a pre-medicine
program has a set of skills and subjects to offer that
can be useful in medical school or upon taking
specialization. One of the respondents think that
every pre-medicine program that everyone takes can
have an effect in choosing a specialization in the
future because before someone can have a final choice,
he/ she must have gone to a medical school first. She
said that some courses are being tackled already,
especially in BS Medical Technology that will be
taught again in medical school. Example for this is the
subject bacteriology.

Most of the respondents considered medical

school as a factor in their residency specialization with
a frequency of 7 or 70% while 3 or 30% of them did not.
most of the respondent’s reason for answering yes is
because they believe that the overall quality of the
medical school like reputation and facilities is the
foundation of their future specialization, with a
frequency of 7 or 70%. While 1 or 10% of the
respondents answered that medical school is not a
factor in their future specialization. One of the
respondents in BS Medical Technology said that at
first, she considered medical school as a factor in their
residency specialization but after reflecting in our
situation we had, she changed her mind.
Most of the respondents expected several
skills that they want to develop including
communication skills and critical thinking that will
help them provide the right diagnosis with a
frequency of 7 or 43.75% and 5 or 31.25% respectively.

Most of the respondents answered

adaptability as the quality they look for when they

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Most of the respondents answered that their gives us additional information about our study.
choice of residency specialization is affected by their Above all, we would to acknowledge our Almighty God
financial status due to it being really expensive to for the divine intervention in this academic endeavor.
study, with a frequency of 8 or 80%. In contrast to this,
2 or 20% of the respondents answered that their
financial status does not affect their choice of
residency specialization. One of the respondents think 5. REFERENCES
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4. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Sincere gratitude is hereby extended to the Nicodemus, L., Tabios, I., & Tabios, B. O. (2018,
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