In the spirit of regulating and monitoring the practice of the professions in accordance with the provisions of their respective professional regulatory laws as directed in Section 9 of RA 8981 (PRC Modernization Act of 2000), the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Medicine paid a visit to the College of Medicine (COM) of Jose Maria College Foundation, Inc. (JMCFI) on Sept. 28, 2023.
The visit, which set a seemingly casual discussion with the Board and the executives of JMCFI, provided a “formative assessment” for PRC to check the condition of the College of Medicine Program.
Representing JMCFI, Dr. Nestor Arce, Jr., the Dean of the College of Medicine, gave the welcoming keynote establishing the reason for opening the school of medicine whose inspiration is drawn from eyeing to extend healthcare services for the people of Mindanao.
“The Jose Maria College of Medicine is already in its fifth year, and by next year, we will be having the first batch of our Board takers,” Dean Arce said.
In her opening message, Dr. Godofreda V. Dalmacion, the Chairperson of PRB of Medicine, emphasized that she wanted the flow of conversation to be informal as she wished to set an atmosphere that is not stringent for both parties.
“We will be compelled to ask questions that may cross the barrier between the medical curriculum and the passage of your students into the professional world through the venting or the assessment process of the licensure exam,” Dr. Dalmacion said.
Visitors are impressed with the campus ambience and aesthetics. They noted that they hope the school can always live up to the brand of quality medical education in such a learning environment.
“When we entered the campus, parang napasukan namin ay hotel… Very nice!” Dr. Martha O. Nucum, one of the representatives from PRC exclaimed.
To present to the Board the kind of medical education JMCFI-COM has to offer, a premier showing of the JMCFI’s College of Medicine Primer video was done encapsulating the message of “Crafting Physicians with a Heart”.
PRC representatives delved into inventorying the pool of lecturers, looking into the repertoire of best medical teaching practices, and enumerating the points to maintain quality medical education for students.
The PRC representatives who were also present during this visit were Dr. Martha O. Nucum, a member of PRB of Medicine, Dr. Amseva M. Bentayao, the Regulation Division Chief, Dr. Liza C. Suan, Education Supervisor II of CHED Regional Office XI, and Mr. Manuel Butch Tapere, a PRC Officer.
