Cebuano is no. 8 among top medical board passers in '08

CEBU CITY, Philippines - A graduate of medicine who opted to skip review classes and study on her own has become the only Cebuano to land in the top-10 in this year’s physician licensure examination. Dr. Sheila Jane Tan Zanoria, 25, thought it was better to study at her own pace than complete the review lessons at the Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM), where she finished her degree. That way, she thought, she would be able to review much faster and cover more topics. It may have been a risk Sheila Jane took but it definitely worked well to her advantage. Shortly past midnight yesterday, Sheila Jane learned that she did not only pass the board exams, she also tied with University of the Philippines-Manila’s Lemuel Benedict Robleza Non for the eighth spot. Both had an average of 86.17 percent. Sheila Jane told Sun.Star Cebu that her decision to go on self-study made the past two months very hectic for her. She stayed at home most of the time, woke up as early as 6 a.m. to start studying and made sure she was in bed by 10 p.m. That way, she would get used to staying awake for eight hours, which was how long the board exams took, she said. She also said that the fact that her parents are doctors became added pressure on her. Her mother, Maria Delfa, is a cardiologist while her father, pulmonologist Martiniano, was a topnotcher in the 1978 board exams. Martiniano said he even expected that his daughter would land in the top five. He admitted in an interview over radio dyLA that he wants to carry the distinction of being the first to have all his children take medicine and become topnotchers. The proud father explained that he expected much from his daughter, having been an achiever since her elementary days. When she finished college at Velez College, she was magna cum laude and was cum laude when she graduated from medical school. Martiniano believes hard work and her preparation in school contributed to his daughter’s success. The new doctor agrees. “I thank the Lord for the blessings, our school for the good training, and of course, hard work," she said. She also admitted that she initially didn’t want to be a doctor. But having both parents who are doctors somehow changed her mind. “It’s the fact that you’re helping people and you get to save lives. It’s also challenging," she said of her decision to eventually study medicine. Now that the results are out, Sheila Jane said she will take a vacation first before preparing herself again for the United States Medical Licensure Examination. Without hesitation, Sheila Jane admits that working in the US has always been her plan. “I plan to finish my residency and practice there," she told Sun.Star Cebu, adding that she has yet to decide whether she would want to become a dermatologist or an internist like her father. “But if the Lord has other plans for me, it’s also okay for me to stay here," she said. Zanoria is among the 66 medical students from CIM who took and passed the board exam. CIM Dean Thelma Fernandez said in the same radio interview that while they were happy over Sheila Jane’s achievement, it didn’t come as a surprise to them. “It’s becoming a habit, I should say," Fernandez said, adding that the school gets to produce a topnotcher almost every year. A total of 2,506 took the exams this year but only 1,503 passed. – Sun.Star Cebu