A Filipino who passed the physician’s licensure examination amid encountering extreme labor pains recounted her grueling experience online.
Eunice Stefanelle Atianzar Sibuyan shared on Facebook the eventful way her son was conceived—right after she finished the board exam which was her final ticket towards becoming a doctor.
Sibuyan wrote that it was her “lifelong dream” to become a licensed physician so she pursued her exam despite being due for childbirth in March 2019.
She reviewed while taking her post-graduate internship at the Air Force General Hospital and despite being advised by her doctor to take bed rest.
A week before her exam, Sibuyan found out that her cervix was already “1 to 2 centimeters dilated” which was an indication that her baby was due any time soon.
This made her anxious but she persevered and continued to review for her boards.
She experienced spotting and cramps before the start of the last two days of the exams.
Her water bag also broke, nearing labor. A water bag is a fluid-filled membranous sac that surrounds the baby inside the womb. It typically breaks at the beginning or during the labor itself.
Sibuyan soldiered on and went to Mary Chiles Colleges to take the exam. While taking the first exam, she experienced labor pains in intervals of 15 to 30 minutes.
When she was taking the second exam, she already had difficulty shading the answers but she managed to finish it and moved on to the last part.
Sibuyan endured the third exam with “regular contractions [happening to her] every 3 minutes” and by repeatedly smiling at the proctors who looked at her with concern.
When she finished the exam, she was rushed to the hospital of the testing site where she was able to deliver her baby successfully.
Three days after the exam, the results were announced and Sibuyan discovered that she passed, making her a licensed physician.
Social media users congratulated her for the double victory and called it a “double celebration.”
“Ibang level ang tatag mo mumsh! Double congratulations for boards and for being a mom!” user Romedee Moncada wrote.
“Congrats… it’s a double celebration. GOD BLESS,” user Elmer Sibuyan said.
The medical board exam
The physician licensure examination, also known as the medical boards, is the last step toward becoming a doctor in the Philippines. It is taken after an individual has graduated from medical school with a degree of Doctor of Medicine.
The student has around two to six months to prepare for the examination which happens in March and September.
The medical licensure exam is administered by the Professional Regulation Commission responsible for regulating and supervising the practice of professionals, excluding lawyers.
It is a four-day examination divided into two categories—Basic Sciences and Clinical Sciences—which have six different subjects.
The “Basic Sciences” part covers anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology and pharmacology.
The “Clinical Sciences” part covers internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, legal medicine and preventive medicine.
To qualify as a medical board passer, a person must have an average rating of at least 75 percent with no grade lower than 50 percent in any subject on the test.
An individual may finally work as a general practitioner or undergo medical residency training in hospitals once she is able to pass the exam.