June 30, 1:17 a.m. – THE UNIVERSITY topped the recent June 2011 pharmacy board examination, results from the Professional Regulation Commission show.
Results released yesterday said UST acquired a passing rate of 84.80 percent, or 290 passers out of 342, which is lower than last year’s 89 percent, or 241 passers out of 270. However, this year’s number of examinees from the University was higher compared to last year’s.
Board passers from the University this year include 284 out of 325 (87.38 percent) first timers and six out of 11 (35.29 percent) repeaters.
Last year, only 210 out of 236 (89 percent) first timers and 31 out of 34 (91 percent) repeaters passed the board exams.
UST also took four places in this year’s top ten list with Ma. Nikka Angela Dela Cruz in sixth place (90.72 percent), Monica Gutierrez in seventh (90.42 percent), Jasmine Wong in ninth (90.25 percent), and Kevin Jace Miranda in tenth (90.15 percent).
This year’s examinees include the first graduates of the University’s clinical pharmacy program, which follows a five-year curriculum to meet the standards of the US Pharmacy program. Not all students, however, were allowed to avail of the optional fifth-year studies.
The pioneer batch of the program primarily consists of those who started their studies in the Faculty of Pharmacy in 2006. However, Pharmacy graduates from 2003 to 2009, who were interested in working in the United States, waited until 2009 for the qualifying exams. Rommel Marvin C. Rio
