ALL PIONEER graduates of the five-year Clinical Pharmacy program passed the June 2011 pharmacy board examinations, while four Thomasian pharmacists made it to the top ten.
The results released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) last June 29 showed that UST ranked first with 84.80-percent passing rate (including both Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacy programs) or 290 passers out of 342 examinees.
Last year, UST acquired an 89-percent passing rate, or 241 passers, but with lesser examinees of 270.
Those who made it to the top-ten listwere Ma. Nikka Angela de la Cruz at sixth place (90.72 percent), Monica Gutierrez at seventh (90.42 percent), Jasmine Wong at ninth (90.25 percent), and Kevin Jace Miranda at tenth (90.15 percent).
Faculty of Pharmacy Dean Priscilla Torres, however, said they were expecting “more students in the top five” because of the high number of honor students, where 121 out of 715, or 16.93 percent, graduated with ‘laudes’.
Meanwhile, 46 percent, or 23 out of 50, clinical pharmacy students graduated with honors last March.
Offered in 2006, the Clinical Pharmacy program was intended to meet US standards, particularly for students who want to work abroad.
Torres said the success of their faculty in the recent board exam was brought by faculty members’ competence and the review course they offered.
“We review our curriculum [regularly] to enhance [it],” she said.
Torres added that Pharmacy requires all their students to undergo a review course, online exams and a mock board exam, before taking the actual test.
This year, 87.38 percent of the first-time takers (284 out of 325) and 35.29 percent of the repeaters (six out of 11) passed.
Torres said the low passing rate of repeaters was mainly because they have graduated years ago and went to take the licensure exam with only a review.
Last year, only 210 out of 236 (89 percent) first-timer-takers and 31 out of 34 (91 percent) repeaters passed the board exam. D. J. Magturo
