UST WAS named the second top-performing school in the July 2012 Pharmacy licensure examination, with six Thomasians landing on the Top 10, including first place.
The University recorded a passing rate of 88.92 percent, equivalent to 281 passers out of 316 examinees, data from the Professional Regulation Commission showed. This year’s board passers included 269 out of 293 first-time takers and 12 out of 23 repeaters.
Last year’s passing rate was 84.80 percent, with 290 out of 342 UST examinees passing the test.
Leading the new crop of Thomasian pharmacists is Clinical Pharmacy cum laude Heidi Rose Tanjueco, who topped the licensure exam with a score 91.63 percent. She was followed by Rafael Paulo Salimo, who took the second spot with a 91.42-percent score.
Other Thomasians in the Top 10 were Vien Christian Lansangan (91.05 percent), Priya Ballagan (90.05 percent), Ludy Mae Ang (89.90 percent), and Ma. Fatima Julienne Tabbada (89.88 percent), who landed on the fourth, sixth, eighth, and ninth places, respectively.
Former Varsitarian Features writer Margaret Rose Maranan also passed the exam.
Pharmacy Dean Priscilla Torres said students went through review courses and online examinations, including a two-day mock board exam, to maintain UST’s high passing rate.
All 48 takers of the five-year Clinical Pharmacy program passed the licensure examination.
Saint Louis University was named top-performing school with all of its 98 examinees passing the test.
Last year, UST was named the top-performing school, with four Thomasians in the Top 10.
The national passing rate improved to 63.11 percent, or 1,117 passers out of 1,770 examinees. Last year’s passing rate was just 53.67 percent, with only 790 passing out of 1,472 examinees.
