07 February 2013, 12:27 a.m. – THE UNIVERSITY emerged as the only top-performing school in the recent physical therapy (PT) licensure exams, with a Thomasian taking the No. 1 spot, results from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) showed.
UST registered a 93.33-percent passing rate in the “off-season” PT board exams, with 14 passers out of 15 examinees. Four were first-time examinees, including the topnotcher.
This year’s passing rate was better than last year’s 84.62-percent, in which 11 out of 13 Thomasians made the cut. UST was named the second top-performing school last year.
This year, only UST met the requirements set by PRC to be included in the roster of top-performing schools. The commission requires schools to obtain a minimum passing rate of 80 percent and at least 15 examinees in the February board exams to be included in the list.
UST alumna Mary Kathleen Samarista led the newly registered physical therapists, garnering a score of 86.95 percent. Samarista bested Barbara Jane Auson of University of Perpetual Help-Laguna and Hyacinty Rosario Callao of Silliman University, who took the second and third places, respectively.
This year’s national passing rate slid to 49.22 percent or 285 passers out of 579 examinees, from last year’s 50.49 percent or 308 passers out of 610 examinees
Meanwhile, UST’s passing rate in the occupational therapy (OT) board exams went up to 56.25 percent, with 18 out of 32 Thomasians passing the test. In 2012, 18 out of 38 Thomasian examinees made the cut, equivalent to a 47.37-percent passing rate.
The national passing rate for occupational therapists stood at 50 percent, as half of the 64 examinees nationwide passed the test. Last year, only 27 out of 72 examinees passed the test, or a national passing rate of 37.50 percent.
UST has been the top producer of occupational therapists in the off-season board exams for the past four years. Reden D. Madrid
