Best Medical Schools in the Philippines (Physicians)

Pinoy Money Talk

If you’ve always dreamt of becoming a doctor, then why not pursue a Medical degree to become a licensed physician?

In the Philippines, you will have to take and complete a Medical Doctor degree in order to become a doctor. This program essentially trains students with the skills and competencies of being a physician. It typically takes five years to finish the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program offered by medical schools in the country. In the MD program, the student undergoes three years of academic studies, one year of clinical clerkship, and one year of post-graduate internship.

Finally to practice as a professional doctor, the MD graduate must take and pass the Philippine Physician’s Licensure Examination.

Physician Licensure Examination in the Philippines

Republic Act No. 2382, otherwise known as the “Philippine Medical Act of 1959”, states that that the examinee must pass a licensure examination to be conducted by the Board of Medicine. The said exam shall cover two general categories (Basic Sciences and Clinical Sciences) each having six (6) subjects under their scope.

Physician Licensure Exam Coverage

1st Category – Basic Sciences

  • Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Microbiology
  • Pathology
  • Pharmacology

2nd Category – Clinical Sciences

  • Internal Medicine
  • Obstetrics & Gynecology
  • Pediatrics
  • Surgery
  • Legal Medicine
  • Preventive Medicine

The exam taker must achieve an average grade of 75%, with no grade falling below 50% in any subject, to pass.

Moreover, the exam taker shall accomplish the following requirements for taking the exam:

  1. NSO / PSA Birth Certificate
  2. NSO / PSA Marriage Contract (for married female applicants)
  3. Transcript of Records with scanned picture and Remarks “For Board Examination Purposes”
  4. Complete Payment P900.00
  5. Certificate of Post Graduate Internship *
  6. TOR & Certificate of having completed the first two (2) years in College of Medicine
  7. NMAT (for prelim only)

* After three (3) failures, to submit Refresher course, Certificate of Attendance, and copy of grades in subjects taken (FTB).

Career Opportunities for Doctor of Medicine Graduates

There are various opportunities for MD graduates and passers of the Physician Board Exam. Some examples:

Entry-level: Careers for new graduates without need of prior experience:

  • Resident Physicians
  • Junior Physician (in private clinics)
  • Company Doctor
  • School Doctor
  • Private Practice Doctors

Mid-level: If the graduate has completed residency training and successfully acquired a field of specialization:

  • Specialist – government hospital
  • Specialist – private hospital
  • Private Practice Specialist
  • Government Official

Advanced: After years of extensive experience and practice:

  • Surgeon
  • Medical Consultant
  • Hospital Administrator
  • Senior Government Official

Best Medical Schools in the Philippines

Are you now thinking of enrolling in a medical school? Find out here the universities that are considered top medical schools in the country, based on board exam passing rate. Below we compile the data about the average passing rates in previous Physician Licensure Exams in the Philippines.

Category 1: Top Medical Schools in the Philippines (with 201 or more examinees)

RankBANK / INSTITUTIONUITFJAN - SEP 2018 RETURN %
1Union BankUnionBank Medium Term Fixed Income Portfolio0.83%
2China Banking CorporationCBC INTERMEDIATE FIXED-INCOME FUND0.30%
3Union BankUnionBank High Net Worth Intermediate-Term Peso Fixed Income Fund-0.70%
4EastWest Banking CorporationEastWest Peso Intermediate Term Bond Fund-0.71%
5Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.Metro Max-3 Bond Fund-0.79%
6Philippine National BankPNB PESO INTERMEDIATE TERM BOND FUND (Formerly AUP GS FUND)-0.80%
7BDO Unibank, Inc.BDO MERIT FUND INTERMEDIATE TERM PORTFOLIO-0.92%
8BPI Asset Management and Trust CorporationBPI Premium Bond Fund-1.15%
9Union BankUnionBank Infinity Prime Fund-1.26%
10Manulife Asset Management and Trust Corporation (MAMTC)Manulife Stable Income Fund (Class I)-1.50%
11Manulife Asset Management and Trust Corporation (MAMTC)Manulife Stable Income Fund (Class A)-2.42%

Category 2: Top Medical Schools in the Philippines (with 101-200 examinees)

RankBANK / INSTITUTIONUITFJAN - SEP 2018 RETURN %
1LandBank of the PhilippinesLANDBANK Equity Index Fund-11.07%
2United Coconut Planters BankUCPB Philippine Index Equity Fund-13.40%
3Union BankUnionBank Philippine Equity Index Tracker Fund Portfolio-14.30%
4BPI Asset Management and Trust CorporationBPI Philippine Consumer Equity Index Fund-14.45%
5EastWest Banking CorporationEastWest PSEI Tracker Fund-14.55%
6Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.Metro PSEi Tracker Fund-14.59%
7CTBC Bank (Philippines) Corp.CTBC Bank - Sun Life Philippine Stock Index Feeder Fund-14.60%
8BPI Asset Management and Trust CorporationBPI Philippine Equity Index Fund-14.61%
9ATRAM Trust CorporationATRAM Philippine Equity Smart Index Fund-14.66%
10Security Bank CorporationSB PHILIPPINE EQUITY INDEX FUND-14.82%
11BPI Asset Management and Trust CorporationBPI Philippine Infrastructure Equity Index Fund-14.99%
12BDO Unibank, Inc. BDO EQUITY INDEX FUND-15.01%
13Philippine National BankPNB ENHANCED PHIL-INDEX REFERENCE FUND-15.21%
14BDO Unibank, Inc. BDO PERA EQUITY INDEX FUND-15.97%

Category 3: Top Medical Schools in the Philippines (with 100 or less examinees)

RankBANK / INSTITUTIONUITFJAN - SEP 2018 RETURN %
1ATRAM Trust CorporationATRAM Global Dividend Feeder Fund8.70%
2United Coconut Planters BankUCPB High Dividend Fund-11.06%
3Security Bank CorporationSB HIGH DIVIDEND PESO EQUITY FUND-11.22%
4China Banking CorporationChina Bank High Dividend Equity Fund-12.57%
5BPI Asset Management and Trust CorporationBPI Philippine High Dividend Equity Fund-13.60%
6Union BankUnionBank Dividend Play Equity Portfolio-14.80%
7Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.Metro High Dividend Yield Fund-15.23%
8Philippine National BankPNB HIGH DIVIDEND FUND-16.30%
9BDO Unibank, Inc. BDO SUSTAINABLE DIVIDEND FUND-16.69%
10Bank of CommerceDIVERSITY DIVIDEND FOCUSED FUND-17.26%

Note: The table above only ranks the passing rates of First-time takers; repeaters are not included in the passing rate. All figures are based on the four (4) past Physicians Licensure Exams in March 2018, September 2017, March 2017, and September 2016.

Source: PRC Philippines (prc.gov.ph)

Pinoy Money Talk is an educational website about money, banking, investments, and personal finance which started in 2005. Its group of five writers consists of one equity research analyst, one fintech startup owner, one finance educator, and two investment professionals.