Doña Remedios Trinidad Romualdez Medical Foundation, Inc.

College of Medicine
Calanipawan Rd, Tacloban City
Department of Pediatrics
NAME: CABELLO, QUENEE JOYCE L.
PEDIATRICS JOURNAL INSTRUCTOR: DR. EDNA B. AYASO
DATE: August 22, 23, 26, 30, and September 2, 2022

Title: Gastroenterology - Hepatology

Reflection:

The first two years of medical school seems to have swiftly passed by. Here we are already on
our third year; it excites and scares me at the same time. The first two weeks of classes was a lot to
take in. The orientation gave us a glimpse of what we will be learning for the year and I am already
tired just by looking at our schedule.
For Pediatrics, our approach was modular so we will tackle one block of topics which starts off
with Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Our professor gave us an overview of the topics and then the
rest of the discussion was left up to us, students, who were divided into groups. I was part of the first
group to present and it was a bit of a breather for us since we enjoyed planning for our report.
Everyone in the group was assigned a task from researching on the contents, to making the
powerpoint presentation, scriptwriting and assigning roles for the presentation itself. It was
challenging to fit in all the information in the time allotted for us. We also struggled to highlight the
important points because for us who are still learning, everything is a highlight. This also made me
realize the essence of having our professors who guide and direct our learning process as they are
more knowledgeable and have the experience on the most common concepts that we will encounter
in the field.
We also had a pre-test and post-test which is a good way to stimulate our brain cells, test our
retention and understanding, and motivate us to read and learn more. Pediatrics is very close to my
heart. Although I admit that I get overwhelmed with all the information we need to learn and
memorize, I remind myself of my patient encounters back when I was working with DOH at a rural
health center. There are a lot of pediatric cases and most of them can be prevented if only the
parents were taught well. Gastro-related pathologies such as diarrhea is one of the most common
reason for consult. Most families in the rural area do not have the means to have their children
checked by private practitioners so they only rely on the free services that they receive from the rural
health unit, so it is essential that as a future doctor who desires to serve the underserved
communities, I must be well-equipped with the proper understanding and knowledge so that we would
know how to manage our patients and also be able to conduct health education.
More than passing exams, more than aiming to pass the boards, I have come to realize that it
is the understanding and learning the concepts that is important for without it, we will only be
physicians who are good at exams. I am not saying that we should not aim to ace our tests, of course
that is our due diligence to study. It is just more inspiring to study if we know how these concepts are
going to be applied in the “real world” as doctors.

Pediatrics I Journal | 1