The Dreaded Revalida

Exactly one year from now, I will be taking the oral revalida. The revalida is one unique thing for the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. There would be a panel of doctors (called tribunal) that would test you on the three spheres of medicine - namely the Basics (all about the basic subjects of medicine like anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology), the Clinicals (you would be given a case be it medicine, surgery, OB and it's up to you to do the history, PE, dianosis and management) and lastly the Emergencies (you will pick any medical emergency and you'll discuss how to go about managing the patient). This revalida will determine if you are good enough to be a doctor and this, I tell you, will determine your future. Your future is dependent on your tribe because they will decide whether you will graduate or not, whether you graduate with honors or not. A week has past and there are already 6 casualties from the upperclassmen and even one of them is running for cum laude. I realized that even those students who did well on the 3 years of their medical lives fail. That put me into a realization that I should not be lax during clerkship. Which reminds me about, the Titan rest. A rest for a Titan is not really rest, he is still on guard - be it physically, emotionally and yes academically. Subjective as it may seem, the revalida has been a part of the tradition of the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. And it is here to stay.