Ma. Phoebe T.

Subo Medicine 1A May 4, 2017

When we were told that we had to attend the second years’ Clinico-Pathological Case
Presentation, I had no idea what to expect. My minimal knowledge about it is mostly
from Professor Malata’s research lectures when she would tell us stories about our
upperclassmen joining this kind of competition. She would tell us that these were
difficult competitions that required the participants’ good presentation and reasoning
skills.

She was right. While the presentation was going on, I realized how important it was for
doctors to have good reasoning skills. Two of the three judges did not know what the
final diagnosis was, which meant that how well the presenters scored depended on how
good they explained their final diagnosis and answered the judges’ questions. Not only
did they have to get their diagnosis right, but they also had to defend it very well.

And while I may not have understood half of what the presenters were saying, I could
still say that I enjoyed listening to them very much. The presentations gave us a glimpse
of what we would be doing, not just for the next academic year, but for the rest of our
lives as doctors. They were a little bit overwhelming at first, with the vague
abbreviations and even vaguer medical terms, but as the presentations went on, I
realized that me not being able to understand everything that our upperclassmen were
saying is okay. After all, we are still freshmen, and there is still so much to learn about
the art and science of medicine.

Attending the CPC was a highly enlightening experience. Not only was I able to gain
new medical information, but more importantly, I was given the opportunity to know
what was in store for us, not just as medical students, but as future doctors.