(Guide) UP Physical and Medical Examination: A Freshman's Journey

4/15/14 (3:30 PM) - Tiring but exciting! I just got home from UP Diliman to accomplish the physical and medical examination which is a prerequisite in entering the said university. You are looking at my medical certificate given after completing all the processes done at the University Health Service (UHS). Small paper, large importance, isn’t it?

I have just gotten my X-ray result yesterday and our plan really is we will go to the UHS to finish the physical and medical exam next week due to the holy week. As I went home after getting my x-ray result, I posted a question at the UP Freshman Confirmation facebook group about the statement written on the physical exam instructions saying that it would take at least three days to finish the assessment (If it is true, then I guess we have to expect three long days of exhausting trips). A facebook friend answered my question a while ago. I got excited because of his answer so I told my mom that we can and should go tomorrow to UP to finish the exam before the coming holidays (The days after the holy week will be witnesses to longer lines at the UHS). It would just take us almost two hours, or shorter if we’re lucky. She agreed, fortunately. My friend’s answer, by the way, is this:

(verbatim) Kanina po ako nagpamedical sa UPD dumating ako dun ng 7:30 am and natapos ako ng mga 9:30 may dala na akong xray galing sa labas. /I took my medical examination a while ago at UPD. I got there at 7:30 am and finished at around 9:30 am. I already brought an x-ray from outside the UHS./

(verbatim) Nung tumawag po ako nung Friday sabi open daw [sila] ng Monday-Tuesday na regular office hours then sa Wednesday half day lang daw po. /When I called last Friday they told me that there will be regular office hours on Monday and Tuesday and a half day on Wednesday./

 I woke up early at 5:00 AM. After a few preparations, we rode by jeepney from Bulac (a small barangay in Sta. Maria, Bulacan where we live) to the town proper. Then, we took a tricycle from Poblacion (town proper) to the front of Waltermart, the bus terminal. After waiting for the Del Carmen bus to come, we rode off to SM North EDSA (about more than an hour trip). Then, from the jeepney terminal of SM North EDSA, we rode on a jeepney bound to UP Diliman. Estimating and calculating the overall time spent on our trip to UPD:

Bulac to Poblacion:                      30 minutes

Poblacion to Bus Terminal:           5 minutes

Bus Terminal to SM North:          70 minutes

SM North to UP Diliman:            15 minutes

                                                =120 minutes/2 hours (A light-traffic trip)

Virtually, it would take 2-3 hours from home sweet home to UP Diliman and another 2-3 hours from UP Diliman to home sweet province. An exhausting journey, indeed. A scenery of the famous sunflowers in front of the Oblation statue indicating the summer period and the cool, fresh air from the famous acacia trees refreshed us, though.

We arrived at the UHS safe, sound, and on-time (The truth is, if we arrived a little later we would have to return at 1:00 PM for Triage because of the physician’s breaktime.). That’s a big BINGO! After being a normally clueless freshman inside the UHS building, the attendant in the lobby told us to go to the conference room just across and then a left turn at the hallway. There are signs to direct you, and it’s not a big hospital anyway. I left my mom outside the conference room (Sounds like a big room? Not really.), and as I entered the room being a “normally clueless freshman” as usual, an official approached me and instructed me clearly on what to do step by step (You see, you just have to listen. They will not let you be clueless and amusing to look upon.) I approached the first person I have to pass through before going to the other processes. I submitted all the requirements (Notice of Admission, Chest X-ray result with two Xerox copy and the X-ray film [although they did not really took the film], Consent Form, UPHS Form 2 with 2x2 ID picture with white background, Adolescent Questionnaire, all to be filled out are already filled out by me)  to that first person. After that, I have been given additional forms while I keep the previous forms, all stapled into one file. I went to the table he designated for me to fill out those additional forms (Form 2C, to be specific. That would be the forms that the physicians you will pass through will be answering). The instructions are VERY CLEAR, just read carefully and do not skim. By the way, bring a ballpen, preferably black for formality purposes. They are not really strict if you have an erasure or have made a mistake. You can erase or superimpose your answer if you have written it incorrectly. Like when I was filling out the forms, I wrote March on the date instead of April. I stroke a line through my accidental input like this: March, and I wrote April in place of it. But of course, do it as neatly as you can. You do not want to see the attendant frowning at your illegibly written answers, do you?

In that same room I have gone through the (1) height and weight measurement, (2) visual acuity test [the old woman facilitating it is just like your average funny family doctor] (3) blood pressure determination. It took three digital BP takings and a classic BP taking to measure my BP precisely. Fortunately, my BP is normal. I got nervous there!

Then, the BP facilitator told me to go to the Dental clinic, just a left turn from the main hallway if you are coming from the Conference room. If you don’t know what to do there, don’t be too shy to ask those who are waiting to be called. They will tell you exactly what I did there: pass the stapled forms to the dental clinic attendant and wait for your surname to be called. Well, sometimes, an uncommon surname like mine would be pronounced incorrectly. If you have pride in your family name (lol), don’t hesitate to correct him/her in a gentle tone, of course.

As you are waiting on the seats, you may look around your surroundings and feel bored due the fact that it is a hospital, or better, you may spend time to chat with your future co-freshmen who, surely, are willing to make friends with a person like you. Talk about your course, your high school, your college, and you will get deeper and deeper by the minute. That way, you may find a friend that you should consider as a treasure to find more. Sadly, I haven’t thought of it until now. Deep regrets. Learn from my life story (lol again).

When my surname was called (by the way, the order is on a first-come, first-served basis), I have been allowed to enter the room, where you will wait again for your turn. Three persons are allowed inside. The dental examination process is longer, but not too long, compared to the previous tests.

Finally, the time has come for the most controversial part of the Medical Examination process: Triage. If you don’t know what triage means, well, triage is the assessment of your body parts for wounds or any other types of illnesses. Some people say that you will get to have your first personal experience as Oble himself: no clothing, no hospital gown, and like the original Oble, no fig leaf. But in UP Diliman, at least for me, there is no conveying of your own “Oble.” To some, it’s a disappointment; to me, it’s a relief. I’m not really comfortable having no clothing at all. I don’t know, maybe I’m still a “novice.” Big XD.

Again, do not hesitate to ask if you do not know what to do next. You will not want to wait for someone to come to you and tell you what to do next. It will be disastrous, I’m telling you, sitting at the waiting hall, waiting for your turn to come without even having a number. No, you WILL NOT want that to happen to you. It didn’t happen to me, fortunately. I went back to the lobby, took a number, and waited at the hallway just beside the lobby (not the main hallway). The doctor that will be inspecting you will be of the same sex as you are.  If it took long for you to accomplish the dental process, then accomplishing the triage process is way longer than the former, especially the waiting process. Lucky you if your contemporaries are not that many (again, it will be if you took the exam early, before May perhaps). After minutes of waiting, my turn came as the student before me called for No. 16, which is my number. I entered inside the cold room, and fortunately, the physician that handled my triage (his name is Dr. Hector Dionisio) is a fun talker. He asked about my course (and commented about my course), he asked me about what I do during vacation, and other topics. Of course he didn’t forget to check my eyes and my heartbeat, no removal of clothing required. In the “hernia” part, he just asked me if I have one. Well, no, I haven’t. And that’s it. He stamped my papers, and then I said thanks, then I came out of the room, finished at last! Well, not “finished” finished. I still have to get my medical certificate.

After going back again to the lobby to ask for final instructions, the attendant told us to go to the Public Health Unit. To get to the PHU, turn left from the main hallway, then right, then you’ll see a sign directing to the PHU room. I was asked to sit there together with the others, and then they took our forms. Again, the first to come is the first to be served. We are given survey forms regarding the attitude of the attendants, the length of the waiting time, etc. We answered those, submitted them in a box, and waited again for our surnames to be called. University of Pila, it is. When I got called, I came to the PHU attendant and his computer. He told me to check my name and my student number as he was typing those to his computer. After a quick print, I finally got my medical certificate. Yahoo! Having said bye to my future co-freshmen, we got out of the UHS and estimated the total time taken for me to accomplish the examination. It took me almost two hours to finish the test. But I know that after the holy week, it would take longer. Here is a summary of my physical and medical examination process:

1.       Went to UHS, approached the lobby attendant.

2.       Went to the Conference room, passed the requirements, answered the additional forms, took the height and weight measurement, visual acuity test, and BP determination.

3.       Went to the Dental clinic, passed my stapled forms, waited for my surname to be called, took the Dental examination.

4.       Went back to the lobby attendant, took a number for triage, went to the hallway beside the lobby, waited for my number to be called, took the triage.

5.       Went to the lobby attendant for final instructions, went to the Public Health Unit, answered the survey form, took my medical certificate.

It’s still 11:00 AM, so we took the time to take a trip around UP. We rode a Toki jeep to visit one of my institutes I’ll be studying in, the Institute of Chemistry. This map on the right helped me a lot (actually, it’s just a photo on my phone, but still very useful). I figured out myself what jeep we should be riding and what path we should be going. Credits to Kuya Prince Allan Pelayo (I don’t know if this photo belongs to you or not, but I discovered this through you, so you earned MY credit).  After a chat with “Mamang Taho” and a few pictures, we rode off by another Toki jeep and then an SM North jeep. After having lunch at Mr. Chow, we rode by the Del Carmen bus to Sta. Maria, another tricycle, and a jeepney to home sweet Bulac. Such a tiring yet wonderful experience! Your time and energy in exchange of a small but important paper, er, certificate, and enjoyment, in addition: a fair reciprocation, nonetheless.