What's up with Our Lady of Fatima in the PI?

[nerdz247]

Hi all,

I'm looking into Fatima as a possibility for Med school. I am a US graduate. Most posts on Fatima are not too positive and I would like to see if its worth looking at. Can someone who is a Fil-Am/Am or knows someone attending Fatima help me out please?!

1) Why did you choose Fatima?

2) What are the requirements to be eligible for clerkship in the US? How promising is it? (are there not enough spots?)

3) What is the current tuition?

4) How are you preparing for USMLE? Does anyone know the passing rate?

5) How are the teachers? classes?

Any other comments or advice about the school would be great!

I know some of these have been answered in other posts, but I want to hear from someone who goes there (Plus I think some posts were older). I would appreciate it if someone could give a brief update on Fatima.

Thank you!

[hunteradam07]

There are plenty of post on this forum concerned about FU. http://www.valuemd.com/fatima.php This website will tell u how much tution fee. I went to FEU after an interview with the VP of the school. I had several friends Filam from FU. They are having hard time with steps, because no medical school in PI will teach u USMLE cirriculum. So dont let other people tell u otherwise. Tution ranging 9G-20G/year, which is way more than any medical school in PI (1G-2G at most). FEU and UST have clerkship in US, but u have to apply for yourself. The best thing i recommend for you to do before u make any decision, it actually goes there and see yourself. That is what i did after my interview with VP (Dra. Enriquez) i knew FU was not the place for me. Good luck.

[hunteradam07]

Oh i m found this interesting post from before, maybe u can ask this guy directly. Check out this:

FilAmMed:

Tell me about it. I went there a couple of years ago and left after a week. That place was the hottest place I have ever been to. The humidity is crazy. I think I wasted about 13K dollars. I gave them by donation but they never returned it back to me. I wanted to sue the school but the process is a hassle. If any body wants to attend Fatima, I suggest you go somewhere else. The teachers dont teach there. You are pretty much on your own. If you cant study for your boards independantly, I dont recommend any international medical school. Worst part of Fatima was how they try to suck money out of you with everything. One of my friends was robbed in Fatima and they stole all of his cash, laptop, and clothes. If you have any questions, you can email me anytime at dannychester39@gmail.com. By the way, Fatima only has 10 graduates in the USA. That is their track record. Looks like its pretty poor.

i was there last 12 june 2006 and came back to the us last wednesday 21 june. Too bad for me i took the fatima bait. I was told my mr ramos in nyc that i only needed 2 yrs to finish my md since i was coming from a carib school (2 more classes to finish my basic sci). i sent my transcripts several weeks before flying to p.i. for eval but nothing was done. i guess this is one of their ploy to rob u by telling u the result when ur already there. i was told i still need 4yrs to finish my md degree with them (to fulfill cali rqt of 2yrs of clin rotation). To my anger n frustration, i told mr don santos that i wanted out. He only returned $1k of the $2k i gave him a day ago for my tuition. He said the $1k covers the spot they gave me instead of giving it to MANY other foreigners who wanted to come but were not given the chance d/t the very limited seats available. This is **!! Another ** he told me was that the classes for transferees already started so i cannot get the full amount. The fact is, upperclassmen "special" classes do not start until the 22nd of june. What a jerk!!! Pls. do not go to fatima. It is a family owned pooh poohhole who just wants to rob ppls one guy experience at Fatima:

[Wendell]

My wife is a filipina and when were we there last year i went on a interview..let's just say that if you can make a "Donation to the school" u will not have a problem getting in, and i will leave it at that

[psychmd2b]

Here we have three posters with a grand total of five days as Fatima students grousing about nonrefundable or partially refundable fees. The first poster also rips on the PI schools in general saying that there is considerable crime in Manila, that the climate is tropical, and that "any international medical school" won't prepare you for USMLE. S/he also states that there are 10 Fatima grads practicing in the US. Here are 15:
1. Dr. Nnana O. Mang, MD - Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Interventional Cardiology, Vascular Surgery - Brooklyn, NY (http://www.healthgrades.com/directory_search/physician/profiles/dr-md-reports/Dr-Nnana-Mang-MD-26C0C8DE.cfm)
2. Current Residents (http://www.crmef.org/mugshots00.htm)
3. On this page, there's a Fatima grad who did a residency and fellowship in the US: Welcome to Sun Health - Geriatric Fellowship! (http://www.sunhealth.org/geri/index.cfm?content=faculty)
4. Anatomic Pathology Fellow on this page who graduated from Fatima and did residency at University of South Florida: Current Residents and Fellows (http://www.csmc.edu/5492.html)
5. On this page, you'll find a Fatima grad who just finished FP residency: MGHS Family Medicine Residency Program graduates six family medicine physicians - June 2005 - Press Release - MGHS (http://www.mgh.org/press/resident_grad_05.html)
6. Dr. Thalhamer, a Fatima grad, completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland: Providence Internal Medicine (http://www.providence.org/swsa/facilities/centralia_hospital/providenceinternalmedicine)
7. Dr. Dator is a graduate of Fatima College of Medicine in the Philippines and completed her residency at Wyoming Valley Health Care System Family Practice in Kingston, PA: Oswego County Business Magazine - Health Care Briefs (http://www.oswegocountybusiness.com/index.php?a=940)
8. Jimmy Chen received a bachelor degree in Medical Technology in 1984, from Taipei Medical College, Taiwan. In 1991, he received his Doctor of Medicine from the Fatima College of Medicine, Philippines, and was honored with an Award of Distinction from the Brooklyn Hospital Clerkship Program. After completing residency training in Pathology at the UC Davis Medical Center, he served as Chief Resident Physician and completed a fellowship in Surgical Pathology: UC Davis Health System Department of Pathology: Our Team - Faculty - Chen (http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/pathology/our_team/faculty/chenj.html)
9. Chief surgical resident: Current Residents (http://www.pinnaclehealth.org/body.cfm?id=752)
10. Professor of medicine: Thomas Jefferson University - JMC CRMEHC (http://www.jefferson.edu/jmc/crmehc/fellows/gozum.cfm)
11. New Family Practice Physician Joins Staff of the Anthony L. Jordan Health Center: Anthony L. Jordan Health Center -- New Family Practice Physician Joins Staff of the Anthony L. Jordan Health Center (http://www.jordanhealth.org/jordantemplate8.cfm?newsID=11)
12. Board certified FP doc: Richelle Cruz, M.D. - Lifetime Health Medical Group - www.lifetimehealth.org (http://www.fitsyourlife.com/roc_profile_cruz_richelle.html)
13. Geriatric Psych Fellow: http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache...nk&cd=40&gl =us (http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:_akxBvCIdbEJ:www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/gme/prospective/psych/program_details/documents/2005-06residencysyllabus.pdf+%22fatima+college+of+medic ine%22+resident&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=40&gl=us)
14. Board certified psychiatrist: Doree-Ann V. Espiritu, M.D., Psychiatry, Michigan, MI (http://www.henryfordhealth.org/11070.cfm)
15. PGY-1 resident: KUMC, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Residency Program (http://www.kumc.edu/psychiatry/residents.html)

This guy transferred to Harvard Medical School so not technically a Fatima grad. Pre-Fibrotic Changes Induced in the Guinea Pig Liver by Stress [MJM 1996 2: 4-11] (http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/mjm/issues/v02n01/stress.html#anchor113333)



Oh i m found this interesting post from before, maybe u can ask this guy directly. Check out this:

FilAmMed:

Tell me about it. I went there a couple of years ago and left after a week. That place was the hottest place I have ever been to. The humidity is crazy. I think I wasted about 13K dollars. I gave them by donation but they never returned it back to me. I wanted to sue the school but the process is a hassle. If any body wants to attend Fatima, I suggest you go somewhere else. The teachers dont teach there. You are pretty much on your own. If you cant study for your boards independantly, I dont recommend any international medical school. Worst part of Fatima was how they try to suck money out of you with everything. One of my friends was robbed in Fatima and they stole all of his cash, laptop, and clothes. If you have any questions, you can email me anytime at dannychester39@gmail.com. By the way, Fatima only has 10 graduates in the USA. That is their track record. Looks like its pretty poor.

i was there last 12 june 2006 and came back to the us last wednesday 21 june. Too bad for me i took the fatima bait. I was told my mr ramos in nyc that i only needed 2 yrs to finish my md since i was coming from a carib school (2 more classes to finish my basic sci). i sent my transcripts several weeks before flying to p.i. for eval but nothing was done. i guess this is one of their ploy to rob u by telling u the result when ur already there. i was told i still need 4yrs to finish my md degree with them (to fulfill cali rqt of 2yrs of clin rotation). To my anger n frustration, i told mr don santos that i wanted out. He only returned $1k of the $2k i gave him a day ago for my tuition. He said the $1k covers the spot they gave me instead of giving it to MANY other foreigners who wanted to come but were not given the chance d/t the very limited seats available. This is **!! Another ** he told me was that the classes for transferees already started so i cannot get the full amount. The fact is, upperclassmen "special" classes do not start until the 22nd of june. What a jerk!!! Pls. do not go to fatima. It is a family owned pooh poohhole who just wants to rob ppls one guy experience at Fatima:

[hunteradam07]

I jz think 9,000-20,000 US dollars/yr is too much compare to establish university like FEU, St. Luke, UP, UST, and Cebu etc... Since u can get the same or better education, why not save tons of money and headache. That is just my two cents.

[ichigo100%]

My wife is a filipina and when were we there last year i went on a interview..let's just say that if you can make a "Donation to the school" u will not have a problem getting in, and i will leave it at that
Don't do that if I were you since the "Donation to the school" thing is a double-edge sword...

[tobymd]

Don't do that if I were you since the "Donation to the school" thing is a double-edge sword...

Huh?? Wazzat mean, inchigo???

[tobymd]

Oh i m found this interesting post from before, maybe u can ask this guy directly. Check out this:

FilAmMed:

Tell me about it. I went there a couple of years ago and left after a week. That place was the hottest place I have ever been to. The humidity is crazy................. etc, etc

I am wondering if those who speak negatively or put down schools in the Philippines or elsewhere in Asia suffer from zenophobia.... :roll:.... Professionals, whether physicians, engineers, nurses, programmers, IT's, etc from Asian countries are one of the most dedicated, capable and intelligent workers in the US.... times have changed. Its important to recognize them. I do symphatize with the fellow with the bad experience in Fatima. Its unfortunate that stuff like that happens and it can leave a bad taste. It could just be a communication issue. Thats why its important to know and understand the terms and conditions of the application process. Although ordinarily, details like that should be pointed out and you should not have to worry about any fine prints.