The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 1,834 out of 2,211 passed the Physician (Complete and Finals with Prelims) Licensure Examination given by the Board of Medicine in the cities of Manila, Cebu and Davao this August 2013. In addition, a small but active group of tech savvy senior professionals use Facebook to upload videos of endoscopy cases and discuss them with small groups of colleagues. More than 10,000 individuals took action through Facebook to show opposition to recent changes in the provision of hospital accommodation for young doctors in the United Kingdom, while others weighed in to the debate about medical education.The members of the Board of Medicine who gave the licensure examination are Dr. More diverse groups such as “The NHS is sucking my soul dry” and “I am a doctor and I hope my patients don’t see me on Facebook” are also popular, though much to the disappointment of its 5,700 members the latter was recently closed down. The General Medical Council guidance from hasn’t changed—”You must make sure that your conduct at all times justifies your patients’ trust in you and the public’s trust in the profession” —but it’s undeniable that the advent of online social networking has increased the chances of being caught acting disreputably.“The cost to a person’s future can be high if something undesirable is found by the increasing number of education institutions and employers using the internet as a tool to vet potential students or employees,” says David Smith, for the Information Commissioner’s Office, in relation to recent UK governmental guidance on online social networking.To some extent the medical regulators are playing catch-up with the advances in social networking, but guidance is available and it’s well worth observing in your online activities.There are no prizes for guessing that the default situation is to share information with users and advertisers alike.Aside from the risk of identity theft (two in five Facebook profiles reveal information that can be used to set up bank accounts and so on), it is the professional implications that are of greatest concern to the medical community.Some include: The majority of current expert opinion advises caution in the use of social media, emphasizing that the risks of interacting with patients in online social forums may outweigh potential benefits.In fact, some contend that absolute separation of personal and professional life is virtually impossible and recommend only a professional presence online.
Saintly behaviour is neither demanded nor expected, but with the job there comes an expectation of a reasonable level of common sense and decency.You could even join the General Medical Council’s Facebook group and continue the discussion there, Similar recommendations have been previously endorsed or suggested by others from disciplines that include surgery, psychiatry, internal medicine, and pediatrics.A number of practical suggestions for the social networking savvy professional can be found in the multitude of articles on this topic available in the literature. Those who will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community Tax Certificate (cedula), 1 piece passport size picture (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of metered documentary stamps and 1 short brown envelope with name and profession and to pay the Initial Registration Fee of P600 and Annual Registration Fee of P4-2016. Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be on September 2 and 3, 2013.