Vol.

2 · January 2012 · ISSN: 2094-9243 Asian Journal of Health

International
Asian JournalPeer Reviewed Journal
of Health
doi: [Link]

Determinants of Performance
of Graduates in the Medical Technologist
Licensure Examination
JASMEN S. PASIA
jazzy_theo@[Link]
Faculty, Medical Laboratory Science Department,
San Pedro College

MARILYN U. GARZON
Director, Research and Publication Office,
San Pedro College

MARLEONIE M. BAUYOT
Dean, Graduate School, San Pedro College

Abstract - The public gauges the quality of academic programs of

a school from the results of licensure examinations. School leaders use
the examination basis for intervention programs to upgrade quality.
This study aims to find the factors of performance of San Pedro
College graduates in the Medical Technologist Licensure Examination
(MTLE). Mixed – methods research design was utilized in describing
the predictors of the graduates’ performance in the MTLE. A total of
304 graduates distributed according to the year of graduation from
2005-2009 who took the MTLE on September of the same year they
graduated were subjects of this investigation. Results of this study
demonstrated that all independent variables were correlated with the
performance of the graduates in the MTLE, with clinical internship
WPA having the highest coefficient of correlation of .540. Further
analysis using stepwise regression model revealed that clinical
internship WPA is the best predictor for passing the MTLE. This may

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Determinants of Performance of Graduates in The Medical Pasia, Garzon & Bauyot
Technology Licensure Examination

suggest that a strengthened internship program would help improve

the graduates’ performance in the MTLE. Thus, it is recommended that
consultations from students, alumni, and faculty be done to draw out
suggestions on how to improve the existing practices of the internship
program. The results also demonstrated that there is a low negative
correlation between DAT and MTLE. This may mean that higher DAT
is not a guarantee that the graduate will perform in the MTLE.

Keywords - board examination, internship program, clinical

internship, medical technology

INTRODUCTION

Education is continually evolving. This is particularly true in

Medical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology Education which
aims to develop a foundation in the fundamentals of medical laboratory
science and to make it responsive to the demands for manpower in
the paramedical service utilizing the highly innovative technologies. It
consists of clinical laboratory testing which plays a crucial role in the
detection, diagnosis, prognosis, prevention and treatment of diseases
such that medical technologists/medical laboratory scientists must
have a combination of education, clinical laboratory internship and
specialized training (CHED CMO No. 14 s 2006).
Medical technologists play a very important role in the healthcare
system along with other health professionals. Clinical decision-
making affect patient care and is based largely on results of medical
laboratory tests. Up to 85% of a patient’s health record is comprised
of laboratory results. Medical technologists enable accurate, reliable
clinical diagnoses and support preventive disease management (White
Paper, 2010).
Over the years, the spectacular advancement in technology,
changing social needs, medical practices, and new attitude towards
hospitalization brought about changes in the role of medical
technologists. There is greater emphasis on quality assurance
and professional accountability. Hence, the professionals should
continually update their knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to
keep up with the constant pace of change.

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Asian Journal of Health

Educational institutions for the medical technology profession

are also affected by these changes. There is a continuous updating
of curriculum to conform with the changes in the profession while
maintaining or improving the quality of education. However, the
maintenance of high standards of academic excellence and the
production of competent graduates are two of the major problems
encountered by higher education institutions (HEIs).
With academic excellence in mind, schools submit for voluntary
accreditation as practiced today along with improving performance
in licensure examinations. The former Professional Regulation
Commissioner Hermogenes Pobre stressed that "every professional is
forged on the anvil of education; he is as competent as the kind of
education with which he is fashioned." Therefore, providing quality
education is a primordial goal of every institution.
At San Pedro College, success in licensure examination is an
important outcome measure in assessing the effectiveness of an
educational program. While San Pedro College (SPC) MT graduates
comprise most of the work force in both public and private laboratory
health facilities in Davao City, for the last five years, though the
school produced topnotchers in the Medical Technologist Licensure
Examination (MTLE) given by the PRC, it is observed that the
performance of the graduates is not consistently at par or above the
national passing percentage.
It is in this light that the researchers ventured to conduct this
investigation to find out if the type of high school the student graduated
from, the high school general average, the kind of students admitted
to the program through their Differential Aptitude Test (DAT), general
education Weighted Point Average (WPA), professional subjects WPA,
and clinical internship WPA could strongly predict the performance of
the graduates in the MTLE.

The Medical Technology Profession

Medical technology (MT) is a profession concerned with providing

information based on the performance of analytical tests on human body
substances to detect evidence of or prevent disease or impairment and
to promote and monitor good health. These laboratory measurements
and examinations provide hard scientific data used to deal with
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Determinants of Performance of Graduates in The Medical Pasia, Garzon & Bauyot
Technology Licensure Examination

problems identified by the clinical evaluation and are an essential part

of the information that contributes to the patient data base.
The Philippine Association of Medical Technologists (PAMET),
founded in 1964, is the national organization of registered Medical
technologists in the Philippines. One of its biggest achievements was
the approval of the Republic Act (R.A) 5527 entitled “ The Medical
Technology Act of 1969 “ which governs the practice of this profession
(Rabor, Navarro & Pasia, 2010).

Quality Medical Technology Education

Considering the dynamic changes in the medical technology

profession, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) through
the recommendation of the Technical Panel for Medical Technology
Education, mandated the application of CHED Memorandum Order
(CMO) No.14 s. 2006 otherwise known as “Policies, Standards,
and Guidelines for Medical Technology Education.” The medical
technologists/medical laboratory scientists must have a combination
of education, clinical laboratory internship and specialized training
(CMO No. 14 s 2006). HEIs are now engaged in reforms to improve
academic quality and operational efficiency and to enhance economic
competitiveness (International Institute for Educational Planning IIEP,
2009). In the Philippines, HEIs are under the supervision of Commission
on Higher Education (CHED). CHED recognizes schools as a Center
of Excellence or Center of Development in order to challenge HEIs
to attain the highest degree or level of standards along the areas of
instruction, research and extension.
To ensure that academic excellence is achieved, the Commission
on Higher Education (CHED) through the Technical Panel for
Medical Technology Education, PASMETH and HEIs offering Medical
Technology adopted measures to advance development of the
academic and clinical training of would-be medical technologists.

BS Medical Technology Program in San Pedro College

In keeping with the mission and vision of San Pedro College,

the institution responded to the growing demand for proficient

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Asian Journal of Health

laboratory personnel by offering the course Bachelor of Science in

Medical Technology (BSMT). This is a four-year program that aims to
provide quality education and training in the performance of clinical
laboratory procedures that aid physicians in the correct diagnosis,
treatment, and prevention of diseases. The program consists of
general education subjects and professional subjects. The general
education and core subjects are offered in the first two years while the
professional courses are offered in the third year level. The internship
program in the fourth year covers 10 months of clinical exposure in
accredited training laboratories/agencies. Sections for rotational duties
include: Clinical Chemistry, Hematology, Histopathology/Cytology,
Immunohematology, Immunology and Serology, Microbiology,
Parasitology, and Urinalysis and other Body Fluids (Clinical
Microscopy). The fourth year level also includes Seminar (Selected
Topics) and the Continuing Education Program (CEP).

Students

Student factors such as the nature of school they finished high

school, result of the college admission test, and scholastic achievement
during college could influence the success rate in the MTLE. A literature
search produced negative result regarding success indicators in the
MTLE. But there were several studies from other health professionals,
particularly in the National Council Licensure Examination for Nurses
(NCLEX), that reported the use of standardized entrance examination,
student aptitude test, and grade point average (GPA) as having
significant findings in relation to NCLEX passing rates (Crow et al.,
2004).

Faculty and Instruction

Providing quality education should be the primordial goal of every

learning institution. The World Education Forum in Dakar in 2000
emphasized the need to achieve education for all, but noticed the need
to improve the quality of education. The Forum made the following
recommendation: “Improve all aspects of the quality of education to achieve
recognized and measurable learning outcomes for all-especially in literacy,

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Determinants of Performance of Graduates in The Medical Pasia, Garzon & Bauyot
Technology Licensure Examination

numeracy and essential life skills” (Dakar Framework for Action Article
7, World Education Forum, 2000). Quality education is a result of
quality teachers and quality instruction.
CHED’s minimum requirement for teachers in HEIs should be
at least with master’s degree. This is clearly stated in Section 13 of
CHED Memo No.14 s. 2006, “A faculty member teaching licensure and
non-licensure Medical Laboratory Science subjects shall have academic
preparation appropriate to teaching assignment and should be a holder of a
Master’s degree in Medical Technology and other health related fields”. The
competence of these teachers with the degrees shall greatly influence
the learning process of students (as cited in De la Pena, Bauyot &
Galendez, 2008).
Equally significant to faculty preparation is instruction. Most
reforms and improvement strategies deal with what is going on in the
classroom. Advances in education depend largely on the qualifications
and the pedagogic and technical qualities of the individual teacher.
Particularly in MT education, teachers must master a repertoire of
instructional methods and strategies for the students to develop the
competencies adequate for the practice of MT profession.
In this light, teachers have to be continually motivated to perform
their roles faithfully and enthusiastically. Carron & Chau (1996) pointed
the importance of teacher motivation towards their jobs. One of the
main findings of a report was that teachers’ motivation was fragile and
declining. They noted “There is a strong link between teachers’ motivation
and performance, and education quality, but improving teachers’ motivation
is not uniformly prioritised as a major concern of national and international
policy-makers” (Voluntary Service Overseas, 2002). Factors that reduce
teacher’s motivation should be addressed by every learning institution
to attain success in education interventions.

Performance of the Graduates in the Board Examination

The primary objective of every professional licensure examination

is to obtain valid and reliable information as to whether examinees
possess the technical competence required for admission to the
profession. Technical competence includes technical knowledge, the
ability to apply such knowledge skillfully and with good judgment and

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Asian Journal of Health

an understanding of professional responsibility. School performance in

licensure examination is an important outcome measure in assessing
the effectiveness of an educational program. Hence, graduates of HEIs
in Medical Technology are challenged to perform in the MTLE at par
with the national passing percentage. Graduates of an institution with
a high passing percentage are regarded as highly competent because
of the kind of education they get from the institution (de la Peña et al.,
2007).
HEIs with performance which is not consistently at par with the
national percentage should look into factors that would predict the
performance in MTLE, thus, the necessity to do this study.

FRAMEWORK

This study employed the systems approach in evaluating the MT

education program in San Pedro College.
School as an organization is a system. A system is a set of things
that affect one another within an environment and form a larger
pattern that is different from any of the parts (Schwaninger, 2000).
System theory is a way of viewing school as a learning organization
(Lurenburg & Ornstein, 2004).
The fundamental systems-interactive paradigm of organizational
analysis features the continual stages of input; throughput (processing);
output, which demonstrate the concept of openness/closedness;
feedback; and, environment (Littlejohn, 2001).
Figure 1 depicts the paradigm of the study, which is premised on
the assumption that the type of high school the student graduated
from, the high school general average, general education WPA,
professional subjects WPA, clinical internship WPA, and overall
WPA of the Medical Technology graduates contribute to their board
examination performance.
The relationship that exists between the input and output variables
identified is also affected by the teaching-learning process that takes
place in classroom instruction, teaching-learning practices and how
they put into practice the theoretical foundation during internship. The
graduates’ performance in the MTLE will give feedback which among
them is a strong predictor in the board exam and how efficiently the
processes are implemented.
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Determinants of Performance of Graduates in The Medical Pasia, Garzon & Bauyot
Technology Licensure Examination

Figure 1. Paradigm of the study

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The study determined the predictors of performance of the

graduates of the medical technologist licensure examinations of San
Pedro College, Davao City, Philippines.

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Asian Journal of Health

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This institutional research employs mixed-methods research

design which combines the collection and analysis of quantitative
and qualitative data within one or more of, or across, the stages
of the research process. Qualitative data were obtained through
questionnaires and focus group discussion to gather an in-depth
understanding on the experiences of the respondents while in
San Pedro College. Quantitative data were provided by PRC, the
school’s Guidance Center, and the registrar’s office following ethical
considerations. A non-probability sampling was used with 304 medical
technology graduates distributed according to the year of graduation
from 2005-2009. Each of the subjects should have taken the licensure
examination on the same year as their graduation, that is, they should
have graduated March and have taken the board examination on
September of the year they graduated regardless of whether the former
passed or failed. Analysis was done using frequency and percentages,
mean and standard deviation, Pearson r and multiple regression.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

1. Profile of Graduates' Performance in the MTLE

Table 1 reveals the result of the MTLE for the last five years from
year 2005 to 2009. It can be observed that graduates of years 2006
and 2007 performed below the passing rate (75%), 70.876 and 74.133
respectively. Graduates of 2005, 2008, and 2009 performed slightly
higher than the passing rate. The result further shows that generally
students for the last five years performed slightly lower than the usual
passing mark of 75% with a mean score of 74.3824%. Close examination
of the mean performance by year of graduation suggests that elements
of the BSMT program need to be improved and strengthened.

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Determinants of Performance of Graduates in The Medical Pasia, Garzon & Bauyot
Technology Licensure Examination

Table 1. Profile of graduates in terms of performance in the MTLE

Year of Graduation N Mean Standard Deviation

2009 53 75.08* 5.750

2008 38 76.38* 6.233

2007 33 74.13 6.985

2006 79 70.88 8.272

2005 101 75.45* 5.947

Total 304 74.38 6.6374

*Above the passing mark 75%.

2. Profile of Students

A. Type of Secondary School

Table 2 shows that 75% of the students admitted in the BSMT

program completed their secondary education in private schools while
25% are products of public schools.

Table 2. Profile of graduates' type

of high school graduated

Type of Secondary School

Year of Graduation Total
Private Public
(f) (f)
2009 38 15 53
2008 28 10 38
2007 25 8 33
2006 58 21 79
2005 78 23 101
Total 227 (75%) 77 (25%) 304

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Asian Journal of Health

B. Differential Aptitude Test (DAT)

Table 3 reveals that students performed from disadvantaged to

superior in the DAT. Of the total examinees, 54.50% have average
performance, 17.24% high average, 13.10% low average, 7.93% above
average, superior and disadvantaged both with 1.03%.

Table 3. Profile of graduates' in terms

of Differential Aptitude Test

Score Description F Percentage

268-up Excellent 0 0

244-267 Superior 3 1.03

220-243 Above average 23 7.93

196-219 High average 50 17.24

148-195 Average 158 54.50

124-147 Low Average 38 13.10

100-123 Below Average 15 5.17

99- below Disadvantaged 3 1.03

Source: SPC Guidance and Testing Center

In relation to Table 3, Table 4 shows that generally, the students’

performance was average with a mean score of 172.3. It can be observed
in the table, however, that the graduates of 2005 (who entered in
2001) had the highest performance with a mean score of 180.45. The
graduates of 2007 (who entered in 2003) performed the lowest with a
mean score of 155.74.

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Determinants of Performance of Graduates in The Medical Pasia, Garzon & Bauyot
Technology Licensure Examination

Table 4. Level of performance of graduates' in terms

of Differential Aptitude Test

Year of Graduation Mean SDa Description

2009 175.56 34.23 Average

2008 176.21 37.67 Average

2007 155.74 41.67 Average

2006 173.54 31.38 Average

2005 180.45 28.19 Average

Total 172.30 9.5931 Average

Source: SPC Guidance and Testing Center

C. High School General Average

Table 5 shows that the graduates generally performed good from

the schools where they completed their secondary education with a
mean quantitative equivalent of 88.89.

Table 5. Profile of graduates' high school general average

Year of Graduation Mean SDa Description

2009 88.76 4.31 Good

2008 89.44 3.31 Good

2007 88.47 3.25 Good

2006 88.74 3.15 Good

2005 89.03 3.31 Good

Total 88.89 0.37 Good

Source: SPC Registrar’s Office

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Asian Journal of Health

D. General Education Weighted Point Average (WPA)

Table 6 reveals that, using the usual description on how students

performed in the class based on WPA, students generally performed
good with a quantitative equivalent of 86.77. Graduates of 2006 and
2007 performed the lowest with a mean WPA of 85.79 and 85.97,
respectively, which seem to be consistent with their batch performance
in the MTLE (Table 1) which is below the passing mark of 75%.

Table 6. Profile of graduates' Weighted Point Average

performance in general education subjects

Year of Graduation Mean SDa Description

2009 87.60 3.04 Good

2008 86.91 4.06 Good
2007 85.97 3.50 Good
2006 85.79 3.36 Good
2005 87.59 3.16 Good

Total 86.77 0.87 Good

Source: SPC Registrar’s Office

Table 7 shows that students performed fairly with a mean WPA of

83.93 in the professional subjects in Medical Technology.

Table 7. Profile of graduates' performance in medical

technology professional subjects

Year of Graduation Mean SDa Description

2009 84.10 3.08 Fair

2008 84.70 3.77 Fair

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Determinants of Performance of Graduates in The Medical Pasia, Garzon & Bauyot
Technology Licensure Examination

Continuation of Table 7

2007 83.34 2.99 Fair

2006 83.95 4.08 Fair
2005 83.56 3.15 Fair
Total 83.93 0.52 Fair

Source: SPC Registrar’s Office

Table 8 reveals that students performed fairly with a mean score

of 82.70 in their clinical internship. It can be gleaned from the table
that graduates of 2006 with the lowest internship grade of 81.01 also
performed the lowest in the MTLE with a mean rating of 70.88 (Table
1).

Table 8. Profile of graduates in terms of performance in internship

Year of Graduation Mean SDa Description

2009 82.97 3.09 Fair

2008 83.63 6.63 Fair
2007 82.36 3.33 Fair
2006 81.01 3.46 Fair
2005 83.51 2.98 Fair
Total 82.70 1.07 Fair

Source: SPC Registrar’s Office

E. Correlational analysis between the perceived factors and

MTLE

Table 9 shows a correlational analysis of the MTLE with the

type of high school the student graduated from, the high school
general average, Differential Aptitude Test, General Education WPA,
Professional Subject WPA, Internship WPA, and Overall WPA. The
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Asian Journal of Health

factors with marked moderate correlation to MTLE include general

education WPA, professional subject WPA, internship WPA, and
over all WPA with internship WPA having the highest coefficient of
correlation of .540. Further analysis using stepwise regression model
shows that internship WPA is the best predictor for passing the MTLE.
It can also be observed that both DAT and high school general average
showed low correlation to MTLE with a coefficient of correlation of
-0.227 and 0.246, respectively.

Table 9. Pearson correlation between the independent

variables and the MTLE

Variables Correlated r-value p-value Interpretation

with MTLE

Nature of School .175 .002 Significant (Negligible correlation)

HS GA .246 .000 Significant (Low correlation)

DAT -.227 .000 Significant (Low correlation)

Gen Ed WPA .434 .000 Significant (Moderate correlation)

Prof Subj WPA .460 .000 Significant (Moderate correlation)

Internship WPA .540 .000 Significant (Moderate correlation)

Over all WPA .505 .000 Significant (Moderate correlation)

Level of significance (α) = 0.05

The clinical application of theories during internship deepens

the students’ knowledge and understanding. Along with clinical
duties, continuing education program (CEP), a unique feature of the
SPC internship program, is given. It aims to reinforce the learning
experience of the students and prepare them for the eventual licensure
examination. Students find this very helpful as it serves as an early
review for the MTLE. However, the graduates revealed that there is
no difference as to teaching style and content when CEP is handled
by the same teacher as in their third year subject. They also revealed
that the examinations given were still highly knowledge-based and
less commonly higher order thinking skills.

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Determinants of Performance of Graduates in The Medical Pasia, Garzon & Bauyot
Technology Licensure Examination

Research shows there’s a link between critical thinking skills and

increased student achievement in the classroom. In his study of test
scores, Harold Wenglinsky (2000, 2003) found that teaching critical
thinking is associated with higher test scores. Students learn concepts
and then attempt to apply them to various problems, or they solve
problems and then learn the concepts that underlie the solutions.
Therefore, instruction emphasizing advanced reasoning skills
promotes high student performance (Wenglingsky, 2000).
It is important to note that DAT in this investigation showed a
negative low correlation to the performance of the graduates in the
MTLE. This is contrary to the results of many local and international
studies that aptitude tests are good predictors of the performance of
the graduates in licensure and state board examinations (de la Peñaet
al., 2007; Donnon, Younger & Grap, 1992; Donnon, Paolucci, & Violato,
2007; Manasse, Purohit, Blake & Barnes, 1980). This seems to suggest
that higher DAT does not guarantee students will perform better in the
MTLE. Higher DAT is currently one of the bases of admission to the
BSMT program of the college.
A bench marking was done in one of the country’s top performing
schools in the MTLE. This school implements “open admission”,
where students range from disadvantaged to superior. However, the
institution imposes a strict system of promotion to higher level. Their
high MTLE performance is attributed to strengthened instruction and
“team teaching” system of handling major board subjects. Similarly,
SPC’s Nursing department, one of the country’s top performing schools
implement “team teaching” in their board subjects. Only recently did
some faculty members of the BSMT/Laboratory Science department
adapted team teaching.

3. The Faculty from 2005 to 2009

A. Profile of Educational Attainment of the Faculty from 2005 to

2009
Table 10 shows that in AY 2005-2006 and AY 2006-2007 around 80%
of the faculty are already enrolled or about to finish their respective
MS/MA studies. In AY 2008-2009, 40% are graduates of MS in Medical
Technology, 30% MA in Science Teaching Major in Biology, and 10%

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Asian Journal of Health

MS in Biology. In the same year, a Medical Doctor was hired to serve

as a full-time dean.

Table 10. Profile of educational attainment of the

faculty from 2005 to 2009

Degree Earned AY 2005- AY 2006- AY 2007- AY 2008-

2006 2007 2008 2009

f % F % F % F %

BSMT 1 7.69 1 9.1 1 9.1 1 10

MSMT - - - - 2 18.18 4 40

MAST-Bio - - - - - - 3 30
MSBio - - - - - - 1 10
MPH 1 7.69 - - - - - -
Faculty enrolled in
MSMT
MA/MS 4 30.77 4 36.36 2 18.18 - -
in related 7 53.85 6 54.54 6 54.54 - -
fields

MD - - - - - - 1 10

TOTAL 13 100 11 100 11 100 10 100

Source: Human Resource and Development Office

B. Students’ Evaluation

Table 11 shows that from SY 2004 – 2005, faculty members of the

department were evaluated either excellent or very good.

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Determinants of Performance of Graduates in The Medical Pasia, Garzon & Bauyot
Technology Licensure Examination

Table 11. Profile of faculty in terms of students’ evaluation

Faculty 2004 2005 2006

Prof. A E E E
Prof. B VG VG VG
Prof. C VG VG E
Prof. D VG VG VG
Prof. E VG E VG
Prof. F VG E E
Prof. G VG VG VG
Prof. H VG VG VG
Prof. I VG E VG
Prof. J - G VG
Prof. K G - -
Prof. L VG E E
Prof. M VG VG -

Based on the students’ evaluation of the faculty handling the

subjects both in third year and in fourth year (Continuing Education
Program), all teachers were evaluated either very good or excellent.
This suggests that teachers possess competence in the subjects they
handle. However, focus-group discussion (FGD) on students who are
repeaters, first time passers, and topnotchers revealed they found it
difficult to understand and appreciate certain subjects because of the
way their teachers present the topics.
Despite the problems the students experienced from their teachers
as to teaching style, instruction, and even content, teachers are still
evaluated either “very good” or “excellent”. Some respondents related
that when they evaluate, they remember how they were treated by
the teacher. Teachers who give so much input with lesser enjoyable
activities become unpopular and less appreciated. This response seem
to corroborate the findings of a study that teachers who smile, laugh,
have a sense of humour, are active, enthusiastic, dramatic, and easy to
be with are highly regarded by students (Trim, 2007).

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Asian Journal of Health

Effective teaching is perceived as personal characteristics of the

instructors: demonstrating concern for students, valuing student
opinions, clarity in communication, and openness to varied opinions
(Spencer and Schmelkin, 2002). A study by Goe (2007) supports this
finding. Teacher qualities exist independently of the actual act of
learning, and teachers who display more concern gain favourably high
regard among the students.
It appears that a “very good” or “excellent” evaluation reflects
more of the teacher’s personal characteristics or qualities rather than
professional competencies. Depending on how the students’ evaluation
impact on the teacher, this may be used to improve the quality of
instruction by ensuring accountability for classroom and performance
or become complacent in their teaching styles with the belief that they
are effective teachers.
Performance evaluation serves as formative and summative
evaluations used in an official capacity by administrators and faculty
for one or more of the following purposes: (a) to facilitate curricular
decisions (i.e., improve teaching effectiveness); (b) to formulate
personnel decisions related to tenure, promotion, merit pay, and
subject loads (Gray & Bergmann, 2003; Marsh & Roche, 1993; Seldin,
1999).
Therefore, the tool used for evaluating teachers must be reviewed
to achieve the goals and objectives defined in the vision, mission,
and goals of the institution so as to provide a basis for instructional
improvement through productive teacher appraisal and professional
growth.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This study concludes that from among the presumed factors that
predict the performance of the graduates in MTLE, Clinical Internship
Weighted Point Average is the best predictor for passing the MTLE.
Conducting consultations from alumni, faculty, students, health
facilities and other stakeholders on improving and strengthening
the internship program of the college may impact on the graduates’
performance in the MTLE. It is a challenge for the institution on how
to make the internship program more relevant to the interns with

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Determinants of Performance of Graduates in The Medical Pasia, Garzon & Bauyot
Technology Licensure Examination

the reduction of clinical exposure to only 6 months from the usual 10

months training with the application of the new Bachelor in Medical
Laboratory Science curriculum.
To further strengthen the Medical Technology Department,
programs to enhance the faculty’s teaching performance, faculty
development seminar should be continually provided like test
construction, proper use of educational technology and teaching
strategies for MedTech discipline. The department should consider
the possibility of team teaching to provide flexibility in giving teaching
assignments to the faculty. A regular and periodic evaluation of faculty
by students, peers, and supervisors to ensure complete evaluation
results should be conducted to monitor the teachers’ performance
inside the classroom. Improving the tool for evaluation seemed
relevant. The department should consider doing graduate tracer
studies to determine employability of graduates among others.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This institutional research would not have been made possible

without the financial and moral support of the administration, the
Medical Technology Department, faculty, alumni, Registrar’s Office,
and Guidance Center of San Pedro College, Davao City.

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Asian Journal of Health

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