Samar native Salvador Cabrigas Sampayan Jr wanted to take the medical technologist licensure exam (MTLE) right after he graduated from Cebu’s Southwestern University PHINMA, but he only managed to do this two years later.
Despite personal and health problems – and amid the COVID-19 pandemic – Sampayan placed 6th in the January 2021 MTLE with a score of 89.50%. He was also the sole topnotcher from a Cebu-based college.
The results released on Monday, February 8, showed that 1,919 out of 2,835 exam-takers passed the MTLE.
‘Prince of Delays’
Calling himself the “Prince of Delays,” Sampayan encountered several hindrances to passing the MTLE – a stepping stone to his ultimate dream of becoming a doctor.
Originally from Samar, Sampayan moved to Cebu to study under a medical technology scholarship at Southwestern University PHINMA, where he graduated magna cum laude and received several other academic and student leadership honors in April 2019.
The journey was not entirely smooth-sailing for the Samar native, who struggled to maintain the scholarship’s required grade point average. He eventually lost his scholarship. Caught in the middle of family and financial struggles, Sampayan managed to get a Commission on Higher Education (CHED) scholarship to continue his education.
Sampayan was adamant in taking the MTLE in September 2019 and get a high enough ranking that will help secure him a medical scholarship.
Unfortunately, he was forced to put off the exam when he was diagnosed with diverticulitis – he developed small pouches in his colon walls. He also had to undergo dental surgery for an acute irreversible pulpitis, an infection that develops at the root of a tooth.
More than a year later, Sampayan was once again forced to put off taking the MTLE in March 2020 when it was postponed due to the pandemic.
Sampayan said that he was “caught off-guard” when it was announced that the MTLE will instead be held in January 2021 after several postponements throughout the pandemic. While he said he felt he wasn’t ready when he took the exam earlier this year, he also admitted that he had long hoped to be in the top 10 of the MTLE passers.
“I honestly wasn’t even looking for my name in the list of topnotchers because I really found the exam very hard,” he said, adding that he prayed as he searched for his name in the list of passers.
Worth the wait
Sampayan said that he persevered so that can achieve his ultimate dream of becoming a doctor. Because of his high ranking in the 2021 MTLE, he got a medical school scholarship at the Southwestern University PHINMA.
With medical school starting in August, Sampayan said that he intends to work as a part-time instructor at his alma mater and as a review center lecturer to “give back and share my knowledge.”
To aspiring medical technologists, Sampayan offered this advice: “Your dreams are always valid especially if they don’t jeopardize the people around you. Do not limit yourself based on the standards established by society!”
He also urged others to stay strong in pursuing their dream despite the setbacks that they may face.
“To those people who have experienced several delays, always remember that real success is not based on the timeline made by society. We have different pacing as we go through our own journeys…. Just focus on your lane and stop comparing your progress with others. Clap for them in their success, and when the time is right, you’ll be the one that they’ll be clapping for,” he said.
Southwestern University PHINMA was ranked as the 3rd best-performing school at the 2021 MTLE, with a first-timer passing rate of 94.12% and an overall passing rate of 89.09%. – Rappler.com