Pinning Ceremony of Medical Technologist

My Speech @ Lyceum of the Philippines, Cavite for the First Cloaking and Pinning Ceremony of B.S.Pharmacy and B.S.Medical Technology (December 7, 2016)

Good evening to all of us who are gathered here this evening for the pinning ceremony of the Medical Technologist of the Lyceum of the Philippines Cavite.

To the LPU Officials, President, Vice-President, Dean, Faculty members, parents, guardians and friends, it is of great honor and pride to be invited here as your guest speaker for this extra-ordinary event that you are giving to your students. Thank you!

For the Medical technology students: It is a privilege for you to have this kind of ceremony since we all know that this occasion is primarily done on Nursing profession to commemorate the contribution of Florence Nightingale, the founder of Modern Nursing. This event was given to you by your university to give honor for your upcoming dedication and service to the community, whole nation, most especially to your patients.

The word commencement (Etymology: (Commencier) Old French; (Commence) English) means beginning or start, and this pin symbolizes your passage entry to your journey on becoming a Professional Medical Technologist in the near future.

How to become a successful medical technologist? Well, upto now, I am still asking that same question to myself. I still consider myself as half-way there. At this point, I am still uncertain, unsure and don’t know where to go. When I was at the age of 27, I decided to pursue my childhood dream to become a teacher. I enrolled on a master’s degree and at the same time applied teaching on a school of medical technology. God’s timing is so perfect! He gave me an ample time to expose myself in the hospital laboratory practicing my profession as a medical technologist before he granted my prayers to enter the academe. Now, I teach not only by-the-book (theoretically), but as well as what is being done on the real scenario in the hospital (practical set-up).

I am now an educator for about three (3) years and that is what I really wanted to be. That was my dream, to contribute in the field of medical science by sharing the knowledge that I acquired from my profession.

One of the greatest thing that I have is my license. I am a Registered Medical Technologist. It’s been a long time since I did not do my routine work in the hospital. But I am very sure that if someone would give me a syringe right now, I can perfectly extract blood. If I peek into the microscope to analyze the urine sample, I can still recognize the different cells such as Red Blood Cells and White Blood Cells, Microorganisms like yeast cells, bacteria and parasites and as well as other sediments that can be found on that sample.

What I am trying to say is that, paikot-ikutin nyo man ako, patiwarikin, papikitin, lasingin, iwan, saktan, at tanungin kung ano ang gagawin, basta tungkol sa Medical Technologist, alam ko, I have an idea. Because that is what I have studied, that is what I have vowed to do, that is where I dedicated my life. I have my license and you can’t take it away from me, as long as I work ethically, professionally and within the bounds of law.

Are you ready? Are you prepared?

A quotation by Alexander Graham Bell (the Father of telephone) says: “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”

May I ask to take a look at yourself, you are already on your third year level taking up the major subjects or the professional board exam subjects. These subjects that you live with, eat, sleep and breathe everyday, and for most of the time, you fight for, cry for, but still your love for the course is eternal, it never dies. A message from the former secretary of health, Francisco T. Duque III reminds us that challenges and barriers are inevitable. Take them as occasions to be more steadfast in our ideals, flapping our wings stronger and soaring to higher grounds just like eagles do when faced with storms.

How many times did your heart break because of numerous failures on quizzes, practicals and examinations.

“Ang grade mo ba ay parang coke?
Kung hindi sakto, laging zero?”

Don’t worry, “Failure is just temporary. The only thing that should be permanent is your will to overcome it.” There will be more failures that will come your way, but don’t take it as a hindrance, see those instances as an opportunity to polish yourself.

“Aim above the mark, to hit the mark.” It means that you have to exert more effort, unleash your full potential and bring out all the best in you! If you did not make it today, life would always offer you a second chance, and its called –tomorrow. You never know what tomorrow will bring so don’t lose hope. If you are at lost, go back and find the reason why are you here? Why are you doing this? Why do you need to finish this course? What was your dream? What was your goal? And then keep on trying until you reach your goal, until you find the answers to these questions.

Question: How can you predict your future?
Answer: Create it!

Medtech is a noble profession. It is not an easy journey. I know it, because I’ve been there! Let me narrate the story of a medical technologist as I compare it with what we usually do which is collecting blood or the venipuncture:

First you need to assemble your materials. As much as this university equips their students both in mind and character to impact the world inspired by the ideals of the founder: President Jose P. Laurel, thus, you are expected to have the good qualities and attitude of an individual who truly represents a Lycean graduate. Always be prepared.

A phlebotomist should have a tourniquet to apply pressure on the arm to be able to palpate the venipuncture site. That is what we also do to ourselves, just like a precious diamond, we are subjected to extreme pressure in order to reveal the true beauty of what lies beneath us: Cut, polished and shined!

We don’t just transfer blood in any test tube or container, rather, we know the appropriate anticoagulant designated for each laboratory tests. These anticoagulants are used to prevent the formation of blood clots for us to be able to characterize the composition of blood in our patients and be able to analyze the possible cause of disease.

In life, we should also be able to identify what seems to block our road to success: Family problem? Dorm or House issue? Long travel time from school to your home? Peer-pressure? Availability of Resources like Books? We should determine the probable cause of our failures, just like in microbiology, it is our job to be able to identify the causative agent of the disease, thru its morphology, staining characteristics, culture appearance, motility and biochemical reactions, then would be able to apply the drug of choice and prevent the spread of disease.

If you are already sure of the venipuncture site, apply the antiseptic to prevent contamination on our sample. As a medical technologist, it is our responsibility to promote and safeguard the health of our people. In our workplace, we prioritize the safety of our personnel. While you study, you should eliminate the contaminants on your surroundings to focus on getting higher grades.

Assure that you insert the needle with full confidence and determination. You should whole-heartedly enter this medtech course, not half-baked, or else just like in phlebotomy, you can be facing a lot of complications as you take up this course you can experience: pain and damage, hematoma, syncope (or mental blockout) and fainting, excessive bleeding, edema and thrombus!

Submitting yourself into this profession should be of pure heart and intention, it is a mission where you would dedicate your life in the service of giving a precise and accurate result for the proper diagnosis and treatment of our patients.

As the blood enters the hub, it marks that you have already hit the vein. Carefully pull the plunger so that it could fill the body of the syringe. Feed your mind. Education is the key to the progress of life. Embrace the knowledge that you acquire and keep going. (Continuing Professional Development 45 unit: Seminar, Masteral Degree, Journal Article, Research) (RA 10912 Signed by Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III)

We have learned from the early writing of Ebers Papyrus on the time of Vivian Herrick in 1550 B.C. and upto this modern time, the 21st century. Technology is evolving and so with our profession. We innovate ways to improve the diagnosis of our patients. Before we taste-test urine samples to determine the sugar content and now we have standardized our testing and screening with the plethora of technological breakthroughs and automation for accurate and precise determination of medical conditions and curing illnesses. We have constantly explore scientific researches and studies to further improve the technology for health and wellness of mankind.

After the successful blood collection, remove the needle and apply cotton and micropore tape to help the closure of the puncture site. Transfer the blood on the designated tubes and label the specimen. At this point, I would like to describe a successful medical Technologist as both the syringe and the tube. We should be the barrels of the syringe that is filled up with blood so as to transfer the content from the barrel to the tube. This just reflects the virtue stated on 1995 Revised PAMET code of Ethics that MT Professionals should share our knowledge and expertise with our colleagues. Just as the test tube container is being filled with the fresh sample, we should also fill ourselves with new knowledge with regards to the advancement of our profession.

Lastly, acknowledge your patients by thanking their cooperation for the ease of your work. Express your gratitude to all the persons who made you to become who you are today. Your parents: (I believe, Isa sila sa mga napabilang sa mga kauna-unahan mong pinagpraktisan na pasyente.) They were the first person to believe and trust in you. They prepared you on how to face the complex world of tomorrow. They are the ones who sincerely tell you that you can make it! You can be successful!

(Let’s give around of applause to our parents) Thank you mom & dad for a job well done! You have done a lot, You have done everything, but all we can offer are little things to bring back the love and to express how much we thank you for being here on our journey.

Your second parents: the professors, coaches, mentors and the entire employee for their dedication to work together hand-in-hand to be able to achieve the vision and mission of this university. May they always continue to be the source of inspiration for our new generations.

Together with the founder of Lyceum of the Philippines and the guiding principle of his life, may you continue to live your life with purpose and meaning of this University’s motto: “Veritas et Fortitudo”, “Pro Deo et Patria.”

May you have an insightful and meaningful celebration. Congratulations!

-Reymund M. Mabbagu, RMT
Fulltime Lecturer
Far Eastern University-Manila
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Medical Technology Department