Winners of the Health Economics Essay Contest

The voting poll has closed and here are the official results of the contest. But before I announce it, I would like to thank all the “fans” and people who have voted for their favorite essay/s. It was indeed a successful activity based on the turn- out of 1,856 voters..  

The essays are all great!

In fact, one voter from the US said that it was difficult to select the BEST because all of them are good. But, as always, there will have to be a winner. 

So the winners are:

FIRST PRIZE, WITH TOTAL VOTES OF 775, AND TO RECEIVE P1, 000 is …drum roll please… GINA P. AYSON OF MT2C.

SECOND PRIZE, WITH TOTAL VOTES OF 611, AND TO RECEIVE P500 is…drum roll… JENNIFER Z. MANESE OF MT2C.

THIRD PRIZE, WITH TOTAL VOTES OF 229, AND TO RECEIVE P300 is…drum roll…
MA. ANTONETTE ALEXIS ANCHETA OF MT2C

FOR THE REST OF THE PARTICIPANTS, A TOKEN WILL BE GIVEN AS WELL.

LIST OF ENTRIES

ESSAY NUMBER	NAME
1	Angela Aninang
2	Julie Ann O.Reyes
3	Jenny Anne M.Galang
4	Federico Webster P. Magcalas
5	Ma. Antonette Alexis D. Ancheta
6	Candice Marie Regala
7	Jennifer Z. Manese
8	Lorelei Anne Bollenbach
9	Gina P. Ayson
10	Justin B. Yumul
11	Jenica Irish S. Capuno
12	Camille Santos
13	Judea G.Gonzales
14	Lara Enriquez

YOU CAN CLAIM YOUR PRIZES ON APRIL 3, 2011 AT THE MT LAB FROM 1 TO 5 PM.

CONGRATULATIONS GUYS. Keep writing and expressing your thoughts. Being in the health allied professions does not indicate non-creativity. Be ingenious and let the muse always dwell in your hearts.

THE NEXT CONTEST WILL BE IN PHOTOGRAPHY!

GREAT PRIZES ARE AT STAKE, WATCH OUT FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RULES AND CRITERIA.

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The Secrets to Marrying the Man of Your Dreams

Kevin Costner
Image Credit: . fastcompany.com

What is the secret to marrying the man of your dreams? Is it possible for every girl to marry the man of her dreams? Read on.

He comes in his shining armor and sweeps you off your feet. You are breathless and ecstatic. Then you woke up. You realize that THAT kind of man is the man of your dreams. You vow to look for him up to the ends of the earth - THE MAN OF YOUR DREAMS!

Who wouldn't want to marry the "man of her dreams?" Surely, you would want to. But oftentimes, this does not happen as the "man of your dreams" is based on a character who is perfect in every way. You shape him based on your perception of what is ideal and of what makes up a good husband.

These unrealistic expectations; however, would lead to frustrations and heartaches as you would eventually come to realize that no one is perfect. You end up marrying not the "man of your dreams" but someone else who would come nearest to the mark that you have set. What is the secret to marrying the man of your dreams?

Take the case of Elisa. She had a dream (just like you did) that one day her knight in shining armor would come and whisk dher away from the humdrum of daily life.

In her mind her dream man was tall, dark and handsome; a man who has a good sense of humor; who could outwit anyone in debates and who would be sweet and thoughtful. This was a perfect picture; Indeed, someone came along, he was tall dark and handsome, had an IQ above average, but sadly, he had no sense of humor.

Elisa decided he did not meet her criteria so she moved on and went on looking for her dream man. Days passed, months and then years and Elisa met men, who in one way or another had fulfilled some of her criteria, but there was always something that each of them lack. In the end, she remained alone and lonely for no one had come close to meeting the stringent “requirements” she had set.

Amanda on the other hand, had only three criteria in her mind, that the man of her dreams loved her in return and that he should be kind and true.

She was able to marry the man of her dreams and even much more. Her husband loved her to death, was kind and gentle and stayed true to their marriage vows. Not only that, she discovered that her man had a great sense of humor and was intelligent and generous.

What do these two cases tell us? That the criteria you set for your dream man should be based on reality; the reality that no one is perfect. How could you expect someone perfect when you, yourself are not perfect?
Oftentimes they call him a "dream man" precisely, because he could only be a reality in a woman's dream, the elusive perfect man that every woman wished she could marry. And when you have a list of the criteria in your hands and go through life based on those criteria of your dream man, almost always, you would end up frustrated.

This is because men are not "made to order" creations. Each man is unique in his own way and you have to set your standards based on this stark reality. If you set your criteria within this truth then you will end up marrying your dream man.

Love should only be the major basis of marrying a man; and not because of some impossible "dream man" criteria that you have set for him to fulfill. Loving someone makes him your dream man and therefore, you'll end up marrying the man of your dreams.

Would you like to marry the man of your dreams? It is possible, but the secret to marrying the man of your dreams is to stop looking for him.

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Pointers in Preparing a Table of Specifications

In preparing for a Table of Specifications in any subject, you must remember that the following pointers to make it more reliable.

1.      Table of Specifications vary from one topic to another. The percentage weight of each topic will be based on the importance of the topic or upon the course requirements, or the academic requirements of the subject.

2.      Remember to categorize your questions into, easy, average and difficult. You can prepare an item analysis every time you conduct an exam, so that you can have a data to base on your future analyses. This is also one basis of your Table of Specifications.

3.      Ensure that students are given enough time to answer per question. Usually an objective question needs 1 minute, while a problem solving can spend from 3 to 5 minutes.  

4.      Take some course in test construction to be able to prepare correct and reliable questions that would effectively measure your students acquired knowledge.

These are some of the pointers in preparing your Table of Specifications; you can review samples of a Table of Specifications in Physiology and Table of Specifications in Clinical Chemistry.  

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Pointers on How to Cook Papaitan.

These are pointers on how to cook papaitan.

1. It is tastier if you marinate the meat with pineapple juice overnight.
2. Cook the meat thoroughly to prevent infection coming from harmful microorganisms.
3. Wash the meat thoroughly, to prevent contamination.
3. Serve hot to bring out the best delicious taste.
4, Adding some pepper would make it more delectable.
5. Goat meat is the best meat for papaitan,

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Sample Table of Specifications for Multiple Choice Exams in Medical School

Sample Table of Specifications for Multiple Choice Exams in Medical School

To prepare a multiple choice exam or test you have to know the percentages of the topics depending on their importance to the subject and the hours spent in their discussion.

Let’s say you are preparing an exam for the prelim period, for your subject in Human Physiology in medical school; here are steps you can adapt.

1.       Assign the percentage per topic based on the course requirement:

Intro to human physiology – 10%

The human body- 15%

The muscular system -25%

The skeletal system -25%

The cardiovascular system -25%

TOTAL = 100%

N.B. You can adjust the percentages according to your syllabus or academic requirements.

2.       Decide on how many items the test should be. Let’s say you have decided that the items for your Prelim exam are 150. The time allotted should at least be 2 hours for this exam, if 1 minute per question and 3 minutes per problem is assigned.

3.       Present your data in a table of specifications for clarity.

TOPIC	NO. OF ITEMS	PERCENTAGE
Intro to Physiology		10
The Human Body		15
The Muscular System		25
The Skeletal System		25
The Cardiovascular system		25
TOTAL		100%

4.       Solve for the number of items of each topic by multiplying the percentage-decimal equivalent with the total number of items.

Intro to Physiology = 0.10 (10%) X 150 = 15 items

The Human Body = 0.15 (15%) X 150 = 22.50 items

The Muscular System = 0.25 (25%) X 150 = 37.50 items

The Skeletal System = 0.25 (25%) X 150 =37.50 items

The Cardiovascular System = 0.25 (25%) X 150 = 37.50 items

For a total of 150 items. Since there are no 0.5 questions, you may decide to which topic you would assign the 1 item excess.

Let’s say you have the final items assigned:

Intro to Physiology = 0.10 X 150 = 15 items

The Human Body = 0.15 X 150 = 23 items

The Muscular System = 0.25 X 150 = 37 items

The Skeletal System = 0.25 X 150 =37 items

The Cardiovascular System = 0.25 X 150 = 38 items

You come up with this table

TOPIC	NO. OF ITEMS	PERCENTAGE
Intro to Physiology	15	10
The Human Body	23	15
The Muscular System	37	25
The Skeletal System	37	25
The Cardiovascular system	38	25
TOTAL	150	100%

5.       This is the simplest form of preparing for a table of specifications. You may want to be more specific and prepare a more detailed table assigning easy, average and difficult questions. The average questions should at least be 80% of your exams, while the easy at least 20% and the difficult, at least 15 %. This is recommended but the final decision still relies on the subject per se, and the learning ability of your students.

TOPIC	Easy qsns.	Average qsns.	Difficult qsns.	NO. OF ITEMS	PERCENTAGE
Intro to Physiology	3	10	2	15	10
The Human Body	4	16	3	23	15
The Muscular System	5	28	4	37	25
The Skeletal System	5	28	4	37	25
The Cardiovascular system	5	28	4	38	25
TOTAL	22	111	17	150	100%

6.       You should be able to determine which questions are easy, average and difficult based on an item analysis that you have done in previous exams. This is an analysis of what questions were answered easily and correctly and which ones were difficult for the students. There are available software for item analysis that maybe available from your school or you could prepare one yourself through the semesters that you teach the subject.

Preparing a Table of Specifications is an efficient and smart way to prepare your exams.

 
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Table of Specifications: Sample Topics for Exams

 

Sample Table of Specifications

Clinical Chemistry 1 subject – Prelim Exams

Topic	Identification	Multiple Choice	Problem Solving	Number of Items	Percentage
Intro to Clinical Chemistry	2	10	0	12	10
Laboratory Mathematics	2	14	20	36	30
Carbohydrates	3	33	0	36	30
Lipids	3	33	0	36	30
Total No. of Items	10	90	20	120	100%

DECIDE THE NUMBER OF ITEMS FOR YOUR EXAM, BASED ON THE HOURS AVAILABLE.

1.       You assign the percentage according to the importance of the topic to your subject, or you can also refer to the required weight of the topic by your school or accrediting institution.

2.      

           Decide on the total number of items for the exam depending on the number of hours assigned.

3.     

            At least 1 minute is given for easy questions and 3-5 minutes for difficult questions. In case analyses, you may want to increase the time.

4.    

             Based on your total items, you now get the number of items for each topic simply by multiplying the total score with the percentage. Below is the computation for this Table of Specifications.

How to solve the number of items for your Table of Specifications.

Introduction to clinical chemistry = 120 X 0.10 (10%) = 12 items

Laboratory Mathematics = 120 X 0.30 = 36 items

Carbohydrates = 120 X 0.30 = 36 items

Lipids = 120 X 0.30 =36 items

Total number of items = 120

Assign now the specific type of test for the items. As the instructor, you would know what type of test could effectively test the knowledge of your students with the different topics. Your Table of Specifications should reflect which topics are vital to your course.

1.      

      In this example, the Introduction to Clinical Chemistry would not use problem solving but only multiple choice and identification. You can compose 10 items for multiple choice and 2 items for identification.

2.      

            Do the same with the rest of the topics.

3.    

           Make sure your table totals correctly in the vertical and horizontal columns and rows.

4.       The percentage value is not always the same as the number of items. They are only the same when you have a 100-item exam.

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