UP Manila, Tesda team up to create diploma courses in autopsy, cadaver care
Are you interested in becoming an autopsy technician, working with law enforcement and medical personnel without obtaining a four-year degree?
The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) and Tesda are collaborating to create certificate programs for senior high school graduates that will support courses offered by health sciences schools.
Among the academic modules UPM and Tesda are planning to create are new Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses on autopsy technical support, advanced cadaver care for human anatomy courses, and technical support for simulation-based health sciences education.
“There is a growing need for trained technicians in autopsy, embalming for academic purposes, and simulation-based education as medical colleges in the country continue to increase,” UPM said in a statement.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recently approved the establishment of 22 new medical schools, in line with Republic Act No. 11509, or the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act, enacted in 2020.
According to Tee, support staff is needed to ensure proper handling and preservation of the cadavers in anatomy laboratories in schools offering programs in medicine, nursing, physical therapy, and dentistry.
At the same time, simulation-based education technicians are needed to ensure the proper functioning of equipment and simulation mannequins in clinical simulation laboratories.
The TVET academic modules will serve as the basis for the systematic training, evaluation, and certification of students taking the new courses.
These courses are for students who have finished K-12 education and other individuals who are interested in entering the highly competitive field of academic technical support here and abroad.
“We will co-create these courses with Tesda to ensure quality education that will match the need of universities offering health sciences courses,” UPM chancellor Michael Tee said during a recent meeting with officials from Tesda and the Department of Health (DOH).
In the partnership, UPM will define the learning outcomes for the courses while Tesda will provide the training and certification for graduates of the courses.
According to Redilyn Agub, assistant executive director of Tesda’s Competency Standards Development Division, they will look into the possibility of turning the said courses into a ladderized diploma course.
The first year of training will include anatomy subjects while the second year of the course will include simulation laboratory maintenance.
In July 2024, officials from UP Manila and Tesda signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at creating medical-focused TVET courses.
Ched sent UPM’s laboratory technicians, along with Anatomy Department chief Dr. Rafael Bundoc and simulation-based professor Dr. Maria Julieta Germar, to Australia’s Adelaide University to undergo training in cadaver care and simulation-based education technology.
Bundoc and Germar are leading the development and refinement of the training modules for the upcoming courses.
