Davao Doctors College - Featured Schools

Philippine Schools Online Directory - Featured Schools - School Profiles
HOME - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Submit your school / Alumni website

Davao Doctors College
January 2008

Soaring high in pursuit of excellence…

Humble beginnings

The Davao Doctors College was founded in September 1975 by a group of medical doctors in response to the increasing demand for nurses in the Davao Doctors Hospital. Its pioneering founders were Dr. Agusto Abela, Dr. Juan Belisario, Jr., Dr. Rodrigo Casiño, Dr. Valeriana Castillo, Dr. Honorio dela Cruz, Dr. Jose Gantioqui, Jr., Dr. Luisito Guanlao, Dr. Honorio Hilario, Sr., Dr. Benigno Magpantay, Dr. Gerino Pangan, Dr. Pacita Sanvicente, Dr. Crisostomo Serrano, Sr., Dr. Leo Sicat, Dr. Amador Villanueva, and Dr. Herminio Villano, Sr.

The Davao Doctors College (DDC) was originally known as the Davao Doctors Hospital School of Nursing or DDHSN. It was initially housed within the hospital premises and offered only the three-year Basic Course in Nursing leading to Graduate Nurse. The first batch of enrollees was made up of 52 students, 32 of whom eventually graduated. One hundred percent of the batch passed the Nurse Licensure Examination in 1978.

In 1979, DDHSN expanded its curricular offerings. The Graduate Nurse Program was upgraded to Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Bachelor of Science in Biology and Pre-Dentistry were also opened in the same year.

In 1981, DDHSN officially became Davao Doctors College (DDC). Its track record of 100% passing average in the board examination for Nursing for seven consecutive years inspired the school administrators to open more courses and upgrade the school’s facilities.

The following decade saw full-scale academic and structural expansion. In 1990, two more courses were opened: Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy and Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Technology. The four-storey main building was constructed; a five-storey annex soon followed to house additional facilities. Both buildings now stand prominently in downtown Davao, a stone’s throw away from its mother company, the Davao Doctors Hospital.

In 1994, DDC offered the Optometry Program.

Year 1998 ushered the opening of non-paramedical courses. The influx of new course offerings like Psychology, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Computer Science and Communication Arts set DDC to higher mode of expansion as it saw itself as a university one day.

Recognizing the need for more educators, Teacher Education was opened in 2001 to offer Bachelor of Elementary Education and Bachelor of Secondary Education.

Accreditation as an academic exercise has been viewed by the College as an opportunity to ensure quality assurance of its academic offerings, services and facilities.

Hence, in 2000, DDC geared for the accreditation of its Nursing Program to the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities-Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA). The program now holds a Level II accredited status. The accreditation of other programs soon followed. The Biology Program holds a Level I Formal Accredited Status while the Hospital Management Program holds a Candidate Status.

In January 2007, the Radiologic Technology Program, for which DDC has been consistently acclaimed as the Top Performing School in the Philippines since 1998, pursued accreditation. DDC takes pride in the fact that its RT Program is the first RT Program in the whole Philippines to undergo accreditation.

Currently, DDC endeavors to undergo ISO certification and IQuAME accreditation to continuously improve its service quality.

From its modest beginnings some 32 years ago, DDC has metamorphosed into a respected institution of learning. Today, DDC stands proud and remains steadfast in its quest for academic excellence and service to God and humanity.

Present times

Since its operations thirty-two years ago, Davao Doctors College has evolved into an institution that has weathered the challenges of the times.

When its mother company, the Davao Doctors Hospital, achieved its ISO Certification in December 1999, management witnessed the good it has done for the hospital. Consequently, management also thought of a vehicle to improve its daughter institution, the Davao Doctors College.

Gearing towards academic excellence and quality assurance, the college submitted its academic programs for accreditation with the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities-Commission on Accreditation or PACUCOA under the Federation of Accrediting Agencies in the Philippines (FAAP).

Of the academic programs, Nursing underwent accreditation in 2000 followed by the Biology Program in 2004. The Hospitality Management Program soon followed in 2005 and Radiologic Technology in 2007.

Accreditation brought into light the finest and most meaningful experiences of Davao Doctors College. Through this quality assurance process, DDC saw the dramatic increase in its population. From 1,500 students, its population ballooned to more than 6,000 in a span of seven years. The workforce rose to more than 500 from less than a hundred.

Today, DDC’s Radiologic Technology Program holds the prestige of being the Top-Performing School in the Philippines for nine years now. The Doctor of Optometry Program, on the other hand, ranked third nationwide in the recently held board examinations.

Other academic programs of the college such as BS Physical Therapy, BS Psychology, BS Computer Science, AB Communication Arts, and Bachelor of Elementary and Secondary Education have very satisfactorily met the Policies, Standards and Guidelines of the CHED. Today, the institution champions a more dynamic and interesting approach to education utilizing advanced communication technology. Suffice it to say that accreditation has become a way of life at DDC.

Meeting international standards has not only become an aspiration but a necessity for DDC. To respond to the challenges of globalization and to ensure that DDC graduates may readily secure employment locally and internationally, the management has subjected the programs and systems of the College to evaluation by the CHED using the IQuAME framework. Anytime in 2008, the college shall be undergoing direct assessment of its educational outcomes and an audit of its quality systems. These quality assurance processes have become a regular feature in the plans of the College in the name of quality service and the satisfaction of its stakeholders.

The college also envisions itself to be a research-oriented institution. Hence, to meet the quality research mandate of the Commission on Higher Education, faculty and non-teaching staff are encouraged to do quality researches. The mechanisms for the development of a research culture in the college are in place. The management strongly supports the Research Program and has allocated generous incentives for faculty and staff who wish to conduct researches.

Since 2005, DDC has engaged in a consortium program with the Liceo de Cagayan University in Cagayan de Oro City and the Father Saturnino Urios University in Butuan City to enhance the academic qualifications of its faculty and staff. The program has been successful as it currently has a good number of Clinical Instructors with Master in Nursing and Master of Arts in Nursing degrees, faculty and staff who are Masters and Doctors in Management, and faculty who are Master of Arts in Education major in Health Personnel Education degree holders.

All the aforementioned activities are anchored in the Quality Improvement Initiatives of the Management in keeping with the objective for DDC to be one of the Top Higher Education Institutions in Mindanao.

glimpse of Davao Doctors College
Along the bustling street of Gen. Malvar, one cannot help but stop to see the humble structure of Davao Doctors College (DDC).

Come inside and feel the warm welcome of the students and the administration, come farther still and fill your eyes to your heart’s desire with the colorful gym while taking a glimpse of the bulletin boards along the corridor which showcase the array of organizations of the school. Indeed, DDC develops the students’ talents and leadership skills by providing them with the right venue to grow and competent mentors to emulate.

Headed by the mother organization, the Supreme Student Government (SSO), the recognized clubs and organizations of the school aim to uphold the vision, mission and goals of the school through their activities and programs while learning and growing in the process. Some of these activities are the outreach programs of the students including the Operation Tuli which not only helps the clients but also the nursing students of the school; the medical mission held every semester to reach out to the less fortunate; and the Clarion’s (official student publication) Christmas caravan which gives the indigent’s face a smile during the holidays. Of course, one cannot do without helping Mother Nature, so included in the yearly activities of the campus organizations are the Tree Planting Activity and The Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Activity.

DDC is a non-sectarian educational institution that focuses on the students’ spiritual growth through the Daily Noontime Prayer where everyday, when the clock strikes twelve, everybody stops what they are busy doing with and stands still to seek God’s guidance for the remainder of the day. Every start of the semester, the students, faculty and staff of different religions unite to glorify their God as their priest, pastor or Imam leads us in prayer. Though not a Catholic school, DDC strongly supports activities like the National Youth Day by providing them with participants, sponsors, first aid help and documentation.

The Departmental and Non-Departmental organizations of the campus also actively participate in competitions both inside and outside of the metropolis, with the DDC-Hospitality Management students bagging the top prizes during city-wide activities like the Kadayawan sa Davao and the just recently concluded and most-celebrated Cheerdance Competition and other competitions of the Philippine Nurses Students Association during the Davao Chapter PNA Week celebration.

Now that is just a fleeting look of the school and its persevering and well-rounded students, its numerous activities, programs, and the competitions participated in by the students with the support of the faculty, staff and administration.

With a competent and capable staff of administrators and mentors complemented by some of the most modern facilities and equipment, Davao Doctors College offers nothing but cutting-edge education for its students.

Source: Manila Bulletin Online