Our Lady of Fatima University

Our Lady of Fatima University, formerly known as Our Lady of Fatima College, is a private university in the Philippines. It has two main campuses, one based in Valenzuela City and the other in Quezon City. The university concentrates mainly on allied medical sciences. Its name was derived from The Philippine National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima or Pambansang Dambana ng Birhen ng Fatima (in the Tagalog language) near the Valenzuela campus, but is not affiliated with the Catholic Church, and welcomes students of all faiths.

History
Founded in Valenzuela in 1967 by Jose C. Olivares and his son-in-law, Dr. Vicente M. Santos, the university grew out of Our Lady of Fatima Hospital. The hospital became the primary provider of medical and health care services for Valenzuela. Olivares was an entrepreneur and previously a chemistry professor at Ateneo de Manila University and at the University of the Philippines. Santos rose from humble origins in Hagonoy, Bulacan, graduated from the University of Santo Tomas, became an obstetrician-gynecologist, and ultimately delivered over 96,000 babies during his 40 years of service. The college seeks to promote the virtues of "veritas et misericordia" (Latin for truth and compassion).

The founders set about progressing the facility from a general hospital to a teaching hospital for health care providers such as nurses and midwives. This began in 1973 with the founding of Our Lady of Fatima College of Nursing. The first graduate class of 1976 garnered an unprecedented 100% passing average in the Nursing Board examinations. Dr. Santos and his wife Juliet Olivares-Santos continued the school's expansion, including the 1979 establishment of Fatima College of Medicine. While Fatima still focuses mainly on medical studies, in the 90s, the college diversified, starting programs in computer science, maritime education, and business. The College became a University in December 2002, with Vicente Santos as its founding President. Upon his death, his wife became the President.

Accreditation
Fatima College Nursing, Physical Therapy and Dental Medicine programs are accredited by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities-Commission on Accreditation. The Association of Schools, Colleges and University-AAI more recently accredited Fatima's graduate school. The Fatima College of Medicine is accredited by the New York State Education Department and the Illinois State Board of Education. The College of Maritime Education is ISO Certified ISO 9001:2000 and is included in the Commission on Higher Education's "white list" as a qualified provider of maritime education.

The CHED, "recognizing the enormous contribution of the Our Lady of Fatima University in the growth and prominence of tertiary education in the country and the Asia-Pacific and its commitment through quality education, research and extension work" granted regulation status to the Our Lady of Fatima University through CHED Resolution No. 393-2003 dated 2003-10-27.

On august 26, 2007, Fatima's Darlene Chutuap (88%), topped the 2007 Nursing Licensure Examinations (NLE) with 64,908 examinees (based on the results released by the Professional Regulations Commission). At 2nd place was Romeo Pangilinan (87.8%) from De Ocampo Memorial College of Nursing. Only 41,275 students or 48.18% passed. Fatima also topped the Physician Licensure Examination by the Board of Medicine on August 15, 2007 where its Ma. Christina Cedilla Jovida placed firt, 86.92% out of 2,656 doctors examinees.

External link

 * Our Lady of Fatima University official website

Footnote
Our Lady of Fatima University