Quote for the next 2 weeks

"No one in this place has the ability or guts to target anyone, because they never know who you may be associated with..." Prof Kevin

This quote is helping me survive the next two weeks with someone who doesnt know this and may one day eventually cross the toes of someone....

If only she had taken the effort to memorise the names of her teachers...

Nerd

I wonder when the time will come when I am nerdy enough to have some medical nickname for blogging purposes... something like wuchereria???

Erratum

I am publishing here some of my comments on a rather erroneous article, be it by the reporter or the interviewee...

Sunday June 28, 2009

Irish connection

By TAN SHIOW CHIN

WHEN Penang Medical College (PMC) began 13 years ago, it was the norm for students on twinning programmes to start off their studies in Malaysia, before proceeding abroad to complete their degree.

This, in fact, was the modus operandi for the first private medical college in Malaysia — the International Medical College, which is now the International Medical University (IMU).

Final-year medical students studying hard for their exams at the college library.

IMU students on the twinning programme spend their first two-and-a-half years in Malaysia, then proceed on to their clinical studies at one of IMU’s partner medical schools abroad.

PMC, however, along with the now-defunct Asean-Sheffield Medical College in Ipoh, came up with the concept of first sending students abroad for their pre-clinical studies before returning to Malaysia to continue with their clinical years.

According to PMC president Brendan Lyons, this model gives the students the best of both worlds.

“We take them out of Malaysia first and shake them up a bit. They are exposed to vigorous scientific training and have to perform on par with their fellow students at either the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) or University College Dublin (UCD).

The word is not perform on par. IF you were to look back to the past couple of years, the PMC students have been setting the standards for the university, with the students performing beyond the level of the other students in the university, winning numerous medals, and competitions as well as topping the examinations in their respective classes...Just highlighting a point here.

“Then they come back to Penang, where they are exposed to the clinical setting, and patterns of disease and healthcare issues in Malaysia.”

The difference is significant as the clinical scenario in Ireland and Malaysia are naturally different.

“For example, you are hardly likely to see malaria or dengue cases in Ireland. You are more likely to see cardiovascular cases in Europe,” says Lyons.

This is a very bad example to give. We are talking about Ireland anyway, and the best example IMHO is that of cystic fibrosis. We see numerous cardiovascular cases in Malaysia as well.

An added bonus to this model is that parents and students can also save on the more expensive clinical-year tuition fees, as well as the expenses of living those two-and-a-half years abroad.

I truly doubt it is an "added" bonus, more likely to be the MAIN REASON why parents send their children here

Lyons adds that there is another benefit in the larger context in using this model.

“From a national point of view, there is a higher likelihood of our graduates staying on and working in Malaysia,” he says, adding that only around 70 of their over-500 graduates to date have opted to work in Singapore, while only a small number have gone back to practise in Ireland.

The error here is not that the students have "opted" to work in Singapore, but that those who have succeeded in getting into the system there. The problem is that there seems to be an internal struggle for a graduate from PMC to leave Malaysia as they are not given the support they need to do so...

As such, it is not surprising that about two-thirds of their students are Public Services Department (PSD) or Mara scholars.

Why is it not surprising? It is not surprising because it is cheaper for JPA and MARA, not because of the model.

PMC graduates receive an MB BCh BAO (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of Obstetrics) degree awarded by the National University of Ireland, which RCSI and UCD are a part of.

This statement is correct

This degree is recognised by the Malaysian Medical Council, Irish Medical Council and Singapore Medical Council among others.

This statement is also technically correct, but is very misleading. The MBBChBAO is recognised by SMC, but only if you have pursued your course in Ireland for the whole 5 years. The SMC does not recognise the degree awarded to PMC students because they are under a twinning programme, and have not pursed the whole course in Ireland. Therefore, PMC graduates are not allowed to work in Singapore.

Graduates also receive the Licentiates of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (LRCSI) and the Licentiates of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (LRCPI), which are licenses given by the university, as an authorised body, to the holder to practise surgery and medicine respectively.

These are historical licentiates which bear no extra value to the degree, but are conferred due to historical value.

New developments

The college, which uses the Penang General Hospital as its main teaching hospital, intends to gradually increase its student intake to about 150 a year.

Says Lyons: “We will recruit 130 first-year students for our next intake, and will increase the number by ten a year until we reach 150.”

He explains that the reason for gradually increasing the numbers is to ensure that there are sufficient clinical places available.

“We can’t expect to dump a whole lot of clinical students on our teaching hospitals and expect them to cope,” he says.

Lyons adds that at present, the hospitals PMC works with have the capacity for expansion, but the college also wants to ensure that they are not overburdened and that their students get the proper medical training.

The college is also exploring the possibility of working with other hospitals and clinics. For example, PMC has arranged with Taiping Hospital to allow their final-year students to do their two-week houseman shadowing module there starting this year.

Aside from expanding the clinical side of the programme, the college has also started conducting the Pre-Med, or Foundation Year, programme at the PMC campus on Jalan Sepoy Lines.

The programme, which started two years ago, takes in students who made it to the interview stage, but are not quite academically-qualified to go straight into the five-year medical course.

Previously, students had to go straight to Ireland to study this course, resulting in them spending a total of three-and-a-half years abroad with the attending extra expenditure.

“We thought it was important to pick up these students, especially those who were really interested in medicine, and prepare them to study in Ireland,” shares Lyons.

He adds that based on the feedback from both RCSI and UCD, the first batch of 17 students, who are now completing their first year of medical studies in Ireland, are doing as well as those who entered straight into the five-year programme.

The college also recently purchased the Penang Home Building in Jalan Residency, next to the Penang General Hospital.

ERROR. PMC has not purchased the building, but instead have loaned it for a 9 year period (the exact details are complicated) for about ~RM20000 per month.

According to Lyons, the purchase will increase the capacity of the college by about 25% in terms of building space.

ERROR: PMC has not purchased the building. It will increase the PMC grass and lawn space by 25%, but it will also reduced the library space by 66% and the student centre space if the proposed move happens.

Aside from improving and expanding on current facilities, the extra capacity will be used for the proposed new Diploma in Radiography programme to be introduced next year.

Says Lyons: “We have been looking at expanding our programmes in detail for the past number of years.

“We are actually looking at introducing a Diploma in Radiography next year.”

He adds that the content of the programme will be mostly, if not all, taken from UCD, and will be accredited by the university. However, the programme will be run entirely in Penang.

The college is also looking at programmes in physiotherapy, pharmacy and hospital management, but will focus on introducing one programme at a time for now.

Click here to read the original publication in theStar online

I'm getting very excited...

that I will be receiving my degree in 2 years in LATIN!!!!

UNIVERSITAS HIBERNIAE NATIONALIS
Testantur hac literae Gradium Baccalaureatus
in Medicina, in Chirugia, in Arte Obstetricia
Honore Cursa Confecto
in Collegio Regali Chirurgerum
in Hibernia cum
Collegio Medicina Pinangensis cum
Universitate Hiberniae Nationali conundo
ad

die iii mensis Juli mmxi

maybe a Latin mass to accompany this accomplishment should be arranged....

The Annual Begging Season

And so the controversy is stirred up again, year after year, the annual begging season begins, and people start to cry foul because they feel injustice has been done unto them because they were not successful in obtaining a PSD scholarship.

I am frequently amused because in reality, the PSD does not owe anyone anything. It is not obliged to reward a student who has received excellent results with a scholarship... nor is it obliged to reveal how it selects who to award a scholarship to.

I have not read any statement that makes it compulsory for anyone to get a scholarship just because they had some number of A's in their exams...

Then it is also interesting to see how people react to this situation, trying to use political influence to grant them favours, and on the other hand, some people who tell others to be happy with what they have and not ask for more...

But based on my observation, what I am most intrigued at is how, at the end of the day, 6 PSD scholars from some 120 students managed to come up with a common altruistic objective of wanting to serve their student community here in Penang. Certainly the PSD must have got their selection criteria correct somewhere?

For those in public office

Pro rempúblicam moderántibus.
Orémus et pro ómnibus rempúblicam moderántibus, ut Deus et Dóminus noster mentes et corda eórum secúndum voluntátem suam dírigat ad veram ómnium pacem et libertátem.

Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, in cuius manu sunt hóminum corda et iura populórem, réspice benígnus ad eos, qui nos in potestáte moderántur, ut ubíque terrárum populórum prospéritas, pacis secúritas et religiónis libértas, te largiénte, consístant.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Let us pray for those who serve us in public office, that God may guide their minds and hearts, so that all men may live in true peace and freedom.

Almighty and eternal God, you know the longings of men's hearts and you protect their rights. In your goodness watch over those in authority, so that people everywhere may enjoy religious freedom, security, and peace. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Orientation???

Where is the list of panel doctors which the students are entitled to free consultations?

Where is the list for of members of faculty who are supposed to act as mentors?

Where is the person who is supposed to ask us if we have taken the LAN subjects, and if not when they will be held?

Where is the accountability from tutors and lecturers for not turning up without warning, or being late and keep us waiting, but turn on you for being late is they are on time?

Where is the system put in place to notify students of delays, cancellations, postponements?

Who is paying the students to notify each other about information that should be disseminated from the college or the faculty centre?

Who do you blame when there is no pointer for the lecturer in class?

Why do the students need to pay for their accommodations while on rotations?

Why is there a lack of cohesiveness of the class, and a clear disparity between people from UCd and RCSI?

Why is there a sense of animosity and anonymity between students of different classes?

Why are the term dates not available beyond this semester?

Who do we blame for the lack of efficiency, and the "this is how it has always been done" attitude?

How can we improve on all this?

How do we get rid of this sense of moderation and lack of enthusiasm, and instead strive for excellence?

It's that time of month....

IMposition

I must say that I do not like things being imposed on me. Especially thing which are not part of the official curriculum.

Yes, some activities may be beneficial to me, but there is no need to impose it on me as though I was a little toddler, but rather I should be given the freedom of choice... especially when the other party stands to gain from it also.

It's like someone had a bright idea one day and decided that he would make it law!