hello.. i'm from USM! greetings from the east coast!
currently into the end of my 4th year.. if all goes according to schedule, will grad in May 2008..


well, the medical field is mostly about biology and a bit of chemistry.. but if u're interested, Forensic Science, Dietetics & Biomedic are a bit different from Medicine..


haha, doc's life in M'sia not as glamorous as wat u see on grey's anatomy..
as my Prof. tells me, a houseman is the lowest form of life... u r like an amoeba in the hospital..
well, doc's are trained to see beyond wat normal ppl see.. we're supposed to think ahead, plan ahead.. when you see a fracture case, you'll have to think of managing it, and think of all the possible complications that may arise (long-term, short-term)
& wat u learn today will be outdated tomorrow... except anatomy! unless humans undergo some weird mutation..
all kinds of new drugs and therapies are being researched.. which will be much different from wat u learn now, if compared to when u start working..


well, a good heart.. coz brains alone are not enough to see you through ur whole medical career..
u may do academically well... but when u work, u'll be dealing with dying patients, unreasonable relatives, obnoxious docs.. so u'll be thinking: y d hell did i study so hard for?
so if u have a good heart, u'll know that all your effort is being put into providing a better quality of life for your patient..

& if ppl ask u: y do u wanna b a doctor?
dun say: cz i wanna help ppl... (policeman, fisherman, vcd seller oso help ppl)

say: cz i wanna use d knowledge of a doc 2 help ppl, cz not everyone can b a doc.. & i think i have what it takes to grad as a doc!

congrats!

preparations?

1) buy a few dictionaries...english pro, medical... sometimes they can be life-saving..

2) brush up on English (if it's d teaching tool used at PMC), comunication skills..

3) prepare for friends & family members to ask about any little pain, fever or illness that their relatives may have.. even though u've just started your course..

4) enjoy!


thanx legstrong! hehe, u could always go into research, instead of clinical.. then u'll be poring over books all day long..

serious? haha... care to drop a name?

hehe.. name's ERIC...

hey! domino's YUMMY! =p
at least in in KL it is.. hehe..

be a doctor because u WANT to be a doctor... not cz of ur results / family pressure / financial purposes

the medical profession is a very honourable one.. the reason why doctors are under such scrutiny & being in the news for all the wrong reasons is because of people who became doctors for the wrong reasons..

doctors are people who help others in need, using their knowledge and expertise in the medical field...
they are not people who can earn a lot of money / have stable financial life / people will hormat or sembah them / super duper cream of the cream of the cream of the nation...

if u enjoy relieving the pain & suffering of others, talking to people in need, working your a$$ off so that a stranger can sleep soundly at night,
then go ahead and be a doctor!

a doctors life should not be judged on how many cars / houses he owns.. or even the number of lives he has saved...
instead it should be the number or souls he/she has touched with kindness & compassion..

on the subject of the BEST medical school:

i agree that there's no BEST school... there's only the matter of LOCATION...
either the location BEST atau TAK BEST je...
like people dowan 2 go USM cz it's far away in KELANTAN... not becoz it's the worst Uni in Msia..

just my 2 cents here.. hope i don't offend anybody!

This post has been edited by aerikh: Jun 8 2007, 12:43 AM

wow, haven't been in this thread for quite some time...

for gratificator..

STPMm SAM, A-level equivalents: 1-2 years

IPTA MD/MBBS 5 years

housemanship 2 years

govt service 2 years if you wanna further studies, 3 years if you wanna open your own clinic

master's programme 4 years

subspeciality 2-3 years

so, with hard work & a little luck, you could be a specialist in 14 years, or a superspecialist in 16!

since you're 25 (1 year older than me only), you can specialize at 39 y/o..
& if you keep yourself healthy & alert, there can be longer years of service ahead for you...

age is never a barrier.. it's your will & determination!

lol.. yeah... forgot bout that important detail...

hehe.. osce/ospe's are one of the most fun exams around!
can't remember any exam when everyone will be grinning at each other like idiots at the end..

my favourite is still long case... you really need to talk yourself out of hell to save yourself..

em... depends on how u look at it...
student from medical schools would say that medical courses are MD/MBBS...
might extend to dentistry too...

at my campus, there are 3 schools...
School of Medical Sciences (MD)
School of Dentistry
School of Health Sciences (Biomed, Dietetic, Nursing, Radiology)

most of my coursemates are using talley/o'connor... (me included).. it's a really handy book..
older lectureres might prefer Hutchkinsons Clinical Methods.. a much older book (but i've seen an updated version in the market)

no clue about epstein though..



nah, with the commercialization of our healthcare system, respect & adulation for doctors won't be the same as it was back then..
nowadays patients come in, expect docs to cure their symptoms, but refuse further management..
their stance: "i pay for you to get rid of my symptom; symptoms gone, thanks & bye!"

LOL, fist_Aileron..

i'm also 2 month to Pro3...
haven't really clicked into exam mode yet!
2 most important months of my life to determine whether i can achieve all i've dreamed of since i was a kid..
(LOL, that sounds dramatic)

all the best! (all the way from USM Health Campus, Kelantan)


em... i dun think we can leave after HO, cz until then, we still haven't obtained our Annual Practising Cert.. (do correct me if i'm mistaken)

local uni 5yrs FEES+BOARDING < RM15000
that's how heavily subsidised it is..
10% of the cost of KURSK / Moscow...
perhaps 1% of UK?


well, most postgrad courses are about 4 years..
& there is special "leave" for Medical Officers who want to further studies (not sure if includes both local & abroad).. only 2 years compulsory service..

LOL, no bodies for us in USM.. just have cadevers..
not sure bout the newer batches though..

LOL.. din know my statement could cause that much of a confusion..
my CADAVERS are random mummified body parts, mangled & dry..
(although it's fun to pull the muscles & tendons to make them move)

& i tot wts89 was referring to fresh / semi-fresh bodies for autopsies, etc..
hehe.. my bad..


darksider:
PTPTN can get you up to RM100K (if i'm not mistaken)
the rest, u can get from political bodies, bank loans..

yes, NUS does provide medicine..

medical interviews?
u mean entrance? or SPA interview during the final year?

1st of all, congrats!

well, the most important thing:
don't choose medicine just because you scored in your exams...
score in your exams cause you chose medicine!

well.. i knew i wanted to be a doctor since i was 5.. never wavered from then...
always had to crack my skull to write 2 more options during primary school
(anyone still remember the small card you have to fill, including 3 cita-cita?)

i joined st. john's ambulance since std 5, just to get a feel of the first aid training..
never went to any hospitals for training..

medicine is fun, lots of problem solving, no patient is the same as the previous one..
you can have the most canggih meds & equipment to heal (& kill) people..
people treat you different, your friends & relatives consult you from the 1st day you entered medical school (even though you've only just learnt about the anatomy & physiology)
learning in medicine never stops.. the day you graduate is just the 1st step to the wide world of medicine..
you'll be a doctor till the day you die..


(YES, there is a LOT to memorize)

well, the PBL does have it's pro & cons..
but from 1st hand experience, it does shift the focus away from basic clinical sciences..
i'm just weeks away from my finals, & honestly my basic sciences are cr@p!

(well, mayb i'm a cr@ppy student & this is not due to PBL,)

the success of any PBL session depends on its participants..
whether they just come in empty, or well prepared..
do they regard PBL as a brainstorming session? or just a futile exercise..
the group i was with during my 2nd-3rd years was an OK one..
unfortunately, no one wanted to conduct the session..
and yours truly was the sole conductor of the session for 2 whole years..
(although asking questions is kinda cool, makes you look smarter than dumbly not answering -> House MD)

lol, actually we have 1 week off before the 2ns Selanjar, and then 3 weeks+ before Pro2..
bosan gila, wished i could fast forward time then..

now i wish i can slow time down!
7 days and counting, hope to survive til then!

good luck & all the best to everyone!
exam fever is really here huh?

yay~ exams over, can say byebye 2 med school!
on the not-so-sunny side.. sigh, student life is over, time 2 pay bills & stop leeching on my parents..

LOL, i'm going to a HO course this saturday..
one of the highlights: how to handle being a 3-in-1 doctor..

1. house officer
2. husband / wife
3. parent

some of my coursemates got hitched during med school..
personally, i think as long as your spouse is understanding about your profession, & you can handle the responsibilities (& multi-tasking), shouldn't be a problem..

hi guys! (& gals)

wow... missed so much on this thread while i've been away..
from wiki to quarrels to cables.. hehe..

been working for 6 weeks already..
spent the first 2 weeks tagging from 6.30am-12am, couldn't wait to go back & sleep...
kinda became a zombie by day 10..

life as a HO is kinda fun, but damn tiring..
physically when you're running around getting things done..
mentally when things go wrong & you get screwed..

nevertheless, i believe that if you have a clear ambition about becoming a doctor...
& not just joining med school coz u scored 4.0....
then there's no prob surviving housemanship...

my colleagues who are really suffering are those who really have no heart in caring for patients...
they never really expected to have to slog so damn hard...
since their heads were kinda inflated by everyone calling them 'doctor'...

anyway, it's nice to have a life back...
haven't been online for weeks!