tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11620656.post8972261745108465518..comments2023-08-02T22:57:30.179+08:00Comments on The World As I Know It: The CallingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11620656.post-90781218952610559172007-06-26T07:59:00.000+08:002007-06-26T07:59:00.000+08:00Good suggestion, iggy! And yes, I know what you me...Good suggestion, iggy! <BR/><BR/>And yes, I know what you mean abt the scruples thing. I too do not think that making medicine (or law, for that matter) a post-grad course would reduce the number of inethical doctors & lawyers!aliendochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16943953235357596536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11620656.post-71794828666279002802007-06-26T04:34:00.000+08:002007-06-26T04:34:00.000+08:00Firstly, I profoundly disagree that making medicin...Firstly, I profoundly disagree that making medicine a postgraduate course will necessarily mean that doctors will have more scruples. There will always be bad hats and I am of the opinion that more education only transforms a rogue into a more educated rogue.<BR/><BR/>Secondly, I think the answer is to introduce flexibility, rather than enforce a streamline, as always. The introduction of the Duke postgraduate medical school is a good start as there is now the option for students to take on medicine as a postgrad. What we need is for 18 year olds to become more aware of what medicine truly entails as a profession, delusions(of grandeur) about the profession, and how it entails lifelong learning. They can then choose to apply for medicine as an undergraduate if they are sure of what they want, or choose to do something else and apply later should they still want to do medicine later on. It is not disadvantageous to do a basic degree first, because, let's face it, medics aren't trained to do much more than be medics. I doubt it will be easy switching careers after having being trained as a medic. The important thing is for both postgrad and undergrad medicine to be seen as equally favourable. <BR/><BR/>To achieve this, Singapore should perhaps consider the Intercalated BSc system of medical education in the UK. Essentially, most medics in the UK take a year out to do a BSc which may be medicine/biology-related, or may just be a humanities subject (Law, Psychology, etc). The postgrad medics are not required to do this, but can do an IBSc should they want to. This is also advantageous to undergrad medics, because they get a BSc partway through medicine, and can opt to pursue an alternative career if they find themselves to be unsuitable for the job. Some of my ex-classmates here in Cambridge have become investment bankers and consultants with McKinseys because they wanted to. Some of them have even returned to medicine after a year or two!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11620656.post-81119241430259517182007-06-19T00:40:00.000+08:002007-06-19T00:40:00.000+08:00Thanks for your comments, Dr Huang, you got it, sp...Thanks for your comments, Dr Huang, you got it, spot on.<BR/><BR/>tan ah kow: Simple. Because the polyclinics are short of doctors & have to look outside of Singapore to staff their clinics.aliendochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16943953235357596536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11620656.post-33624991564862164842007-06-17T20:10:00.000+08:002007-06-17T20:10:00.000+08:00Why do we have so many foreign docs in our polycli...Why do we have so many foreign docs in our polyclinics??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11620656.post-58962513665541351372007-06-17T20:09:00.000+08:002007-06-17T20:09:00.000+08:00Hi aliendoc:I agree with you that 18 years is too ...Hi aliendoc:<BR/>I agree with you that 18 years is too young to decide one's future.<BR/>Very few teenagers really know where their passions and talents lie ( esply in Sg's pressure-cooker system).<BR/>Those of my vintage ( mid-40's) really became doctors by default.<BR/>Academically inclined students get into Science classes and those with above average A levels choose Medicine/Dentistry almost as a matter of fact.<BR/>For most of us it is like the old notions of marriage. Get married first then fall in love.<BR/>For us it was become doctors first- having passion for doctoring is something we think about later. Those who find out they don't have passion for it, just give it up and just use it to bring the bacon home whilst pursuing their real passions on the side.<BR/>The US system is in a way wasteful of resources but then those who ultimately make it as MD's really really want it and their work show ( most of the time).<BR/><BR/>Dr.Huang Shoou ChyuannofearSingaporehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10292932144525733468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11620656.post-46126532113094083372007-06-14T17:35:00.000+08:002007-06-14T17:35:00.000+08:00sg med student: I am sure you are not the only on...sg med student: I am sure you are not the only one who feels this way! <BR/>:)aliendochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16943953235357596536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11620656.post-19840904032401295602007-06-14T09:47:00.000+08:002007-06-14T09:47:00.000+08:00hmm..2 or 3 more yrs after jc..i may not have chos...hmm..2 or 3 more yrs after jc..i may not have chosen medicineAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11620656.post-78859409475605488072007-06-11T01:01:00.000+08:002007-06-11T01:01:00.000+08:00Actually the local education system has already be...Actually the local education system has already been tweaked such that JC students now have to take what is known as a contrasting subject, that which is outside the student's main academic area of specialization. so for instance if you were in the science stream, you would be required to take a discipline related to the humanities and the arts (eg literature). i believe getting exposed to a wide range of disciplines whilst still young should be encouraged because this imbues students with multiple perspectives.<BR/><BR/>also it may be true that 18 may not be a ripe age to make a decision as major as determining one's future career. but if we were to seriously consider this, then university should not even be for 18 or 19 year olds. besides, i guess for one to truly realize one's calling or whether a certain profession is suitable, one would actually have to experience it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com