A more academic approach

After much fruitful discussion with A* (also currently a third year) about the kind of thing us UPM medical students might want to see in the blog, I have came up with a variety of things I'd like to do to breathe life to this site.

Us seniors must have our moments when we get really perplexed as to how to answer when a junior first year asks, "Camne nak study embryology eh?" I mean, I don't even remember half about what I should about the germ layers, therefore it's going to be quite a task explaining how the heart develops in the first 7 weeks of life. It's not that I don't want to, because I tried to the other day when this girl asked me, and I had quite a hard time explaining with my vague memory of how ASD and VSD occurs. Maybe this will be important in my Paeds posting someday, I dunno.

What we realised in our discussion was, those things are what we'd like from seniors, but we're not necessarily the best seniors to explain that stuff because it's not fresh in our heads. Ask me tips about the second Proffesional Exam, and I'll tell you all the shortcuts and tricks I have under my sleeve, but ask me about the first Proffesional Exam, I'll probably tell you half the things you ask me aren't important. Second years would have a better time explaining this stuff than me.

SO, this is where YOU come in. Yes, you, medical student. I know you're reading this, and you're wondering why this site has nothing interesting up. Well, this is how YOU can contribute:

Write to us. Tell us things about a subpackage or posting that you wished you would've known before you started the learning the package/posting. It doesn't even have to be in one part, it can be in several if you're ambitious enough.

Here's a format if you're not sure where to begin:
1) how to study/tips in the subpackage/postings
2) reference books you think are useful
3) your experience in the subpackage/posting, any suicidal tendencies for example
4) Lecturers (the best ones/the not so great ones/styles of teaching)
5) Exams/OSCEs/CFUs in that subpackage/posting

So the pre-clinical subpackages are:
1st year:
1 C&ET (The Cell & Excitable Tissues)
2 GA&E (General Anatomy & Embryology)
3 BIOCHEM (Molecular Basis of Medicine)
4 PHARMACO (General & Biochemical Pharmacology)
5 PATHO (Pathology)
6 IMMUNO (Immunology)
7 HAEM (Haematology)
8 MICROBES (Medical Microbiology)
9 PARASIT (Medical Parasitology & Entomology)
10 CVS (Cardiovascular System)
11 RS (Respiratory System)
12 US (Urinary System)
13 AS (Alimentary System)
14 NM (Nutritional System)

2nd year:

Gambar sekadar hiasan

1 REPRO (Reproductive System)
2 ENDO (Endocrine System)
3 CNS (Central Nervous System)
4 MSS (Musculoskeletal System)
5 Public Health/ Epidemiology/ Biostatistics
6 Professional Exam 1
7 RESEARCH

Clinical postings/topics are:
3rd year:
1 Medicine
2 Surgery
3 Professional Exam 2
4 ENT
5 Opthalmology
6 Geriatrics
7 Sports Medicine
8 Radiology
9 Rheumatology
10 End of sem exam

4th year:
1 Psychiatry
2 Introductory Orthopaedics
3 Family Medicine
4 Community Medicine
5 Obstetrics & Gynaecology
6 Paediatrics
7 Electives

5th year:
1 Senior Medicine
2 Senior Psychiatry
3 Senior Surgery
4 Dermatology
5 Senior Orthopaedics
6 Anaesthesiology
7 Accident & Emergency
8 Senior Obstetrics & Gynaecology
9 Senior Paediatrics
10 Forensic Medicine
11 Profesional Exam 3

So that's pretty much the UPM syllabus for you. That's 49 topics... Wow. I'll start hunting down some juniors and seniors for their two cents and hopefully, it'll get a lot more vocal in here, and people can actually start using this space to voice out their opinion.

I've surveyed and asked around, and apparently some students would also be interested in reading articles along the lines of these topics:

• The necessity of co-curriculum activities
• Compulsory university subjects
• Being a class rep- why you should volunteer
• HSDG vs HKL
• Volunteering in the community
• Electives: 3rd world vs 1st world placement
• Being a houseman/MO
• Being a specialist/masters student
• Foreign vs local medical education
• Learning a third language

If you do want to volunteer, ANYONE from the course or any medical proffesionals are welcome. We're not looking for the Pulitzer Prize in writing here, just a relatable voice that can reach out to the common medical student. Don't worry too much about grammar since we'll edit it so it looks alright. If you're interested in helping us out, please do and send us over an article. More than one article on a subject is more than welcome. We'll have a debate, it'll be interesting. Tak payah la rasa malu ke orang baca, whatever it is, just believe in yourself and believe that it's good enough.

This not only helps future students taking your subjects/postings (as well as senior students having amnesia) but it could probably help some people who've applied to medschool to have an idea what medschool is like.

Looking forward to filling up this site!

Nazirah, 3rdyr 2010/2011

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*anonymous who wishes to be kept unidentified