Learning from top surgeons
MEDICINE is an incredibly vast field offering careers in many specialisms. With so many opportunities, undergraduate students often find it difficult to decide what to specialise in.
In conjunction with the Asian Students Medical Association ( ASMA), third- year Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia ( NUMed) medical student Sailesh Mohana Krishan led a team of students to conceptualise the Southern National Undergraduate Surgical Symposium.
The inspiration behind the Southern National Undergraduate Surgical Symposium was a medical conference that Sailesh attended in the United Kingdom.
When Sailesh saw first- hand how useful these events could be for undergraduates and their careers, he decided to start a similar conference at NUMed.
The concept became a reality when seven leading surgeons in Malaysia imparted their advice to more than 250 students at NUMed’s Iskandar Demonstration Theatre.
The speakers were specialists in colorectal surgery, neurosurgery, general surgery, breast and endocrine surgery, and plastic surgery.
Reflecting on the event, Sailesh says: “The hardest part of the event was trying to secure all these leading surgeons to come and speak on the same day, but with hard work from the NUMed team and the flexibility of the experts, we managed to pull off a great symposium. I am incredibly grateful to the speakers for coming down and sharing their expertise.”
In the ever- evolving surgical field, it was a privilege for students to hear about the latest advancements from those at the forefront of the field.
“The day ran smoothly. The audience wanted to hear more from every speaker, so it was a challenge trying to fit it all in,” says Sailesh.
Prof April Roslani, one of the highest- ranking female surgeons in Malaysia, spoke on colorectal surgery and gave an additional talk on work- life balance.
She stated the importance of a work- life balance and explained how she juggles her roles as a mother, wife, surgeon and educator.
As an all- round education is core to NUMed’s values, NUMed encourages its students to lead an active lifestyle.
“NUMed aims to enrich a student’s life outside of their immediate studies. We have a busy schedule of events throughout the year, often organised by one of our 20 student societies and clubs. These events give a platform for students to get further insights into medicine and society in general.
“Our objective is to provide a vibrant social, sporting and cultural offering to complement the high- quality medical education provided at NUMed,” says Dr Kenneth McKeegan, NUMed’s dean of academic affairs.
Since the British university opened a branch- campus for medicine in Johor in 2009, NUMed students, including Sailesh, have been offered the opportunity to study for short periods in the UK. Almost all students take advantage of this.
NUMed recently became the first university outside of the UK to receive recognition by the General Medical Council ( GMC) – the statutory body that registers and regulates doctors in the UK.
This means that Malaysians who study medicine at NUMed and carry out their postgraduate clinical training programme in selected Malaysian hospitals can now apply for full registration as doctors with the GMC as well as the Malaysian Medical Council ( MMC).
For more information, visit www. ncl. ac. uk/ numed.