Gaining internship experience in Singapore
AS part of the IMU Medical Biotechnology (MB) curriculum, students are given the opportunity to enrol in an internship programme either locally or overseas for approximately three months. Cheow Yi Ann from MB1/14 undertook her internship under the supervision of Dr Toh Wei Seong from the Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore (NUS), whose research primarily focuses on regenerative medicine.
Cheow relates her experience, “It was a truly remarkable experience as I have the opportunity to collaborate with other researchers from various countries to work on the same project and support each other along the way, which helps improve my communication and collaborative skills significantly.
This internship has also given me the opportunity to acquire new skills such as Western blotting and various kinds of staining. On top of that, the tasks I performed also allowed me to apply what I learned in university to a real-world environment.
This internship has definitely increased my interest in pursuing a career in research.
Although I faced a lot of problems in Western blot when I first started, I do not see them as failures but rather learning experiences because I firmly believe in the saying that every mistake made is a lesson learned. With that being so, I tried to figure out the possible causes for the errors and tried to troubleshoot each accordingly. In addition to optimism, I personally think a researcher should also be patient, observant and resourceful because research is not just about getting the results every single time but more importantly, to know how to optimise the protocol to obtain the best possible results and also to troubleshoot the problems faced along the way.
Prior to this, upon completion of my pre-university studies, I decided to enrol into the Medical Biotechnology (MB) programme because I love the idea of utilising living organisms to come up with products to improve our lives. I chose to study MB at International Medical University (IMU) because it is an established private healthcare university with its curriculum benchmarked to international standards.
As a matter of fact, its intensive curriculum structure has taught me well in handling pressure and staying focused. Apart from that, I really appreciate the teaching style in IMU that promotes lifelong learning because it motivates me with the desire for more knowledge and self-improvement, which I think is rather crucial because research is an ever-changing field.”
IMU’s medical biotechnology degree curriculum is developed to meet international standards and accepted by renowned international partner universities (University of Newcastle, Australia or University of Strathclyde, UK) for credit transfer into relevant programmes. Students can also complete the entire degree at IMU.
IMU is also the first Malaysian university that provides a complete and specialised undergraduate training in Medical Biotechnology. Graduates of these degrees can undertake postgraduate degrees in any related discipline. The MB programme in IMU expose you to industrial attachments locally or abroad, giving you the opportunity to gain valuable industrial experience and the required skills to be immediately ready for employment. This would also give you a distinct and an added advantage in your career.
The next commencement date for this programme is in September. If you have pre-university qualifications and an interest in Medical Biotechnology, apply online now and join the university in your pursuit of a promising and rewarding career.
If you have just completed SPM and do not have pre-university qualification, consider enrolling in the one-year IMU Foundation in Science (FiS), the preferred foundation and direct route for entry into any of the university’s degree programmes.
■ For details, visit www.imu.edu.my or e-mail start@imu.edu.my or call 03–2731 7272.