Qualifying with flying colours
IT WAS a proud day for Quest International University Perak (QIUP) when the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)’s pioneer batch (2012-2017) completed their final Clinical Professional Exams (CPE) at Hospital Taiping, where all 47 students passed and qualified as doctors.
Students were examined by groups of internal and external examiners from reputable institutions.
Prof Dr Kua Ee Heok from the National University of Singapore, one of the external examiners, commented that QIUP students definitely met the mark, exceeded expectations and were very well prepared.
He was confident they will make excellent physicians in future.
He also said that he has never seen such good collaboration between a university and a hospital as shown between QIUP and Hospital Taiping.
QIUP chief operating officer Nicholas Goh congratulated the doctors and reminded them to always work hard and become a part of the country’s dedicated healthcare force.
“I am sure the journey was not easy but you have proved yourself to be worthy and have overcome all the challenges that were thrown your way. You worked long, hard hours for this goal.
“This achievement shows your determination, commitment and strength as an individual. We are so proud of you and you should be proud of yourself.
“I am confident that all of you will be good ambassadors of the university and good role models for the society. Most importantly, live up to and uphold a sense of high integrity and moral values. You will serve as the beacon of light for future graduates and therefore, you must stamp your mark in society – I know you will,” said Goh.
Eight of the 47 doctors scored distinction in their CPE exams, making QIUP one of the best in terms of CPE results.
“Having almost 17% of students passing with distinction speaks highly of the quality of our programme. I can safely say that the QIUP pioneer MBBS batch is among the best scoring batches in the country,” said Prof Dr Alam Sher Malik, dean of the Faculty of Medicine.
“We have trained you to be compassionate doctors to be successful in your career. The soft skills in doctor-patient relationship are just as important as your theoretical knowledge. Therefore, always respect your patients and continue to learn from them,” reminded Prof Malik.
Class representative Dr Rakesh Rampal attributed his success and the success of his batch mates to the dedicated lecturers of QIUP’s Faculty of Medicine and the university’s management.
“Normally, it is the students who will ask the lecturers for extra classes in subjects they need help in. But in QIUP, it is the other way around. The lecturers, on their own initiative, will call us up and say your batch needs extra coaching in certain areas and arrange for classes.
“The faculty has always taken interest in our welfare and has always been our pillar of support in ensuring we do well in our studies. Our heartfelt thanks go to not only the academic staff but also the administrative staff who are always there to encourage us,” he added.
The young doctors will receive their scrolls from the university’s council chairman Datuk Sri Dr Vijay Eswaran at the convocation ceremony scheduled in November.
QIUP’s medical curriculum emphasises teaching students soft skills and how to be compassionate.
This is evident in the activities carried out as part of its curriculum, which includes early clinical exposure and hospital visits in the first two years.
Other activities include visits to underprivileged communities to perform medical check-ups, putting into practice what students have learned in class while learning to be compassionate at the same time.
The duration of the MBBS course is five years, done fully at QIUP.
This includes a pre-clinical curriculum of two years and clinical curriculum of three years.
■ For more information, log on to www.qiup.edu.my.