A dream still worth pursuing
IT is very common for a young child to exclaim, “One day, I am going to be a doctor”. Doctors have always been familiar characters in each person’s life; at one time or another, everyone regardless of their backgrounds would have had to visit a physician. It is no wonder that today, medicine is still a career of choice for young Malaysians leaving high school.
But in the changing face of the world and community today, the medical profession too has evolved from the traditional role of “rescuer from pain” to a partner-personality, with whom one should work closely with in order to live well.
Qualifying with an MBBS is merely the first step as it is no longer a fixed road to being a practising clinician.
According to Melaka-Manipal Medical College’s Faculty of Medicine dean Prof Dr Adinegara Lutfi Abas, “Students have multiple pathways these days upon qualifying as a doctor. They can choose to remain in practice, to advance into research, go into corporate organisations by becoming a hospital manager or administrator, or occupational health specialist, or choose to serve the community by being in public health.”
The Practitioner
The world will never have too many physicians. With the growing population, the doctor practitioner is still much needed in all sectors of society. While the hours may seem long and un-family-friendly, it comes back to the individual. For as the saying goes, “do what you love, and you would never feel as if you’ve worked a day!”
“Furthermore, medicine is one of the fields which caters for a varied range of interests, in terms of the specialisations that one can opt to go into,” added Prof Dr Adinegara.
In a future where technology dictates, those skills that are distinctly human will be among the most valuable, and it is these skills that are enriched through postgraduate study.
Considering how vital this is, Melaka-Manipal organises workshops for USMLE, PLAB and various Royal College Fellowship/ Membership exam prep courses at its campus in Melaka, so that students are able to prepare for them prior to graduation.
The Researcher
For the doctor who is constantly intrigued by how things start and how things can be resolved, or diseases cured, the pathway of becoming a researcher would be a good choice. As the world shrinks with ease of travel, so looms larger the threat of infectious diseases.
Research work is also more structured today as compared to before, whereby evidence collected is based on a cross-section of causes. With the advent of systematic review, the physician research is now part of a larger multidisciplinary team as the study must incorporate a complete, exhaustive summary of current evidence relevant to the subject matter.
The Community Adviser
If it has always been your dream to treat communities as opposed to treating individual patients, the role of a doctor as a community adviser by way of being in public health would then be the right path for you.
A strong love of medicine coupled with mathematics and statistics are the core ingredients in excelling in this pathway. By being able to read into trends and form analytical solutions, a public health physician would be better able to formulate strategic preventive measures.
The right place to do your MBBS
With over three dozen medical schools in Malaysia to choose from, Melaka-Manipal Medical College is miles ahead as a top medical school. Since its inception, over 4,000 medical and over 200 dental surgeons have been delivered to the Malaysian and overseas international health systems, with many of its alumni members progressing successfully onto specialist careers of their choosing.
Students are guided to find their true paths prior to graduation as they are continuously exposed to the real lives of doctors, researchers and public health individuals through the college’s annual Postgraduate Fair and monthly seminars and exhibitions.
Fulfil your dream with them
The pursuit of medicine is a marathon, not a sprint. As such, parents and students are invited to visit Melaka-Manipal Medical College and experience for themselves life as a future Manipalite.
■ For more information on the Open Days, call 1700 811 662 or visit www.manipal.edu.my