Writing the Future of Our Nation

Guest Editor: AP Dr. Kamarul Aryffin

 

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Balancing our duty as clinicians and as academicians is not easy and rather challenging in today’s day and age. As clinicians, we have to see patients and members of the community - adhering to the principle of ‘to comfort always, to cure sometimes’. As academicians, we are busy with the teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate students. It is a competency training where smaller groups are always being emphasised. On top of that, we are bounded by the common notion ‘to publish or perish’ as researchers, and in constant pursuit of being principle investigators for a grant.

All this must be done during office hours.

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Yet, we are still asked to do more!

These tasks sometimes appear to be unimaginable for non-medical lecturers.

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Despite these responsibilities, I must thank all our lecturers for their continuous support, contributing to the success of our beloved school. We have produced 32 batches of graduates who are now actively serving the community in various clinics and hospitals throughout Malaysia, and even in other parts of the world. Some of them are renowned and among the top physicians in their specialties. This is a great achievement not only for academia, but also for the school itself. Most of them were undoubtedly the products of the good old days - where teaching was always the priority and undergraduate students got most of the attention.

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I wish for that scenario to continue, despite the competition for attention get- ting worse alongside the multitasking of our medical lecturers. The hunger of our students for clinical knowledge, skills, guidance and wisdom is alarming. Have we given them enough? Remember, if one graduates today, he or she will practice medicine till the year 2055. We cannot take competency for granted and let it happen by chance! We must make sure the quality of the graduates continue to increase, if not retained.

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The Shadow House Officer Training Schedule (SHOTS) is one of a kind, a product of PPSP; an internship program to change the mindset of undergraduate students. Instead of being ‘clinical tourists’ (they come, see, touch and go out without any responsibilities), they are instead taught to be part of the teamwho manages our patients.

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As such, I plead to all the lecturers to reflect on the attention we give to ourstudents. If we can increase the quality or quantity of our valuable time with them, it will allow them to become compassionate professionals with excellent clinical skills. We should also integrate a sense of humanity, soft skills and interpersonal skills within them. Emphasis should be on seeking opportunities, creating the spirit of inquiry, in-depth thinking and the ability to become a lifelong learner. Although this might appear to be intangible for our promotion, it is nevertheless rewarding.

 

Rumi quoted ‘Every story is us’. So, let’s write it together. 

*Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī is a 13th century Persian scholar and one of the greatest poets in history.

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