The road to becoming a doctor is paved with ambition, discipline, and dedication from the get-go.
But perhaps above all, it begins with the right drive – the credentials which the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and University College Dublin (UCD) try to impart to their medical students.
On top of having students with academic excellence, the cornerstone of the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland & University College Dublin Malaysia Campus (RUMC) lies not only in the quality of the education it provides, but also in its students’ motivation in pursuing a career in medicine.
The students of RUMC’s class of 2022 have entered the next phase of their journey as medical students. A total of 112 aspiring doctors have returned from Dublin, Ireland where they undertook their pre-clinical studies at the RCSI and UCD for two-and-a-half years.
The clinical years in Malaysia will mainly comprise of the students receiving on-site training where they will interact with patients in Penang General Hospital, Seberang Jaya Hospital, and Taiping Hospital.
To commemorate this significant milestone, RUMC presented the students with white coats in a ceremony at the Penang General Hospital.
While the White Coat Ceremony is usually held at the beginning of a medical student’s life, RUMC believes that this would serve as a reminder to its aspiring doctors to begin seeing themselves as doctors-in-training, rather than as students.
In his speech, RUMC president and CEO Professor David Whitford told students: “This is a day that signifies the transition from the study of preclinical to clinical medicine for [you].
“It emphasises the fact that your contact with patients will be more significant and this ceremony brings to the forefront the responsibility that goes along with that.
“RUMC and the Ministry of Health Malaysia have been working together in a symbiotic manner for the past 20 years in the education and training of medical undergraduates. RUMC (formerly Penang Medical College) was the first private medical college in Malaysia.”
He added: “RUMC utilises the Penang State Health Department healthcare facilities encompassing its hospitals and health clinics, for the education and training of clinical undergraduates.”
Penang State Health Director Dr Asmayani Khalib said: “This healthy cooperation and collaboration between the MOH facilities in Penang state and RUMC augurs well with benefit realisation for both entities.”
Upon concluding their clinical training, students will graduate as doctors, receiving an internationally recognised medical degree, namely the MB BCh BAO (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Obstetrics) from the National University of Ireland (NUI).
A two-year placement as House Officers will follow suit.
