Students' Take: Representing the voice of LKCMedicine students

By Lim Rong, President, 11th LKCMedSoc Executive Committee

 

Happy 2024! On behalf of the 11th Students’ Medical Society, I first want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the student population at LKCMedicine for placing their trust in us. It is an honour for us to represent and serve the needs of our peers. Our committee members strive to improve the student experience at LKCMedicine, ensuring that all of us have an enriching and memorable time throughout our journey here.

The 11th Students’ Medical Society.

Back row (left to right): Chin Hui Fang, Chew Kuan Yang, Daryl Tan, Gideon Lam, Joel Goh, Joy Loke, Melissa Hock, Lim Jia Yi, Celest So, Shaynna Ee

Middle row (left to right): Nathan Choo, Sia Juling, Isaac Chung, Marcus Leow, Luo Ruicheng

Front row (left to right): Lim Rong, Jireh Foo

 

Since its inception, one of the main goals of the Students’ Medical Society has been to represent the voices of students to our faculty and external partners. This year, we hope to build on the foundations laid by our predecessors to ensure that students’ concerns remain heard and addressed. Our Year Representatives and Executive Committee work closely with students and staff alike to enhance aspects of student life and medical education, especially as we put the memory of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us. Some issues we have partnered the School on include expanding the scope of financial aid for needy students and improving access to supplementary learning resources. In our efforts to foster a stronger connection between the Students’ Medical Society and students, we also actively utilise feedback forms and document numerous school events on our social media platforms.

M1 Team 8 dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz, as part of our Halloween celebrations!

 

Another key aim of the Student’s Medical Society is to organise programmes that support students in both our academic and extracurricular pursuits. To this end, our 11 committees brainstorm, plan and execute exciting events and initiatives throughout the Academic Year (all while adeptly managing the demands of medical school!). 

On the academic front, our Academic Committee hopes to leverage the proud peer teaching culture that we have at LKCMedicine to bolster academic and social support for students here. Among the initiatives we undertake are mock Observed Clinical Structured Examinations (mOSCEs), year-round senior-junior teachings, and year-to-year bridging programmes to ease transitions. Through establishing the LKCMedicine Students’ Teaching Excellence Awards, we also provide our many excellent student teachers recognition for their efforts. 

In terms of professional development, our Careers Committee supports a variety of Student Interest Groups (SIGs) including General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Ophthalmology and many more. These SIGs offer us a deeper insight to career paths upon graduation, and provide us opportunities to interact with doctors in the speciality through teachings and research projects. To complement this, our Research Committee runs various events such as sharings and an annual symposium to allow interested students to hone their research skills.

Beyond academic pursuits, we encourage and actively support our students’ community engagement in Community Involvement Projects (CIPs). With 20 local CIPs and 10 overseas CIPs, students serve a diversity of groups and causes by partnering with doctors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and healthcare institutions. We are privileged to be able to use what we learn in school to volunteer and serve our beneficiaries. 

Beyond the school walls, our International Relations (IR) committee collaborates with medical students abroad as well as other medical students in Singapore. This is also made possible by the inception of the TriMedSoc Alliance, a collaborative organisation by the three local medical schools. Most recently, the IR committee partnered with the TriMedSoc Alliance to hold Christmas Socials involving the three local medical schools, and the Singapore Medical Societies of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. 

Finally, as we strongly believe that variety is the spice of life, the MedSoc has introduced a series of cultural and sports programmes for our students. These include our annual talent show, Peanut Butter and Jam, which will be held in March this year, and for the first time ever, the upcoming one will be open to the public. Our annual beach day, Surfs Up, also provides an avenue for students to enjoy a fun-filled day with their peers. Incoming students can look forward to our exciting Freshman Orientation Programme, and our annual Dinner and Dance to celebrate the year’s achievements and create fond memories. We also promote the many talents of our non-academic SIGs, such as our dance crew, LKCrew, student-led acapella group, MedLee, and our chamber music interest group, LKChamber. In addition, our Welfare Committee looks to provide students more food options to power us through our study sessions, and our House Committees plan a variety of activities to bring us closer to peers of the same house.

This is just a snapshot of the work that LKCMedSoc does throughout the year to make student culture at LKCMedicine a vibrant one. To our peers in the current cohorts, our promise is to continue to work hard to improve your time here at LKCMedicine. It is our hope that you will look back upon your journey here fondly. To future students, I can tell you that an exciting student life awaits you! We look forward to having you with us, not only as part of the student body, but also as a pioneer of new initiatives that will benefit your peers and juniors in the not-too-distant future.