​Hospital and Polyclinic Week sets a strong foundation for new medical students

​Today, 139 students of LKCMedicine's sixth cohort wrapped up their two-week experience in the hospitals and polyclinics across Singapore, reflecting on what they learnt through creative presentations and performances. For many of them, this was their first time experiencing the facets of the healthcare landscape, from interacting with patients in the wards, to observing nurses carry out wound-dressing, and to being wowed by the automated medicine dispensing system at the pharmacy.

At the start of September, the fresh-faced Year 1 students who were just recently initiated into LKCMedicine branched out to the various healthcare institutions across Singapore. This year, students had the privilege of being posted to new clinical sites, including National University Hospital's (NUH) Paediatric department, Punggol Polyclinic and the newly-opened Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic. Students also spent the week at LKCMedicine's primary care partner Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), Ang Mo Kio Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, Woodlands Polyclinic and Outram Polyclinic.

Unique to LKCMedicine, the Hospital and Polyclinic Week is part of the school's curriculum which exposes Year 1 students to healthcare settings very early on in their medical education, allowing them to understand the roles and responsibilities that doctors, clinicians and nurses hold in ensuring the wellbeing of patients in their care.

Year 1 students don their white coats as they begin their Hospital and Polyclinic Week

LKCMedicine Principal Lead for Student Assistantship Programme – Family Medicine Asst Prof Tang Wern Ee said, "Polyclinic Week is a good opportunity for Year 1 students to interact with patients in the community and to learn first-hand the role of public primary care in the healthcare system. I am heartened to see the enthusiasm with which the students participated in the learning activities through the week!"

Through these opportunities to interact with patients, first year student Sarah Neo who spent time at Outram Polyclinic learnt to appreciate the multiple concerns that patients have. "I experienced what it was like being in the patients' shoes, and through this I empathised with them on the physical, mental and social struggles they have to go through while seeking medical attention," she said.

At the hospitals, the students shadowed members of the healthcare team and observed how closely they worked in teams. Student Swati Vijayan said, "I learnt that every healthcare professional plays a role – through a clear chain of communication between the doctors, therapists and nurses, I saw how everyone had an aim to deliver the highest quality of care to the patient."

They also spent shifts with the nursing staff, and saw how nurses who were at the front line of patient care played a crucial role in the patients' recovery. Swati recounted the detailed care nurses took when they ran various tests on patients and maintained the patients' hygiene day-to-day.

On top of that, the nurses also took notice of the patients' moods, and made efforts to cheer them up through conversations. Through observation, fellow classmate Luke Koh recognised how empathy and compassion are important traits when it comes to providing patients with holistic care. "My biggest takeaway is the importance of patient-centred care. Hospital week gave me the opportunity to experience what it was like from the perspective of a patient, and I understood how stressful it can be for both the patient and his family. Medicine is about improving the lives of patients, and doing that is more than just delivering diagnosis and treatment," he said.

Students with TTSH General Medicine Consultant Dr Endean Tan and Advanced Practice Nurse Ms Geraldine Ng

During Hospital Week, students simulated the process of angiography

Students role-play clinician-patient communication in a patient case of arrhythmia at the Coronary Care Unit, TTSH

Playing an important role in the patient's journey to recovery were not just the doctors and nurses, but also the professionals in the rehabilitation team. It impressed upon student Liow Junkai while observing an occupational therapist at work that communication was key in reassuring the patient and making him feel at ease. "Part of the caring for patients includes making them feel comfortable, which is greatly facilitated by being able to speak with them in their most familiar tongue," he said, recognising the advantage of multilingualism in communicating with patients from diverse backgrounds.

At the end of their week at Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic, students re-enacted their observations of the medical team at work and encounters with patients

Reconvening on 21 September, students sharedtheir experience through skits

LKCMedicine Assistant Dean for Year 5 Assoc Prof Tham Kum Ying who was at the presentations put up by the students at the end of their stint said, "For Hospital Week this year, the Year 1 students are posted to two new departments – the TTSH psychological department and the NUH paediatric department. These departments have given our students a more varied experience. Over the years, the batches of students have become a lot more creative and innovative in portraying their experience at the hospitals. Some of the teams have done very well!"

This stint at the hospitals and polyclinics has certainly been an eye-opener for the Year 1 students. "Having better understood a patient's journey, I am able to appreciate in greater depth that the heart of medicine is about serving the patients", said student Janna Poong, who saw how the healthcare professionals took into account various considerations when managing a patient's health. The experience at the hospitals and polyclinics forms a strong foundation for the medical students, who will soon be embarking on the training to become doctors who are not just theory-smart, but who are also attuned to the psychological wellbeing of patients.

Student Pay Tianle who spent the time at NUH and Outram Polyclinic summed up his experience, "Seeing the healthcare professionals' dedication to patients, I'm motivated to strive to become a caring and hardworking doctor in the future, so as to be able to support the people I work with and my patients."