Students' Take: Venturing into our new normal

By Keng Xin Yi, Class of 2026 and Outreach Director, 10th Students' Medical Society

Tough times are a time for growth. Things may look bleak but in the end, as humans we overcome and adapt. We can turn challenges into opportunities and we can do this together. The pandemic was a period of uncertainty, vulnerability and loss. Things were changing so quickly and for me, it was chaotic. But in this chaos, I found warmth and bonds that I could have never forged without such a distinctive period of life and I was glad to be in an extremely supportive home, LKCMedicine.

Xin Yi (second from left) at the White Coat Ceremony with her House Family

In this past year, I went from Year 1 to Year 2 in LKCMedicine. My Year 1 was spent mostly online but my learning was never compromised. Entering LKCMedicine, I was fascinated with the way Team-Based Learning (TBL) was conducted over Zoom through the Learning Activity Management Sequences (LAMS) platform. Knowing that the School had this system before the pandemic made me feel that the academic team was really forward-thinking, using such flexible pedagogy to facilitate student learning and development which enabled optimal learning even without having to be in a classroom. It was easy to focus in the comfort of my own room and having only one participant talking at a time on Zoom. Comprehensive resources were uploaded conveniently in iLKC, making learning much more accessible for me.

Year 1 Team-Based Learning team

For some, it may seem as if the pandemic has hindered the bonding with our TBL teams as we hardly got to meet, unlike this year in which we meet every single lesson. However, personally, I felt that my team was still close-knitted. We had to take extra effort to meet up for e-TBL together or to hang out, which made every single meeting a time that should be cherished and appreciated even more. There were many conducive places in LKCMedicine that made such meet-ups possible.

During this pandemic, our cohort had many feedback and opinions for the School with regards to arranging transport, shifting TBL timings and clarifying lesson materials. The professors and academic team were receptive to our ideas most of the time. Their responsiveness helped alleviate some of our uncertainties and concerns. Such gestures made me feel secure and grateful to be in an environment with close relationships with our staff and professors.

Greeting our security guards whenever I passed the doors to the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) also really uplifts my mood. I felt safe in my school. Safety measures were well thought out and help were mostly there when needed. Even after classes have ended, most of our anatomy professors and TBL content experts stayed behind to clarify doubts. All these experiences made my learning during this pandemic smooth and enriching and I am sure many of my batchmates felt the same. 

Personally, I had the opportunity to pursue my hobbies even more during the pandemic and for more personal reflections and growth. As I transitioned from Year 1 to Year 2, the pandemic also transitioned from a more serious period to a period with less restrictions and this made me treasure the facilities around me.

Taekwondo club

To focus on my health and study-life balance, I started learning how to gym and CSB was a very convenient starting place. My friends were supportive in teaching me the various methods and hazards of working out at the gym. After that, I went to my community gym more often and resumed Taekwondo training.

The band at “Peanut Butter ‘n’ Jam” 2023

I would definitely say that the music room is my favourite place in LKCMedicine. In Year 2, most of my time was spent there in the cosy drum corner preparing performance after performance with my band, which was formed during the pandemic. With this music room, we had a place to practise and expand our musicality. Our band got to perform at the Freshman Orientation Programme, “Peanut Butter ‘n’ Jam” and even ventured outside of LKCMedicine to perform for the Vibe Music Festival 2022 organised by the Medical Alumni Association Student Chapter. With the support of many of our batchmates, we won the third place among the various talented healthcare bands. It was like a dream come true and one of the craziest experiences in my life! 

This year, I had the privilege of serving as the Outreach Director for LKCMedsoc and I am so grateful to be given this opportunity by my peers, especially during this year of change. As I said before, it is indeed a time of growth. Many of our Community Involvement Projects (CIPs) had to limit their activities to online, and there were limited ways to reach out to the community that we care so much for.

As the measures eased, my role became much more disorganised as most of the procedures passed down to me were newly created during the pandemic. I was very determined to give my all in supporting our CIPs and international efforts to broaden our horizons. It was extremely heartening to see many of our CIPs sharing a similar mentality and many of them were eager to take flight and connect with their community once again. I assisted many teams to go overseas, something that could not be done for the last two years.

Driving the post-COVID momentum together with all my batchmates is extremely meaningful to me. It is a new normal and we strive to be even better than pre-COVID. The chaos is turning to order and the order is becoming excellence. I am thrilled to be in this LKCMedicine family overcoming ordeals and paving the future together as one family, one LKCMedicine.