Once Students, Now Examiners: LKCMedicine Alumni Give Back as MBBS Examiners

 

 

Despite being a young medical school with seven (and counting) cohorts of graduated students, LKCMedicine boasts a close-knit community of alumni with a strong culture of being actively involved in the growth of the School.

Take for example, Dr Tan Yuan Rui, Leon (Class of 2018) and Dr Ho Ying Na (Class of 2019). Now accomplished clinicians, they had the unique experience of being the first two alumni to return to the School as NTU Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) examiners earlier this year.

“It feels like a full circle moment,” Dr Tan shared, now a Senior Resident in Paediatric Medicine at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH).

Similarly, Dr Ho, who is currently a Senior Resident Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, described the opportunity as “a chance to give back” and a privilege to step into a role once occupied by her own mentors and teachers.

 

The Road to Being an Examiner

Drs Ho and Tan were involved in the "Called to See Patient" station where the graduating Year 5 LKCMedicine students were given a scenario of an unwell patient and were required to make their assessments via history taking and physical examination. They then had to interpret investigations done and make suggestions for the management of the patient in a time pressured setting.

Integrated into the NTU MBBS for the first time, this station tested their ability to assess and manage patients who are unwell, which would be similar to what would be expected of the students when they begin working in the hospitals as Postgraduate Year 1 (PGY1).

“To ensure that our students are assessed accurately and well, we felt it was important to have senior residents as the examiners of this station. They are often the most senior person on duty after hours and often have to respond to unexpected emergencies and supervise the junior doctors. Therefore, they are the best group of doctors to evaluate the students,” explained LKCMedicine Assistant Dean (Year 5) Dr Ng Wee Khoon.

Having been LKCMedicine students and in the “hot seat” previously did not make being an examiner any easier. Both alumni were extensively involved in preparation leading up to the exam day.

“There was a detailed examiners training workshop conducted by the School to ensure that all examiners were on the same page with regards to the conduct of the exam, individual stations and to enforce standardisation as well. This helped me immensely to understand the expectations of examiners in terms of conducting the stations and standardised marking. Prior to the exam, I was also involved in calibrating our expectations of the students with fellow examiners. This was to minimise overly hawkish or dovish marking,” shared Dr Ho.

Recalling his experience, Dr Tan marvelled at the process and planning behind the NTU MBBS. “Multiple briefings were conducted for us, including one more just prior to the examination on the day itself. What really struck me about this experience though is how fair the LKCMedicine examinations are. There are vigorous standards settings done by the examiners, and those coming as examiners will have to go through trainings to ensure that they mark the students fairly.”

“I also believe in maintaining high standards in medical education, and being an examiner allowed me to understand what the process is behind grading students, which will definitely help me to become a more effective tutor to my future students,” added Dr Tan, who is involved in teaching LKCMedicine students rotating through Paediatrics in KKH.

An added advantage of being involved in the MBBS is the chance to reconnect with former teachers and fellow healthcare professionals. “It was great to see familiar faces –teachers who taught us and we may not have the chance to meet often in the hospital. It is also a platform to connect with fellow doctors within the hospital or healthcare cluster,” said Dr Ho.

An Everlasting Connection to LKCMedicine

Drs Tan and Ho’s involvement with the School as alumni did not start with being an MBBS examiner, nor will it stop there.

Dr Tan previously served as the inaugural President of the LKCMedicine Alumni Executive Committee. Dr Ho has had the opportunity to mentor Year 3 LKCMedicine students during their Internal Medicine posting, teach as Clinical Communications course tutor, and take on the role of her department’s liaison for the Year 1 LKCMedicine students’ Patient Journey programme.

As to whether they will come back as NTU MBBS examiners again, the answer is a resounding yes!